West Newsmagazine 12-14-16

10 I NEWS I
December 14, 2016
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
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Manchester Police Chief Tim Walsh [right] with Sgt. Randy Rains, Officer Tim Hancock and Officer Dave Ebert
news
briefs
CHESTERFIELD
City extends CVAC use contract
The city of Chesterfield approved extending
a contract with the Chesterfield Athletic
Association [CAA] providing it with
preferred user status for use of Chesterfield
Valley Athletic Complex facilities.
Approved unanimously during the Dec. 5
City Council meeting, the new agreement
extends the current contract for five years,
with an additional automatic five-year
extension unless either party declines to
pursue that option.
The CAA is an umbrella group that
includes the Chesterfield Baseball &
Softball Association [CBSA] and the
Ascension Athletic Association [AAA].
The two organizations are the largest
users of CVAC facilities. Together, they
work closely with the city “to ensure that
area youth have vibrant athletic leagues,”
according to City Administrator Mike
Geisel.
Geisel said the city primarily serves as
a facility provider, renting fields to organizations
that handle the details associated
with registering participants, creating
leagues and schedules, providing umpires
and other officials and taking care of other
related tasks.
In addition to paying field rental fees,
both the CBSA and AAA have contributed
significant capital over the years to pay for
CVAC improvements. A current agreement
between the city and the CAA is not due to
expire until 2019, but the CBSA and AAA
asked that the contract be extended to provide
more certainty and flexibility for their
long-term planning.
In granting the CAA preferred user status,
the contract, among other things, includes
priority scheduling and favorable pricing
for CVAC facilities.
The council’s Finance and Administration
Committee reviewed the proposed
contract extension at an earlier meeting and
unanimously recommended its approval.
The council vote approving the new agreement
also was unanimous.
MANCHESTER
Police officers receive
commendations
Three city of Manchester police officers
were commended by Police Chief Tim
Walsh for the recent arrest and prosecution
of an offender, who was suspected of
various crimes not only in Manchester, but
throughout West County.
Sgt. Randy Rains, Officer Tim Hancock
and Officer Dave Ebert responded to a burglary
in progress on Nov. 11. The suspect
resisted Rains’ and Hancock’s order to surrender
and, instead, assaulted Rains, who
sustained minor, but visible, injuries.
After a brief pursuit by all three officers,
the suspect was taken into custody. Since
the general area had been targeted with
criminal actions, Officer Ebert initiated
a neighborhood canvass to look for other
vehicles or property tampered with by the
subject. Additional stolen items were discovered
in the suspect’s vehicle. Information
regarding the arrest of the suspect was
forwarded to neighboring law enforcement
agencies, which had other criminal events
believed to be connected to the same
offender.
At the city’s regular Board of Aldermen
meeting on Dec. 5, Walsh publicly lauded
the three officers “on their outstanding and
extraordinary handling of this incident.”
“Their remarkable performance marks
them as a competent, capable and talented
professional law enforcement team,” Walsh
said. “Your actions reflect well on the service
of the Manchester police department
and I want each of you to know that your
efforts are very much appreciated. Please
accept my congratulations on a job well
done.”
WILDWOOD
City approves landscape
project for city hall
Wildwood’s City Council, on Nov. 28,
approved spending $10,000 for landscaping
improvements to create a butterfly
garden on the west side of city hall, at
16860 Main Street – with labor provided
by local Boy Scouts.
City Administrator Ryan Thomas told
the council during a work session that
the butterfly garden, including a mowed
path and some benches, will be developed
around a transplanted Norway Spruce tree.
“A Wildwood Boy Scout Troop has
offered to complete this work as a Scout
project and the landscape architecture firm,
SWT Design, has been engaged to prepare
the plan,” he said. “The design cost is not
to exceed $3,000, which will provide a
balance of $7,000 for materials, with labor
provided at no cost through the Boy Scout
Troop in the spring.”
Notification area ruling
During a Nov. 28 Wildwood City Council
vote mandating that the entire council
– rather than as few as one member – must
approve expanding the notification area
for council public hearings, only Councilmember
Debra Smith McCutchen [Ward 5]
was opposed.
During a council work session that night,
City Administrator Ryan Thomas said that,
on past occasions, councilmembers made
requests to staff to provide a greater level
of public notification for a hearing, either
through additional mailings or use of the
city’s electronic message boards.
Earlier this year, electronic message
board use was called into question, as it
only targeted a portion of the population
impacted by an agenda item for the Villages
at Bright Leaf subdivision development,
he said.
“I believe [a radius of] only 1,500 feet
from the site wasn’t enough to notify all
those interested in the Villages at Bright
Leaf,” she said.
Thomas added that, in most cases, Wildwood’s
public notice standard practices
already are well in excess of what is