Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 4-5-17

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14 I NEWS I April 5, 2017 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE Am I Eligible? Are you 18-65 years old? Not getting adequate results with your current antidepressant therapy? Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder? Join us on $ 5 FRIDAYS! All 32-oz smoothies ONLY $ 5 EACH ALL DAY FRIDAYS! Plus sales tax. Enhancers and additional ingredients cost extra. Not valid with any other offers. No cash value. GET A MEDIUM SMOOTHIE FOR ONLY $ 4.99 valid at the O’Fallon & Cottleville locations Offer expires April 30, 2017. Enhancers cost extra. Must surrender original coupon to receive offer. Limit one(1) per person. Not valid with any other offers. No cash value. Sales tax extra. © 2014 Smoothie King Franchise Inc. SMOOTHIEKINGSTC SMOOTHIEKINGCOTTLEVILLE SMOOTHIEKINGOFALLON 4765 Hwy N, Corner Mid Rivers Mall Dr. 636-939-KING (5464) Mon-Fri 7am-10pm • Sat 8am-10pm • Sun 10am 8pm 1314 Hwy K, By St. Louis Bread Co 636-294-7849 Are You In A Deep Dark Place? Let’s Try To Find a Way Out... Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) changes how you view the world. It causes extreme sadness and feelings of hopelessness. A clinical research study is currently evaluating an investigational drug for its safety and effectiveness in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. LET’S TALK, CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE. Psychiatric Care and Research Center 4132 Keaton Crossing Blvd. Suite 201 O’Fallon, MO 63368 636-244-3593 or visit www.pcrc-stl.com By BRIAN FLINCHPAUGH Three St. Charles County Council members are expected to sit down and talk with various public and private representatives about the county’s development and building requirements. Councilmen Joe Brazil [District 2], Joe Cronin [District 1] and David Hammond [District 4] with meet to review aspects of what staff and council members say is a “complicated” code. “We want to look at ways to improve the process,” Hammond said. He was not specific about issues and said councilmembers are expected to meet with various representatives ranging from developers to bankers. The council adopted a resolution at its March 27 meeting, forming the ad hoc Development and Building Research Committee or DBRC. The resolution suggests that committee members could review “real estate development ordinance provisions which are outdated and would benefit from revision.” The committee also could review legislation regarding floodplain matters, building and construction, and community development matters. Councilman Mike Elam [District 3], who is also council chairman, can choose members and select their role. Hammond said a public hearing may be held on any proposed changes. Changes also may require new ordinances to be adopted by the council. Previously, the council said it was not ready to adopt new building codes governing residential and commercial construction and improvements until several members received explanations for what they said may be too many rules. The council failed to pass a bill at its Feb. 13 meeting to update a series of international residential, building, plumbing, mechanic, fire and electrical codes changes. The city currently uses 2009 international codes and typically amends them about every six years to include changes in later codes. Jared Agee, the county’s director of building and code enforcement, told the council at a March 13 work session that the international codes are used worldwide. The county staff’s goal is to standardize building codes to make it easier for buildings county-wide to comply. “We adopt them to address recent safety and welfare concerns,” Agee said. Examples are what authorities learned about the impact of flooding on buildings during Hurricane Katrina or emerging @MIDRIVERSNEWS MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM Council forms committee to discuss county building requirements building technology. Agee said the county also meets with groups like the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri to review possible code changes. Suggested changes are sent to the county’s building commission and a final draft bill is sent to the council for approval. However, last month Brazil and Cronin said their review of the code changes raised a number of questions about increasing building costs, particularly for rural county residents. They also claimed the 7,000-page code is confusing. “How are we supposed to pass something that doesn’t make sense?” Brazil asked at one point. “There is a lot more to this than just changes to the code. A lot of it involves how the county interprets the code and how the county interacts with residents affected by the code,” Cronin said. Councilman Terry Hollander [District 5] was skeptical. “People in our county aren’t bashful about coming to these meetings and complaining,” Hollander said. “In the seven years that I have been on the council, all the things you brought up, I haven’t heard one person come up and complain about these things.” Brazil said the reason that council members from more rural districts may not hear complaints is their districts include municipalities with building departments. However, unincorporated residents must go through the county. “So I do receive the complaints,” Brazil said. He said he is not convinced that changes he read in the new codes will increase safety. “There are so many rules in this thing, there are 7,000 pages; I don’t get it,” he said. Hollander, a former county building official, tried to point out last month that some of the issues complained about were already in effect and others would not be in effect. He said it is critical for the county to keep its codes current. “It benefits anybody who wants to stay up with technology in today’s world,” Hollander said. Some new products or techniques may not be used within the county if they are not included in an amended code, he said. “That’s what going to end up happening if you don’t keep your codes current,” he said. After they finish their meetings, Elam suggested the committee report back to the full council with their recommendations. He said the newly-minted ad-hoc committee may be disbanded after a final report to the council, which is due by Sept. 30.
FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM O’Fallon presents designs for O’Day Park, Alligator’s Creek Aquatics April 5, 2017 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 15 By NATHAN RUBBELKE Alligator Creek Plans are coming together for two major park projects in O’Fallon. At its March 23 workshop meeting, the O’Fallon City Council reviewed presentations on designs for the new O’Day Park and an expansion of Alligator’s Creek Aquatic Center in Civic Park. Last August, a majority of O’Fallon residents voted to fund improvements for the two projects. An open house showcasing the designs will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11 in the food court at O’Fallon City Hall, 100 North Main Street. Jim Wolterman of SWT Design presented the schematic design for O’Day Park, saying the plans call for a unique, destination park on a 57-acre wooded tract off of Hwy. DD. Plans include an activity and conference center, a camping area, trails, an amphitheater and an adventure playground area. The activity and conference center will have a capacity of approximately 320 people, with parking adjacent to the facility, per the current designs. “What a great amenity that this will be for the overall park,” Wolterman said. The building has rotated about 45 degrees from prior plans, which allows for greater visibility, and better integrates the center into the land’s natural topography. Parking also has moved further from the property line, Wolterman explained. O’Day Park’s current designs also include a camping area, which has moved further south into the park from previous designs. Discussing the new location, Wolterman described it as the “perfect place for camping.” A special and unique playground area also will dot the park, Wolterman said. The extensive, adventure playground will include climbing, water and active play zones. “We just really don’t want to have the same thing that is found in the other parks in the county, the region, the state,” Wolterman said. Parking also will be located near the playground area. Describing the design process as a yardstick, Wolterman said his team is currently only about 12 to 14 inches along in the process. “We still have a lot of thinking, a lot of design to do but we have a great foundation that is built at this point,” he said. Meanwhile, expansion plans at Alligator’s Creek Aquatic Center in Civic Park are near the end of the schematic design process. Expansion include increasing pool capacity by 300 to 400 people, adding new lazy river and spray pad features and modifying the existing pool. Fifty-three additional parking spots also are part of the plan. At the March 23 workshop, the city council heard it will have to make a decision to finish the process. The original plans called for adding a new combined bath house and program facility but the design team proposed separating the two facilities. The combined facility would have two levels, with the bath house beneath the program facility. The other option has the bath house and pool support building near the pool deck with the program facility located in the northeastern quadrant of Civic Park. Separating the buildings minimizes tree removal and moves the program facility closer to the majority of parking, Kerry Newman of SFS Architects said. Councilmembers said they would need to see the costs and review the pros and cons of the options before making a decision. The program facility will include multi-purpose rooms, classrooms, storage space and a catering kitchen. Both the O’Day Park and Civic Park projects will go out for bid around August, Parks and Recreation Director Cindy Springer said. The design team intends to start O’Day Park construction this fall, with completion scheduled by the end of 2018. Aquatic center construction should begin in September with the opening planned by Memorial Day 2018. “It’s going to be a busy couple years, but we are trying to move these [projects] along as simultaneously as possible,” she said. www. St. Louis’ Most Trusted Service Provider Locally Owned. Family Owned. Since 1926. 24-Hour Emergency Response Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Services Residential and Commercial Specialists | 24 Hour Emergency Service Same Day Service | Service For All Brands Up-Front Pricing | Free Installation Estimates Financing Available On Installations | Boiler Installation And Service Installation on Rooftop Units and Duct Vents | Maintenance Agreements Have Year Round Peace of Mind with our Annual Maintenance Agreements Special Financing, Ulity and Manufacturers Rebates available! 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