Board of Aldermen

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 AT 200 HIGHLANDS BOULEVARD DRIVE CALL TO ORDER Mayor Clement called the Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL AND STATEMENT OF QUORUM Roll call showed those present were Alderman Dodge, Alderman Ottenad, Alderman Huether, Alderman Toben, Alderman Baumann, and Mayor Clement. A quorum was present. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES February 20, 2024 Public Hearing – Special Use Permit for 647 Big Bend Road Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the minutes of the Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Public Hearing regarding a Special Use Permit for 647 Big Bend Road. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. February 20, 2024 Public Hearing – Special Use Permit for 14248 A Manchester Road Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the minutes of the Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Public Hearing regarding a Special Use Permit for 14248 A Manchester Road. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. February 20, 2024 Public Hearing – Special Use Permit for 901 Howard George Dr Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the minutes of the Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Public Hearing regarding a Special Use Permit for 901 Howard George Dr. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. February 20, 2024 Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the minutes of the Tuesday, February 20, 2024, Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting. The motion was seconded by Alderman Baumann and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. ESTABLISHMENT OF ORDER OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA Mayor Clement asked that the appointment of Sara Stanley be added to the Mayoral Reports. Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the Order of Items on the Agenda, as amended. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 1 CONSIDERATION OF PETITIONS Comments from the Public Christy Hefele, owner of 821 Phaeton Dr, explained that she was a mother of students who attended Parkway schools and was a member of Big Bend Woods Subdivision. She stated that she opposed the new Early Childhood Center that was to be built on Wren Ave. She expressed concerns about traffic and children walking and biking to school near Wren Hollow Elementary and Southwest Middle School. She continued that traffic was already congested during drop off and pick up times and added traffic was concerning. Ms. Hefele explained that there was also concern at the elimination of greenspace for the middle schoolers and that it was unhealthy and inequitable for greenspace to be taken from future Southwest Middle School students when other Parkway schools had a lot of greenspaces. She continued that the increased impermeable surfaces would create additional, potentially harmful, runoff that could change the groundwater supply and water table. Ms. Hefele stated it was not responsible to put a building and parking lot in that location. Andrew Hefele, resident of 821 Phaeton Dr, stated that he was not yet in middle school and looked forward to biking to school when he was in middle school but did not want to get stuck in traffic. He added he would like a field to play in after school and during PE and that this wouldn’t be possible if they were to build there. Mr. Hefele continued that there are already long lines of car riders and that kids who lived by Wren Hollow would have to drive for about ten minutes to get to the nearest park. Josh Rezac, owner of 511 Cardinal Ln, expressed confusion and concern on the project moving from Oakbrook to Southwest Middle School and the reduction of available lanes of traffic on the streets fronting the locations. He continued that the location doesn’t make sense and will increase traffic. He continued that MoDOT said there was too much added traffic on 141. Mr. Rezac continued that no one was given information or knew about the project until the neighbors saw people surveying the property and that the location does not make sense to him as it will clog the residential streets surrounding the school. Mayor Clement stated that the Board had not received any information on what MoDOT had determined and that Parkway would have an informational meeting at the end of March and that their flyers were present with details. Suzie Kurtz, owner of 852 Mallard Woods Dr, stated she was a long-time resident of Fox Hill Estates near Wren Hollow Elementary School. She stated that stop signs put in around the area had helped a little, but there were still issues with speeding cars. Ms. Kurtz continued that many people were cutting through other residential streets to avoid the school traffic on Wren. She continued that there were a lot more cars than people realized because children were no longer walking to school, they were being dropped off. Ms. Kurtz explained that as a real estate agent she believed this would affect property values. Robert Kennedy, owner of 674 Canary Estates Drive, stated that the rear of his property would view the new building and it would be fifty feet from his back porch. He continued that every time he talked to neighbors about the Parkway there was different information and thanked the Board for the details on Parkway’s informational meeting. He added that many Parkway schools had traffic issues, but most had a stop light and a police officer or someone Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 2 to assist with traffic. He continued that these were all single locations of schools and Parkway was proposing the new building on a street that can barely handle the two schools currently located there. He had concern over the traffic study results that had not been made available yet. Don Conine, owner of 835 Heron Woods Dr, explained that cars did not abide by the stop sign at Canary, Cardinal, and Big Bend Woods. He continued that he had seen multiple wrecks at that intersection. Mr. Connie continued that there are many young families in the neighborhood adding to the school traffic and that these families in the neighborhood weren’t able to walk or ride their bikes due to traffic conditions. He continued that he did not think the school should go there because there was already considerable traffic and that he believed the traffic study should expand its scope to Audubon Woods and into Big Bend Woods. Jennifer Christensen, owner of 1421 Cedar Bluff, explained she was a Wren Hollow parent and had been previously employed by Parkway. She continued that they had attended the preschool that used to be next to the field Parkway was going to develop on, but Parkway canceled one of the two preschools on Wren in 2016. Ms. Christensen continued that after inquiring with Parkway she was informed that there were not enough students to enroll in the classroom. She continued that there are more preschools than there were eight years ago and while there may be an influx of younger kids the preschool market was already oversaturated. She continued that currently the greenspace is used by the community and the school and helped create a healthy community. Kendall Mayo, resident of 513 Audubon Place Ct, stated she was present again to express her concerns with the Early Childhood Center. She stated that staggering times of the schools would not bring less traffic. She continued that Parkway South had access to a main road and was unsafe and that by the time the kids walk to the field they will have little time for their PE class. Diane Bryson, owner 532 Audubon Place Ct, stated she lived in the subdivision near Canary and Wren and that no one in their neighborhood wanted the construction of the Early Childhood Center. She continued that she was concerned about the traffic conditions for students walking. She suggested that the SRO help with crossing since Parkway cut the crossing guard position. She continued that she saw a lack of transparency from Parkway in the development of this project and was already concerned about the lack of ability to play outside of their house during school pick up times because cars were already backed up in her neighborhood. Rendi Welker, resident of 507 Audubon Place Ct, read quotes that had been published regarding Parkway’s project. She expressed concern on the elimination of the greenspace for the two current schools. Ms. Welker stated she had substituted for the PE teachers at Southwest Middle and that they utilize the greenspace during class. She furthered expressing the concerns of the community on existing traffic and the additional traffic that would be generated by another building and programs. Melissa Jones Copeland, owner of 610 Wren Ave, stated that more than Wren Ave are affected by this development. She explained more children are walking from other neighborhood streets after Parkway cut the buses. She requested that the City of Manchester Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 3 and Parkway do a thirty-day independent traffic study of all the streets in the neighborhood before it is accepted. Tom Welker, owner of 507 Audubon Place Ct, clarified the definition of greenspace. He explained portions of the 2021 Parkway survey study stating that the zip code was estimated to see a 13% decline in enrollment in early childhood by 2030. He stated that the center would not open until 2026. He inquired why Oakbrook wasn’t considered. He encouraged the members of the Board to read the Parkway survey and most recent project update. Jaclyn Zimmerman, owner of 822 Pheasant Woods Drive, stated that she had one child at Wren Hollow Elementary School and two at Southwest Middle School and that they play outside constantly. She continued that she was concerned about the influx of traffic in that space when it was already heavy with traffic. Ms. Zimmerman also informed the Board of Aldermen that she was running for the Missouri House of Representatives 98th District in the next election. She explained that the previous Representative, Deb Lavendar, had termed out. Chris Lawrence, owner of 668 Canary Estates Dr, invited everyone to his home at the end of Canary Estates on Saturday if they wanted to get involved. Mayor Clement reiterated his statement from previous meetings encouraging those present to speak to Parkway’s Board of Education. He continued that their statements were powerful, but the Board of Education needed to hear them. He stated he had begun facilitating conversations to deal with the current traffic concerns and safety. City Attorney Rost explained that it is the Board of Education’s purview on how they use their facilities, not the Board of Aldermen. He continued that they had not submitted anything to the City of Manchester. Mr. Welker stated he understood this but thought the Board of Aldermen should be aware of the information as well and that it should have been transparent to the neighborhood from the beginning. REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR Appointment of Sara Stanley Mayor Clement nominated Sara Stanley to serve on the St. Louis County Council for the University of Missouri Extension. Alderman Baumann made the motion for approval of Sara Stanley to the St. Louis County Council for the University of Missouri Extension. