FIVE NAMED TO SEWER DISTRICT BOARD

JACKSON -- Five people were appointed to serve on the first board of trustees for the newly formed Cape Girardeau County Common Sewer District.

Voters in the Fruitland-Pocahontas area approved establishment of the sewer district in November.

The five members were appointed to terms ranging from one to five years. Board members will be elected to staggered terms. The first election for board members will be held in April 1999.

Members of the sewer board:

-- 5 years: Mark Kasten of Pocahontas.

-- 4 years: Sharon Schuessler of Fruitland.

-- 3 years: Ed Close of rural Jackson.

-- 2 years: Chris Johnston of Fruitland.

-- 1 year: Gerald Jones of Fruitland.

Jones, the presiding commissioner of Cape Girardeau County, was appointed to the board because Missouri law requires a member of the governing board of the county be among those appointed. Jones also lives within the sewer district boundaries.

Jones' term on the sewer board expires concurrently with his term on the commission.

The board will have the power to appoint an engineer, hire staff and raise money from grants, loans and user fees.

The panel will work with the Regional Planning Commission in Perryville to explore funding mechanisms. It won't have the authority to raise taxes, but it could ask for voters to approve bond issues.

Organizers have said the sewer system is a necessary improvement in infrastructure for the area, which is experiencing growth especially in housing developments.

The Fruitland-Pocahontas area has no unified sewer system. Residents and businesses depend on septic tanks, sewage lagoons and some subdivision package plants.