City - SMB Agreement Closer.

Garry Denney, President of Southwest Missouri Bank, addressed the Public Works Committee during the citizen participation portion of their meeting Tuesday afternoon concerning the bank’s request to have the alley south of their building on Third Street vacated. The bank is planning an expansion and recently acquired the land to the south of the alley at the corner of Fourth and Garrison.

This request was discussed during the last public works meeting and no was action taken. At the same meeting, the question of the bank giving an approximately 6-foot-wide strip of land along the north side of Fourth Street to the City in order to create a right turn land and improve traffic flow at the intersection with Garrison was discussed. A previous request by the City for a larger piece of land for a more extensive redesign of the intersection had been denied earlier by the bank because it would not leave them enough land for their expansion plans.

"The committee on that evening chose to link the issues of the City’s request for part of our lot and the vacation of the alley," said Denney referring to the last meeting. "We absolutely do not consider these two issues linked. "

"I believe that six feet is not a problem, that we can work with the City on giving up six feet off the south side of that lot," Denney continued. "I have the drawings with me if anyone would care to see them, although it doesn’t have anything to do with the issue of the alley."

"I think the committee’s probably aware there is nothing that would legally link them together," said Committee Chair Bill Fortune. "I think it’s just trying to be a good neighbor type thing that if we can do these things at the same time that we’re talking about this issue it works out."

Committee Member Charlie Bastin made a motion that the Committee recommend that the alley between Garrison and Maple be vacated.

"I think it’s one issue," said Committee Member Larry Ross during discussion. "We’re trading land."

"No we’re not. We are not trading land," responded Denney. "If there’s any feeling on this committee that this is a trade, as far as we’re concerned that’s an erroneous assumption, and we would not want to go any further with this if the committee is linking one to the other. We will proceed with other options open to us to vacate the alley. We’re not trading land."

"Maybe we shouldn’t call it a trade, maybe an incentive," said Ross. "I’m really aware that that alley needs to be vacated. I’m also very aware that we need a right turn lane."

Committee Member Trisha Burgi-Brewer, an opponent of linking the two property issues at the last meeting, reiterated her disapproval of the handling of the situation.

"Like Trisha said before, on its own merits, giving up the easement [for the alley] is justified," said Fortune. "If the reason we have to be there, the sewer, can be moved somewhere else, then we should probably give it up. There’s no reason to hold you hostage. By the same token, if we can be good neighbors and work something out on this other, we can try to do this too."

Bastin’s motion to vacate the alley passed unanimously. He made a second motion to have the Engineering Department pursue plans to create a right turn land on Fourth Street with land conveyed from the bank once the bank’s expansion plans are finalized.

"I don’t like the way we’re handling this situation," said Burgi-Brewer. " I think we’re taking advantage of a situation, and I don’t think we’re necessarily being good neighbors. I think we’re trying to hang them out to dry and blackmail them and I don’t like it...I don’t find this good business at all."

Bastin said he agreed with Burgi-Brewer, but that he thought his two separate motions took care of the situation. Bastin’s second motion passed with Burgi-Brewer voting against it.

Both Committee recommendations will go to the full Council on Tuesday.

Sidewalks.

Work on the new sidewalk ordinance is proceeding. The Public Works Committee plans to use a portion of their next regularly scheduled meeting as a public hearing for comments from citizens concerning the proposed ordinance. Their meeting is scheduled for 5:15pm on Tuesday, April 20.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

Former Mayor Herb Casteel raised the issue of the need for Courthouse security personnel at the Jasper County Financial Review Committee meetin’ this week. He told the Committee that in his twenty-six years as judge, he always felt the safest when he was at the Courthouse. He said if someone was wantin’ to do physical harm, it would happen out on the street, not in a court room.

The Committee was discussin’ the possibility of recommendin’ a half-cent law enforcement tax. Casteel says that before that could be sold to the public, the County needs to show that the current fundin’ is bein’ used efficiently. He estimates that the equipment and personnel costs the County up to a hunderd thousand a year. He says the money and manpower could be better used elsewhere.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto Supply

Click and Clack Talk Cars.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I was traveling along the highway in my 194 Pontiac Transport. Suddenly, the "Service Engine Soon" light came on. I drove about 10 minutes to the next exit, turned off the engine and waited. After a while, I turned the engine back on and the light had gone off. Great! But next time I drove on the highway, the same thing happened. I took it to Pontiac and they say I need a new EGR valve for $250 plus another $200 labor. That sounded like a lot for a part I've never heard of. So I looked it up on your web site (cartalk.msn.com) and found out what it is! Now the question is, do I have to fix it? I've been driving for weeks now with the light coming on -Michael

TOM: Michael, I can tell from your letter that you're a complete and unmitigated cheapskate.

RAY: My brother doesn't mean that in a bad way, Michael. It's just that one cheapskate is quick to recognize a soulmate.

TOM: Right. And even though I support you in your frugality in general, Michael, I think you should definitely spend the money and fix this problem. After all, the light says "Service Engine Soon." It doesn't say "Ignore This Light" or "Don't Fix Anything, Mikey," does it?

RAY: The EGR valve, for those of you without internet access, is the Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve. It takes a small amount of exhaust gas and feeds it back into the cylinders in order to cool the fuel/air mixture. Cooling the mixture helps reduce engine pinging and cuts down on the engine's nitrous oxide emissions.

TOM: So by not fixing it, Michael, you're poisoning the rest of us.

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