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Murali Subramanian – Naturalization Experience Mayor Clement introduced Murali Subramanian as a community member who had been involved with previous Manchester events and committees. He continued that Mr. Subramanian had recently gone through naturalization and that the ceremony was very moving. Mr. Subramanian explained that he came to the United States for his master’s program at Arizona State then moved to St. Louis for work where met his wife. He explained that after his studies, his work had sponsored a work visa. Then after he was married, he got a green card through marriage. Two years later he was eligible for naturalization. Due to COVID, his Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 4 naturalization was pushed back a few years, but he was glad and honored to go through the process. He stated he was pleased to be here as a citizen. He explained that he ultimately chose to take this step because of his wife and children. Mayor Clement explained that naturalization ceremonies used to happen at Parkway, and that the Board had met to see if they could bring that ceremony back to the Manchester area. Mayor Clement read the pledge of naturalization that Mr. Subramanian had made during his ceremony. Mayoral Reports Mayor Clement acknowledged the Finance Department for being awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2022. He congratulated Director Sieve on this accomplishment. Mayor Clement notified the Board of upcoming events including the Lafayette Mayor’s Organization Luncheon on March 8th, Manchester Local Business Gathering on March 19th, Conversations with the Mayor on March 20th, Faith Leaders Gathering on March 25th, and the Municipal League Membership Program on March 28th. REPORTS FROM THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR City Administrator Klocke recognized Finance Director Sieve for the achievement from the Government Finance Officers Association. Schroeder Park Playground Report – Director Schien Director Schien explained that the playground project was moving forward, including the removal of trees and the requests for bids. She continued that the project had progressed to a point where the landscape architecture firm had requested additional funding due to the change in scope. Director Schien continued that they were also requesting for a professional project management company to oversee the playground project to assure that all specifics of the awarded grants were met and that nothing was done to jeopardize the funds and timeline. She continued that they were trying to be as fiscally responsible as they could for this project while assuring that grant funding was administered properly. City Administrator Klocke explained that the project management service was similar to that of some Public Works projects, and he believed it would be beneficial for the City to utilize a project management service due to the scale of the playground project. Director Schien explained a tentative timeline for the project. List of Paid Bills (Warrant dates of 02-20-2024 to 03-03-2024) There were no questions. Reports from the Committees Planning and Zoning Commission Alderman Baumann reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a boundary adjustment. Veterans Commission Alderman Huether reported that the Veterans Commission met and were looking forward to the Memorial Day event. She reminded the Board that the Veterans Commission sponsored Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 5 scholarships for veteran families in need for summer recreational programming at the parks. She continued that the next meeting would be March 19th via Zoom. Audit and Finance Committee Alderman Toben stated that the next Audit and Finance Committee did not meet. He congratulated Director Sieve on his award. Tree Advisory Board Alderman Dodge stated there was no report for the Tree Advisory Board. OLD LEGISLATION BILL NO. 24-2526 Amending the Meeting Time and Place for Board of Aldermen Meetings Alderman Baumann read for the second time Bill No. 24-2526 entitled: “AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 110.030 PERTAINING TO BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETINGS,” by title only. Alderman Baumann made the motion that Bill No. 24-2526, become Ordinance No. 24-2411. The motion was seconded by Alderman Dodge. A poll of the Board showed: Alderman Dodge – aye Alderman Ottenad – nay Alderman Huether – nay Alderman Baumann – nay Alderman Toben – nay Mayor Clement announced that the motion failed 1 to 4. BILL NO. 25-2527 Special Use Permit for 14248A Manchester Road Alderman Dodge read for the second time Bill No. 24-2527 entitled: “AN ORDINANCE GRANTING A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO BIN CHEN of BTW MANCHESTER LLC TO OPERATE A RESTAURANT AT 14248 MANCHESTER ROAD UNIT A IN THE C-1 COMMERCIAL ZONING DISTRICT AS PROVIDED FOR IN SECTION 405.240(C)(4)(f) OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER,” by title only. Alderman Dodge made the motion that Bill No. 24-2527, become Ordinance No. 24-2411. