CHAFFEE BRIDGE TO OPEN TODAY

CHAFFEE -- Starting today, motorists can begin using a new concrete bridge at Nunn Road and Ponderosa.

Chaffee Mayor Ron Moyers said Monday night at the regular meeting of the Chaffee City Council that the bridge will open at 5 p.m.

The bridge replaces a wooden bridge condemned about six months ago. Its cost is being split between the city and Scott County.

The decision to open the bridge was made after city Public Works Director Jack Martin said he planned to ask at the meeting if the bridge could be opened.

Although the bridge is being opened, Moyers said it is not finished. Asphalt must still be put on it.

"The bridge is safe to cross," said Moyers.

Also Monday, the council voted to pass an ordinance to clarify the city's building application permit procedure. City Attorney David Summers said the ordinance clarifies the procedure by specifying that the council has the ultimate authority to grant or deny building permits.

Summers also said Monday that the city had received an approximate $27,000 check from Associated Natural Gas. The money was paid to the city in connection with its franchise tax agreement with the utility.

The council tabled a decision on whether to pay the prevailing wage for repair work to Chaffee City Hall until city officials meet one more time with the city's insurance carrier. Whether the prevailing wage should be paid hinges on the question of what constitutes major construction or repair, said Summers.

The work is being done to repair damage caused by an ambulance fire at the building in November.

Chaffee resident Omer Creech took issue with statements made by Ward 2 Councilwoman Irmgard Chronister at the city's last council meeting March 4. At that meeting, Chronister had said that a representative of the Missouri Department of Conservation had stated that no damage was sustained by trees cut last September by city crews at Chronister's direction.

But Creech, who initially complained about the cutting of trees and shrubs both on and near his property, said the representative had actually said that the trees were not harmed to the extent that they would die.

"He said the trees that were trimmed looked like hat racks. He did say this over and over," Creech told the council.

After the meeting, Creech said the representative had also said the trees needed to be trimmed further because they were improperly trimmed in the first place. Chronister had said the representative said some of the trees hadn't been trimmed far enough down.

Following a closed session of the council Monday, Chronister said she had discussed in a subsequent open session the acquisition of stickers to display what will be the city's new telephone number for the police and fire departments. Chronister said the number 887-6911 will be in the new telephone books that come out in May.

She said: "It will be a very easy number for people to know. Right now it's real hard." The number will replace the current number of 887-3516, she said.

The stickers will be handed out with city water bills in the next few weeks, she said. The council approved the new number in December as part of efforts to reduce the city's fire insurance rating from 7 to 6.

Council members went into the closed session to discuss litigation, said Ward 3 Councilman Randy Dooley. Not attending Monday's meeting was Ward 2 Councilman Ed Gauthier.