Cape council agrees to authorize design of new roundabout

The Cape Girardeau City Council unanimously voted Monday night to approve a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute an agreement with Koehler Engineering and Land Surveying for the design of a single-lane roundabout at Independence Street and Gordonville Road.

Also dominating conversation during the meeting was a discussion and public hearing on the city's 2015-2020 Capital Improvements Program. Initial discussions scheduled for Feb. 16 were postponed because of winter storms.

Koehler Engineering was tasked in October with conducting a study to determine whether the congested intersection of Independence and Gordonville would improve with a traffic light or a roundabout. Some council members, including Victor Gunn and Loretta Schneider, questioned moving forward with a roundabout. One exists nearby at Gordonville Road and South Silver Springs Road near Saint Francis Medical Center, but city manager Scott Meyer said the proposed roundabout would "not be as tight," despite having only one lane.

Mayor Harry Rediger said he's heard support from the public about addressing traffic problems at the intersection.

Assistant city manager Molly Hood said property owners at each corner of the intersection -- which includes the Missouri Army National Guard Armory, a church, apartment buildings and single-family homes -- support the idea.

At the suggestion of some council members, she also said the city could host a public meeting when the roundabout design was complete to discuss how it will operate.

Transportation projects also remain a key part of the Capital Improvements Program. It's one of three major categories besides environment and capital assets considered in the program that acts as a planning tool for identifying and evaluating projects that need renovations, repairs or construction.

The program includes funded and contingent, or unfunded, projects.

Hood said few changes were made to this year's program list, which featured $93.7 million in funded projects and $159.8 million in contingent projects.

The list still is in draft form and must be formalized and adopted by the council before April 1, according to city charter.

It's scheduled to be adopted at the next council meeting, March 16.

The most notable change was the $50,000 minimum placed on each of the major categories: transportation, environment and the facilities portion of capital assets.

In the remaining areas of capital assets, a $5,000 minimum was set for city vehicles, and no minimum was defined for information technology.

Implementing minimums is an idea that had been discussed to help keep focus on larger projects. As Councilman Wayne Bowen said, "A $1,200 software program I don't really see on the same scale as a new police station or city hall."

Hood said staff planned to establish a threshold for all categories in the near future, noting it was more difficult to agree on one for city vehicles and information technology where "admittedly, you're going to have some smaller ticket items."

Still, she said one could be agreed upon, and a new 2015-2020 Capital Improvements Program draft could be issued to council once that action was taken.

This year's Capital Improvements Program has also seen more high-priority projects move out of the contingent category and into funded.

Funding sources for a new police station, renovation of fire stations 1 and 2 and replacement of fire station 4 were identified last year, thanks to the renewal of the fire sales tax.

Revenue for a new transfer station also is available through a new partnership with a private entity.

"Last year, these were all very critical needs, but we didn't have a solution," Hood said, and the Capital Improvements Program helped identify them and encourage efforts to implement funding options.

"That's how this is supposed to work, and that's exciting," she said of the program.

Despite enthusiasm shown by council and city staff, only two people spoke at the public hearing.

Don Howard asked the council to keep in mind the need for a roof at Fort D, which he called "long overdue," and additional streetlights.

Julia Thompson, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department, spoke on behalf of Chris Hutson, who has worked many years to bring a new skateboard park to the city.

He's raised about $43,000 for the project and received commitments for material needs, Thompson said, and believes even a small amount of support from the city would encourage more groups and individuals to donate.

Land at the corner of Hawthorne Road and East Rodney Drive at Arena Park already has been donated by the SEMO District Fair Board for the skateboard park.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641