Board of Aldermen

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF MONDAY, APRIL 1, 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 March 18, 2024 Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the minutes of the Monday, March 18, 2024, Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. ESTABLISHMENT OF ORDER OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA Alderman Ottenad made the motion to approve the Order of Items on the Agenda, as presented. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. CONSIDERATION OF PETITIONS Comments from the Public Laura Freeborn, resident of 834 Mallard Woods Dr, stated she had attended Parkway’s March 26th meeting regarding the Early Childhood Center (ECC). She stated that she had left that meeting with many questions unanswered by Parkway including the logistics of outdoor activities for the middle school students, accessibility and ADA compliance of the use of Parkway South High School’s field, and the accessibility of emergency vehicles in cases of emergency. Ryan Kerr, resident of 950 Bellestri Dr, stated that the new ECC would bring in no tax revenue and by hiring certified teachers could put local early childhood centers out of business. He continued that his children had gone to private schools because Parkway did not have openings unless students were below an income threshold. He continued that Parkway’s new ECC rates would be similar to those that his family had paid for a private institution. Mr. Kerr noted that at Parkway’s meeting on the 26th they stated they were moving current classrooms to the new facility, meaning there would only be four to five new classrooms, some which would be dedicated to SSD. He stated that Parkway School District was deceitful in their development of the project and their statements regarding the benefit to the community. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 04/01/2024 Page 1 Jeni Christensen, resident of 1421 Cedar Bluff Dr, stated that she had attended the March 26th Parkway meeting and had learned things about the project. She explained that while many people were standing on the street corners near the school on the day of the meeting and traffic stops were ignored and a child was almost hit when they forgot to look both ways. She continued that the behavior of drivers warranted concern for student and pedestrian safety. She stated she had asked the Superintendent of Parkway School District, Dr. Marty, about having a crossing guard at Wren, and he had thought the City of Manchester provided one. Ms. Christensen also stated that the traffic study completed by Parkway only monitored traffic for one day and that one day was not enough to fully observe the traffic issues the schools faced. She continued there needed to be changes on Wren Ave and the other neighborhood streets to help traffic flow and safety. Marvin Williams, resident of 619 Canary Estates Dr, stated he had concerns about the kids of the schools playing on black top instead of the current field. He continued that children need that open green area. He emphasized that they should be protecting spaces that children use to play. Tom Welker, resident of 507 Audubon Place Ct, thanked the Board members who went to the Parkway meeting. He expressed disappointment on the lack of answers that Parkway provided and the lack of opportunity for community members to ask questions or explain concerns. He continued that the statement Parkway made about other potential locations of the ECC being in floodplains was false. He questioned the chosen location of the proposed ECC when other schools had more open fields than Southwest Middle School. He stated that children needed access to outdoor space and that the students of Southwest Middle would not have that with this development. Stacey Maidlow, resident of 1464 Cedar Bluff Dr, stated that she had two children currently enrolled at Wren Hollow Elementary School and one who would enroll next year. She stated she had the same concerns as others regarding the proposed Early Childhood Center. She stated that Parkway was overlooking their concerns on traffic, safety, and the elimination of the field for student use. She continued that Parkway was conscious of these concerns for the other proposed locations, but for this location they had not listened to current parents and residents. Ms. Maidlow stated that she saw need for expansion of Parkway’s early childhood programming and that due to limited spots her children went to KinderCare, but that they were not prioritizing the area in which they are putting the new school, and the cost would be the same as surrounding private early childhood care. Beth Gardner, resident of 17 Merrimoch Forest, expressed concern about the proposed ECC. She asked that the Board of Aldermen have a critical lens when reviewing the project. She continued that Parkway had not done its due diligence and that three of the major concerns were traffic, removal of open areas for students, and lack of prioritization of those being most affected by the additional school. Ms. Gardner continued that the location at South Middle was not chosen because the increase in traffic would be too much on 141, but that Parkway had deemed it reasonable for this traffic to be on Wren Ave. She also explained that her daughter currently utilized the field during the school days for school related and extracurricular activities. She concluded that the location was not meeting the needs of the people. