TRANSPORTATION NEEDS WILL BE EXAMINED

The Cape Girardeau City Council hustled through a 10-minute meeting Monday, where it approved a study of the city's public transportation needs and purchase of property to expand Shawnee Park.

The council also approved a motion to proceed with final engineering plans for the extension of Sprigg Street north from Bertling to Melody Lane.

During the council's study session, City Engineer J. Kensey Russell told the council preliminary plans are complete on the street extension, which will connect current Sprigg Street with the Lexington Avenue arterial.

The 4,000-foot extension is expected to open up for residential development an area north of Bertling. The extension also would provide access to property the city purchased years ago for park land.

Russell said plans call for Sprigg to curve slightly east to bypass Sena Fawn Drive, off Melody Lane. He said former City Engineer Bob Hahn initially planned to have the extension connect with the north-south street.

"We found that alignment would include substantial fill and grade work and it would have put the street very close to two houses," Russell said.

He said the city now is ready to begin right-of-way acquisition along the route prior to drafting of the extension's final design. The project is included in the city's five-year capital improvements plan, adopted last year.

The primary property owners along the route are the Cape Girardeau School District, which plans to build an elementary school on property it owns along the proposed street, David Gerlach and David Crowe.

The public transportation study will be conducted by the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission under a contract with the city.

With the recent approval by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department of a $20,000 grant for the study, the city Monday authorized the study.

Through the contract, the planning commission will study the city's taxi coupon program for elderly residents and catalog additional transportation providers in the city.

In a document summarizing the scope of the study, the planning commission said:

"A study conducted to assess the need of the community's residents, the availability of other forms of transportation, the unmet need that exists, and an analysis of alternative means of serving the unmet need will be necessary in order to make educated decisions at the city management level."

A final report, including planning commission recommendations, will be drafted and submitted to the council for its consideration later this year.

The council also authorized a proposal to trade property north of Cape LaCroix Creek along Minnesota Avenue to expand Shawnee Park in exchange for outstanding tax bills and interest owed the city by the company that owns the tract.

The total purchase price of the 39-acre tract of land owned by 630 Corp. is $175,000. The company owes the city nearly $170,000 in delinquent tax bills for sewer and street improvements in the area.

In other business, the council approved:

First reading of laws to rezone 2200 Bloomfield Road from single-family residential to multiple-family residential for a residential health care facility, and a portion of Mount Auburn Subdivision III from local commercial to two-family residential for duplex development near Mount Auburn Road. The council also approved first reading of a law granting a special use permit for church-related activities for property owned by Cape LaCroix United Methodist Church at 1800 Cape LaCroix Road.

First reading of laws to establish speed limits and parking regulations on portions of Cape Rock Drive and Bloomfield, which were recently annexed.

Appointment of Cynthia G. Adams and Bruce Mims to the Cable Television Citizens Committee and Jerry Lorberg to the Cape Special Road District.

A resolution to give conditional approval of liquor licenses for: Bluff City Beer, 450 Siemer Drive; Misbehavin' II, 701 N. Main; and Wise Guys Italian Eatery, 1000 N. Sprigg.

A resolution to authorize a contract with Roth Asbestos and Environmental Consultants Inc. and Alert Laboratory for removal of asbestos at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport.