Jackson plans street, sidewalk repairs, Russell Heights improvements

Jackson�s concrete maintenance routine will look a little different this year, according to a city official.

City engineer Clint Brown said Friday last year�s regularly scheduled concrete repair, including city streets and sidewalks, was delayed because of personnel changes late in the spring.

This year, that won�t be a concern, he said.

Furthermore, the city will move ahead on a project that was �in the background for a little while,� Brown said, and the concrete work will include a new project at Russell Heights Cemetery on Route PP in Jackson: a gazebo, sidewalk and foundations for three new buildings to store cremated remains, each called a columbarium.

�The plan is to have 10. We�re only doing three with this project, but we will have 10 total,� Brown said Friday.

Each columbarium will have a capacity of 48 when complete, Brown said, but the buildings themselves are not part of this project.

This project will include a stamped-concrete sidewalk connecting the foundation for a new gazebo and three of the 10 planned buildings, Brown said.

Benches and landscaping also will be included.

�The gazebo will be there to hold ceremonies, for visitors to sit under if they need to,� Brown added.

�We decided to add this in to the concrete street program to get better prices for doing the work out there,� Brown said, adding the company, Lappe Cement Finishing of Friedheim, already will have its equipment in Jackson for the repair work, so they won�t have to mobilize for this smaller project.

The cost for the cemetery work will be about $28,000, Brown said.

The total project will come to just more than $300,000, according to a city ordinance passed at Monday�s board of aldermen regular meeting.

The concrete repair program is done every year, Brown said, and last year, the work didn�t begin until August, meaning several city streets were closed for repairs at the same time in order to get the work completed on time.

That, coupled with the water-main work conducted across town at the same time, made for a tough situation last year, Brown said.

�I made it a goal for myself this year to bid out the street projects early to give them a longer completion time,� Brown said.

The work should begin in mid-April, he said, with an October deadline.

Crews will have milestones to hit within that time frame as well, he said.

Another phase of the water-system project is coming up this year as well, Brown said, but he said the majority of that work is planned for late summer into fall.

�The thought is, we can get this bid out and projects out early, give a longer time frame to complete,� Brown said, adding he hopes the work can come in phases and be more organized, meaning less inconvenience for people traveling Jackson�s streets.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

101 Court St., Jackson, Mo.

Russell Heights Cemetery, Jackson, Mo.