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Several Projects Slated for the Public Works, Troy PD Hires Two New Officers

By Devese Ursery

The police department announced two new officers at the Troy City Council meeting that was held on Monday, August 15, at 6:30p.m. and an extension is coming to the Tri-Township Park Trail. But first the Council meeting started off with a couple Troy residents addressing the Council. Matt Berg and Ken Hunter, who both attended previous meetings on the same issue, got up before the Council and asked for an update on the Bargraves Retention Pond Project. Hunter discussed his concerns of erosion to his and his neighbors backyards caused by excessive water pouring into the creek and an overflowing retention pond. City engineer, Tom Cissell answered their questions and the process that this project has to go through in great detail.

“To update you on what has happened since the last time you were here, we applied for a grant through Madison County for $100,000 and we unofficially heard that we got it,” said Cissell. “It’s [The grant] gonna be used for modifying the Bargraves extension to make it hold more water back and to add some storm sewer to Briarwood and Bargraves that will alleviate that flooding in that area. The whole project though, is $235,000, so we get $100,000 in grant to cover it. The remaining $135,000 will come from the City budget and if it doesn’t get done within this fiscal year, it will carry over to the next fiscal year with no penalty.”

According to public works director, Rob Hancock, his department will be installing a rotor interceptor that will provide a better sewer to the northern part of the city, but also take pressure off of the downtown area to eliminate several lift stations and redirect overflow to the interceptor. Hancock also let the guest speakers know that the project will be done in phases and the phases will go along the back of their properties. The interceptor is scheduled to go out in January. Public works will be making some easements in that area to improve on the sewer system, and they will also make some improvements to the creek. The speakers were satisfied with the updates given.

In his comments, Mayor David Nonn reminded members of the Council and attendees of the meeting that hero banners are up and if anyone missed the opportunity to get one up to get in contact with Dawn Mushill at the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce. A second round of banners will be going up in December. Mayor also spoke of the Shriners BBQ Competition that took place on August 20-21.

Jay Keeven, city attorney, discussed the city budget and reported that “numbers for the city are looking great.”  The two biggest numbers that stick out when compared to last year’s numbers were sales tax and income tax; with sales tax being $45,000 over what it was last year at this time and income tax at $194,000 over what it was last year. According to Keeven, the city is in good shape to take care of all the projects that are lined up. City Attorney, Fred Keck, reported that there will be a trial against the squatter on August 25, and by next Council meeting there will be some type of judgment.

Motions were passed and approved for all of the reports for July 2022, from the various City Boards in the consented agenda.

The Administrative and Community Services Committee reported that there were two public hearings that needed to be voted on; one was to rezone the Troy Towne Center and Development and Villas, and the second one, a variance to the stormwater ordinance for Stonebriar Manor Phase II. It will be tabled for now to find the best possible solution, but tentative plans are that there will be another public hearing at the next Planning Commission Meeting in September.

A motion was made and approved by Nathan Henderson Chair for  the Finance and Economic Development Committee for the  Aged Obligation report and to pay the bills in the amount of $1,094,474.49. The aged obligation report consists of computer run checks for August 2022 in the amount of $590,121.40, manual checks for the month of July in the amount of $156,219.35, and payroll expenses for the month of July in the amount of $348,133.84. There was no report from the treasurer. Officer Ryan Meier reported for law enforcement and he discussed the hire of two new officers to the Troy Police Department. Zach Dellamano, an 11-veteran from the Alton Police Department will be starting off as a patrol officer and Susan Cange, a telecommunicator from the Bond County Sheriff’s Department. Dellamano started on August 15, and Cange on Aug 8.