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 04/01/2024 Page 2 Fay Fetick, resident of 839 Mallard Woods Dr, shared her concerns about Parkway’s lack of transparency regarding the new ECC. She continued that Parkway’s statements regarding the usage of the field were not true and that students used the field frequently. Ms. Fetick also expressed concern about the maintenance of the new outdoor features Parkway had stated they were adding, noting that they did not keep up with the landscaping that was currently present on the property. Ms. Fetick also noted that the advertising by Parkway about the number of additional early childhood spots the new ECC would create was misleading as the center would centralize many already existing classrooms and only create about 70 additional spots. Marla Brunk, owner of the Goddard School at 1108 Sulphur Spring Road, stated she was not aware of this development until recently. She stated that after Parkway’s meeting she had contacted the other early childhood centers in the area and expressed concern with Parkway taking teachers from the pool that these centers currently pull from. She continued that there were many open early childhood spots in the area at the local businesses and that this center would hurt those businesses, including her own small business. Ms. Brunk continued explaining she had heard from Parkway that many of the classrooms in the new facility would pull classrooms from other Parkway locations and that the only benefit to Parkway was the extra administrative space, which is not what would benefit the residents. Melissa Jones Copeland, resident of 610 Wren Ave, distributed a copy of a petition to the Board of Alderman. She explained that the morning of the Parkway meeting, the principal of the school was waving traffic through faster than normal traffic flow. She continued that Wren Hollow should not have any control of the traffic coming from Southwest Middle School. She continued that this problem would be worse with the addition of the parking spots for this proposed development and that the area would look like an industrial area. She expressed that Parkways landscaping solution to make up for the loss of the field was not enough for the middle schoolers. Shauna McCuaig, resident of 827 Windingpath Lane, thanked the Board for the accessibility of the meeting via Zoom. She stated that there was a lack of transparency surrounding the proposed Parkway development. She continued that she was not aware that the project was even going on until earlier that day. She expressed that traffic was a serious concern and that people don’t abide by the traffic laws currently which brought up safety concerns for the students. Ms. McCuaig stated that the City of Manchester should work with Parkway on the traffic issues. She added that there were concerns about drainage with the new building. Ms. McCuaig expressed concern about the equity of the number of spots available for those with special needs. Mayor Clement thanked everyone for coming out and expressing their opinions and concerns. REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR Check Presentation to ManchesterCares from Manchester Methodist Men’s Club Manchester Methodist Men’s Club presented a donation check to the 501(c)3 ManchesterCares in hopes of investing in the local community. Mayoral Reports Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 04/01/2024 Page 3 Mayor Clement reported on events that had taken place in Manchester including the Faith Leaders Gathering and the Missouri Municipal League Membership Meeting. Mayor Clement thanked City Clerk Melugin for putting everything together. Mayor Clement invited the Board and members of the public to the upcoming safety meeting on April 3rd at 6:30pm at the Manchester Parks Building. He also notified everyone of other upcoming events including a blood drive on April 5th, the first Civic Saturday on April 6th at 10am, the Eid Carnival in Schroeder Park April 13th and 14th, Parkway South’s Day of Service on April 18th, and the Arbor Day Celebration on April 20th. REPORTS FROM THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR Alderman Dodge notified the Board and members of the community that the City would be partnering with BJC Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine to offer free PSA testing on Saturday, October 5th from 10am to 2pm. He explained that the PSA test is an indicator of the possibility of prostate cancer. Alderman Dodge explained prostate cancer and his experience with cancer. He expressed that these preventative measures save lives. Redistricting Update City Administrator Klocke notified the Board that Director Riganti had distributed exhibits regarding the redistricting of the ward boundaries. He explained the process to change the ward boundaries and noted the Boards questions for review. He stated that legislation would be presented to the Board at a future meeting. Introduction to Parks Maintenance Joel Roberts Director Schien introduced Joel Roberts as the Parks Department’s new Maintenance I Worker. Joel joined the City with experience in