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad. A poll of the Board showed: Alderman Toben – aye Alderman Ottenad – aye Alderman Dodge – aye Alderman Baumann – aye Alderman Huether – aye Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 6 Mayor Clement announced that the motion passed 5 to 0, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. NEW LEGISLATION Resolution No. 24-0959 Missouri Highway Safety Program Grant – Hazardous Moving Enforcement Alderman Huether read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0959, entitled: “A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE 2024 SUBMISSION TO THE MISSOURI HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OF AN APPLICATION FOR A HIGHWAY SAFETY TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT GRANT FOR FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000.00) FOR ENFORCEMENT OF HAZARDOUS MOVING VIOLATIONS IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER,” by title only. Alderman Huether made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0959. The motion was seconded by Alderman Baumann and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Resolution No. 24-0960 Missouri Highway Safety Program Grant – Drinking and Driving Enforcement Alderman Ottenad read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0960, entitled: “A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE 2024 SUBMISSION TO THE MISSOURI HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OF AN APPLICATION FOR A HIGHWAY SAFETY TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT GRANT FOR FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED NINE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS ($9,200.00) FOR ENFORCEMENT OF DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED VIOLATIONS IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER,” by title only. Alderman Ottenad made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0960. The motion was seconded by Alderman Baumann and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Resolution No. 24-0961 Missouri Highway Safety Program Grant – Occupant Protection Enforcement Alderman Dodge read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0961, entitled: “A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE 2024 SUBMISSION TO THE MISSOURI HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OF AN APPLICATION FOR A HIGHWAY SAFETY TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT GRANT FOR FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($7,500.00) FOR ENFORCEMENT OF OCCUPANT PROTECTION (SEATBELT) VIOLATIONS IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER,” by title only. Alderman Dodge made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0961. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 7 Resolution No. 24-0962 Purchase of a John Deere Mower Alderman Huether read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0962, entitled: “A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE BID OF SYDENSTRICKER NOBBE PARTNERS IN THE AMOUNT OF TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE DOLLARS AND SIXTY- THREE CENTS ($24,179.63) FOR THE PURCHASE OF ONE (1) JOHN DEERE Z997R DIESEL COMMERCIAL MOWER AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO ISSUE A PURCHASE ORDER THEREFOR,” by title only. Alderman Huether made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0962. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Resolution No. 24-0963 Destruction of Records Alderman Baumann read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0963, entitled: “A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER, MISSOURI TO DESTROY CERTAIN RECORDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE RETENTION SCHEDULES,” by title only. Alderman Baumann made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0963. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Bill No. 24-2529 Amending the 2023 Budget Alderman Toben read Proposed Bill No. 24-2529 entitled: “AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 22-2375 THAT ADOPTED AND APPROVED THE BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF MANCHESTER FOR THE YEAR JANUARY 1, 2023, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2023,” by title only. Director Sieve explained that the bill was to make sure that the City was in compliance with Missouri Revised Statutes and was amended annually, if needed. He explained the funds and accounts that required the amendment. No further action at this time. MISCELLANEOUS Comments from the Public Mike Adam, owner of 824 Heron Woods Dr, stated that the larger group present at the meeting showed concern of constituents for the Parkway development. He requested that the Board represents the members of the community and that they show up at the Parkway meetings. He explained that he was the person referenced earlier who almost getting hit at the intersection and that often speeds through without stopping. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 8 CLOSED SESSION Alderman Ottenad read “Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Chapter 610, Section 610.021 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri (the Missouri Open Meetings and Records Law) and subject to a motion duly made and adopted by roll call vote, the Board of Aldermen will hold a closed meeting for the purpose of dealing with matters relating to the following: Legal actions, causes of action or litigation involving a public governmental body and any confidential or privileged communications between a public governmental body or its representatives and its attorneys (Sec. 610.021(1) RSMo) Hiring, firing, disciplining, or promoting of particular employees by a public governmental body when personal information about the employee is discussed or recorded, including individually identifiable personnel records, performance ratings or records pertaining to employees or applicants for employment (Section 610.021(3) & (13) RSMo)” Alderman Ottenad made the motion to go into closed session. The motion was seconded by Alderman Baumann. A poll of the Board showed: Alderman Huether – aye Alderman Toben – aye Alderman Ottenad – aye Alderman Dodge – aye Alderman Baumann – aye Mayor Clement announced that the motion passed 5 to 0, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Alderman Baumann made the motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:49 p.m. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 03/04/2024 Page 9