Tom Cissell, city engineer, reported on the different cost cutting options for the Serenade Park project. The contractors were asked to requote the project using a domestic system,  i.e., a pump-and-dump system instead of a recirculation system. According to Cissell, Keller was asked to figure the pump building as a stick-build instead of buying a kit system, remove some landscaping on the far side of the pond, revise the erosion control plan, and remove the sanitary and water line from their bid as the city can perform this work in cost effective manner. Planning Design studio and the City planned for the park to be constructed under two contracts: The first contract is called the pool contract and it was provided for the playground and pool equipment, design, and permitting for the pool. The original bid was for $132,165, and the contract was awarded to LSI, landscaping Structure Incorporated. The pool contract included a recirculation pumping system for the simulated creek. The second contract is called the general construction contract, and Keller was the low bidder at $984,035. The general construction is for installing the pool equipment , playground equipment, building the pump house, sidewalks, parking lot, grading, seeding, and landscaping. City staff recommended that LSI’s contract   be revised from $132,165 to $62,986 and that Keller be awarded a contract in the amount of $842,780. The changes result in a $210,434 from the original bids.

In the City engineer’s report, Cissell focused on development of several projects that are in the works. There have been talks with Osborne Development on the Carrington Farms project about getting the plans done.

“… it’s moving forward and we hope to have an agreement with you guys [ the City Council] by October,” said Cissell.

CIT Trucks is planning to build a 9,641 square-foot building to add 9 service bays to their operation. The plans are in for CTY Enterprises to renovate the strip center on Formosa Road between Taco Bell and Cracker Barrel into a marijuanan dispensary. Contegra is set to build a 34,500 square-foot office and fabrication facility at Nu-Way Concrete Forms at 7651 Resource Drive and Stonebriar is trying to start phase II, the only issue is the variance to the retention pond in the subdivision. Cissell reported that the City has the final plat for phase II of Serenade. Phase II will consist of 19 ½ acres of single-family residential lots north of Ellington Drive. The rezoning for Town Centre VIllas was discussed at the meeting. Osborn Development is planning a 40-space residential development for villas and a 10-lot commercial development generally off Troy Blvd and Town Centre Road, behind Imo’s and Joe’s strip center. Osborn submitted a petition to rezone the commercial and residential areas from Agricultural C-1 and R-1 accordingly.

There was nothing to report from the Public Works Department and there were no special committees for the meeting. There was also no new business to discuss.

In Ordinances and Resolutions, there were two ordinances and two resolutions that needed attention. The first one is an ordinance for the annexation and zoning of 8438 Country Lane to and the city of Troy. The property is owned by Randy A. and Tonya K. Holzinger. Item two in ordinances and resolutions was an ordinance approving an amendment to the official zoning map, changing the zoning designation of real estate owned  by Osborn Development, LLC from R-1 single-family residential to R-1A single-family residential, C-1 neighborhood commercial, and C-2, General Commercial at Troy Town Centre Villas and Troy Town Centre. The ordinance passed with a vote of 7 to 1, with the only ”‘No” coming from Councilman Troy Turner. He doesn’t like a residential area in that section of town because it could take away from some of the commercial development in that area. He also thinks that it is unsafe for the people who live in that area.

“I don’t feel it’s a good thing for the people that live there, I don’t think it’s safe. If you get a fairly long dead end run where it’s over 1,000 feet, which will lead to the cul de sac and there’s no secondary access, if there’s a shutdown it would be really hard for emergency responders to get in there,” said Turner.

Cissell explained that the counterpoint that was made at the Planning Commission meeting is that this ends that issue because only 40 homes would only create about 400 cars a day by the typical traffic standards that we use. The third item in ordinances and resolutions was a resolution allowing Mayor David Nonn to execute a Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Agreement with Pfund Construction Company, Inc regarding property at 100 E. Market Street to assist in the redevelopment of the downtown area. The last resolution — 2022-31, authorizing Mayor Nonn to execute an agreement with Metro East Park and Recreation District, MERPD for the Tri-Township Park Trail extension. The City was tentatively awarded a grant not to exceed $220,000. The extension is to improve access to the bicycle trail by extending the trail system within Tri-Township Park to the U.S. Senator Paul Simon Park. The overall funding for the project is $550,000. All ordinances and resolutions were approved.

“This  will be the missing link for the trail system that heads out of the park and goes to Clay Street and ties into our trail system,” said Cissell. “The trail was going to run down Wckliff but we took the public’s comments, we’re now running it on Wynona, back up Sahara, and then over to Clay.”

There was no closed session for this meeting. The next Troy City Council meeting will be on Tuesday, September 6, at 6:30 p.m.

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