STORAGE LOCKER PLAN DRAWS DISFAVOR AT COUNCIL MEETING

Seventeen people attended the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting Monday night to oppose a proposal to build a storage locker facility near a home for people with handicaps.

Steve LeGrand wants to build the storage lockers at Silver Springs Road and Whitener Street. He needs a special-use permit from the council to build in C-2 zoning, which is normally used for stores, apartments and offices.

After a hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, LeGrand agreed to add landscaping and brick exteriors, and to change the color-scheme to blend in better with the surrounding apartment buildings and businesses.

No one appeared at the commission's hearing to oppose the facility. However, Don Osborne, chairman of Regency House of Cape Girardeau's Board of Directors, did write a letter to the commission stating the board's opposition without giving any reasons.

Monday, Hillary Schmittzehe, executive director of Regency Management Co., which manages Regency Apartments and Regency Terrace, which are across Silver Springs from the site, led a delegation of 17 to oppose the storage lockers.

He addressed the city council at the public hearing on the permit. He said the facility, which would have lockers with garage-type doors in front, would create too much noise for residents of his facility and those of Chateau Girardeau, a home for the elderly.

"A lot of older people don't sleep at night but sleep in daytime," Schmittzehe said, adding that the noise from the rollers on the doors would interfere with their sleep.

Schmittzehe added that the intersection of Silver Springs and Whitener floods during heavy rain, and he fears that additional development in the area would worsen flooding.

Glennetta Vogelsang, whose son lives in Regency Apartments, said she feared for the safety of the residents from the increased traffic. "A lot of residents walk to various businesses there, and there are no sidewalks there," she said.

LeGrand said that if he doesn't build the storage lockers there, someone else might put in a store that would bring in more traffic. He said it didn't make sense for him to put in sidewalks when none of the adjacent businesses had sidewalks.

LeGrand said he was aware of the drainage problem at the intersection, so his site would be designed to direct stormwater to flow away from the intersection. He said he would look into getting quieter rollers for the doors.

Councilman Melvin Gateley proposed sending the proposal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission to allow the two sides to negotiate. Mayor Al Spradling III objected. "I don't think Planning and Zoning should be a mediation board."

In a voice vote, the majority of the council agreed with the mayor. Councilman Tom Neumayer voted with Gateley, but said after the meeting he wanted to table the question to give the two sides a chance to talk.

The council then voted to approve the first reading of the special-use permit.

Neumeyer noted after the meeting that since the permit only had its first reading, there is still time for the two side to talk before the council gives its final approval. The final vote would normally be at the next meeting on May 19.

In other business, the council ratified an agreement with Union Electric that could mean that streetlights will be brighter sooner and use less energy. The agreement does not mean that the city will increase the number of streetlights, but that could come later.

Currently 1,235 of the city's 2,217 streetlights are mercury vapor lights. Union Electric, which owns and maintains nearly all of them, replaces the ones that burn out with more efficient and brighter compressed-sodium lights.

The old bulbs use 1,000 watts of electricity while their replacements use only 250 watts while giving off more light.

Under the new agreement, Union Electric will replace at least 5 percent of existing mercury vapor lights every year with compressed sodium, in addition to the ones that burn out.

The city pays the $17,000 monthly electric bill on the lights, so this will save the city money, said Doug Leslie. This is the first time Union Electric has agreed to replacing a particular amount of the bulbs in a particular time frame, Leslie said, although the electric utility had long-range plans to convert all its streetlights to compressed sodium.

CAPE GIRARDEAU CITY COUNCIL ACTION

The city council approved first readings of the following ordinances:* Vacating the city's interest in an access easement to Casquin Park off of Old Sprigg Street Road. * Amending Chapter 30 of the Code of Ordinances by changing the zoning of 621 S. Kingshighway from R-4 to M-1.* Granting a special-use permit to Mike Smith, Cape West Development Corp. and LeGrand Properties to build a mini-warehouse storage complex in the 100 block of N. Silver Springs Road.* Granting a special-use permit to Brian D. and Debra A. Trace to store logs for commercial purposes at 2525 Stage Highway 177.* Approving the record plat of Clarkton Place Subdivision, Phase IV.* Accepting a general warranty deed and temporary access easement for the Cape La Croix Creek/Walker Branch flood control project. * Approving a stop sign on Morgan Oak Street at Spanish Street.

The city council gave final approval to the following:* An ordinance authorizing the acquisition of property for flood control and public utility relocation for the Cape La Croix Creek/Walker Branch flood control project.