Aldermen act at somber meeting

JACKSON, Mo. -- Monday night's Jackson Board of Aldermen meeting was somber in the wake of the death last week of City Attorney David Beeson. Mayor Paul Sander announced that Beeson's photograph will be permanently displayed in the council chambers and lauded his professionalism and knowledge of municipal law.

"He was truly concerned about the well-being of the citizens of Jackson," Sander said.

Beeson, 54, died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack while on vacation.

Mary Boner, the attorney who fulfilled Beeson's duties whenever he was away, sat in his chair Monday night and acknowledged the difficulty of doing so.

The board plowed through three public hearings and passed 11 ordinances in an unusually heavy agenda. It approved bids of about $750,000 for construction on the city's West Tower/Industrial Water Main Project and West Tower Connection Water Main Project. The bids were nearly $245,000 from Monroe Plumbing and Heating Co. of Cape Girardeau and slightly more than $500,000 from Drury Construction Engineers of Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

The projects consist of installing new water mains from the city's west tower south to the industrial park on Highway PP and from the city water plant to the west tower. They are expected to be completed early next year, if weather allows.

The board also rejected an ordinance that would have rezoned the property at 311 N. High St. from R-3 (general residential) to C-3 (central business). Scott Schnurbusch made the request with the intention of putting a crafts store in an existing house.

The ordinance received five yea votes to three nays but required six votes for passage because the rezoning request was denied by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. The board will decide at its Nov. 5 meeting whether to grant a C-2 (general commercial) rezoning.

In a public hearing, one person spoke against a proposed rezoning of 19.1 acres at West Independence Street and Broadridge Drive. Southeast Missouri Medical Center Inc. proposes to sell plats for the purpose of a medical development.

Many more spoke against the development at the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing and they presented the commission with a petition with 100 signatures.

The board will vote on the rezoning at a future meeting.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182