retail and as a chaplain. Director Schien stated everyone was excited to have Joel join the Parks team. Introduction to Administrative Assistant Lisa Wigger Director Riganti introduced Lisa Wigger as the new Planning and Zoning Administrative Assistant. Lisa joined the City with an extensive background in the private sector as an Executive Assistant. Introduction to Code Enforcement Officer Collin McCormick (Ward One) Code Enforcement Supervisor Plowman introduced Collin McCormick as the City’s new Code Enforcement Officer in Ward One. Collin came to the City from a background in construction with experience in serving the community and working with the public. List of Paid Bills (Warrant dates of 03-18-2024 to 03-31-2024) There were no questions. REPORTS FROM THE COMMITTEES Planning and Zoning Commission Alderman Baumann reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission did not meet, and their next meeting would be April 8th. Veterans Commission Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 04/01/2024 Page 4 Alderman Huether reported that the Veterans Commission was busy preparing for Memorial Day. She continued that the Hometown Heroes Banner program was going well with many renewals and new banners for this year. She continued that the Commission was hoping to have a signing event for those who are enlisting out of high school. Audit and Finance Committee Alderman Toben stated that the Audit and Finance Committee did not meet. Tree Advisory Board Alderman Dodge stated that the Tree Advisory Board would meet April 2nd. Mayor Clement stated that the Arbor Day event was approaching, as well. Homecoming Committee Alderman Ottenad stated that the Homecoming Committee had not met yet, their first meeting was scheduled for April 17th at 6:30pm at the Parks office. OLD LEGISLATION None NEW LEGISLATION Resolution No. 24-0965 Police Officer Wellness Checks Agreement Alderman Baumann read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0965, entitled: “A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSAL FROM H&H HEALTH ASSOCIATES TO PROVIDE POLICE WELLNESS CHECKS FOR THE POLICE EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER FOR THE 2024 CALENDAR YEAR,” by title only. Alderman Baumann made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0965. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Resolution No. 24-0966 Police Patrol Vehicle Purchase Alderman Dodge read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0966, entitled: “A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE QUOTE OF BELKOH II, INC. D/B/A BEHLMANN CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM IN THE AMOUNT OF FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED NINETEEN DOLLARS AND NO CENTS ($44,619.00) FOR THE PURCHASE OF ONE (1) 2024 DODGE DURANGO AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO ISSUE A PURCHASE ORDER THEREFOR,” by title only. Alderman Dodge made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0966. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Resolution No. 24-0967 Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 04/01/2024 Page 5 Construction Management Services – Schroeder Park Playground Alderman Ottenad read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0967, entitled: “A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH NAVIGATE BUILDING SOLUTIONS, LLC. IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED NINETY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS ($92,000.00) FOR CONSTRUCTION RELATED SERVICES FOR THE SCHROEDER PARK PLAYGROUND PROJECT,” by title only. Director Schein answered Alderman Ottenad’s questions explaining that this would be Navigate’s first contract with the City, but they had worked with many municipalities in the area and had very high reviews from multiple cities. Alderman Ottenad made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0967. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. Resolution No. 24-0968 Amendment to Design Services Agreement for Schroeder Park Playground Alderman Huether read Proposed Resolution No. 24-0968, entitled: “A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO AMEND THE CONTRACT WITH PLANNING DESIGN STUDIOS, LLC. IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($283,000.00) FOR DESIGN SERVICES AND CONSTRUCTION PERIOD SERVICES FOR THE SCHROEDER PARK PLAYGROUND PROJECT,” by title only. Alderman Baumann expressed concern on the canopy shade of the structure. He requested that the City look into the addition of a canopy on the playground to keep it from deteriorating quickly. Director Schein stated she would look into it and added that the design included shade structures that were coming in and new trees that would replace the ones removed. Alderman Huether made the motion for approval of Resolution No. 24-0968. The motion was seconded by Alderman Ottenad and carried unanimously, with no objections from any members of the Board of Aldermen. MISCELLANEOUS Comments from the Public None ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Alderman Toben made the motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Alderman Huether and carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:02 p.m. Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting 04/01/2024 Page 6