Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 6-7-17

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8 I NEWS I June 7, 2017 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE @MIDRIVERSNEWS MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM KEEP IT IN THE “O” SHOW Discover all O’Fallon has to offer! Check out new episodes... www.youtube.com/OFallonTV More than 400 volunteers helped to collect more than 5,000 baby items and raise $112,719 through the 11th annual Shower of Love event, benefitting nine local charities. news briefs O’FALLON City sells historic Krekel House A historic home in O’Fallon is set to become a bridal boutique. At its May 25 meeting, the O’Fallon City Council approved a contract and conservation easement for the sale of the Krekel House to Jessica and Jason Orf, owners of White Traditions Bridal House, at a total cost of $45,000. The city will defer $10,000 of the sales cost for five years with the Orfs required to make $2,000 payments annually during that timeframe. The city has owned the Krekel House, located across the street from City Hall at 103 Civic Park Drive, since 2007. Over the years, the city has unsuccessfully sought proposals to redevelop the property, which was built in 1856 and needs extensive rehabilitation to become habitable again. The Orfs reached out to the city in April regarding the home, which had been listed for sale by O’Fallon. The couple plans to invest more than $200,000 in repairs and restoration so that the property is usable again. The bridal shop plans to open by fall and will sell designer bridal gowns. In their proposal to the city, the Orfs said the store will be open Tuesday through Saturday and employ one full-time employee and two part-time workers. The business owners have both experience in St. Charles County as well as with rehabbing historic buildings. A White Traditions Bridal House is currently located in a historic building in downtown Saint Charles. The Orfs renovated it in 2011. A public hearing on rezoning the Krekel House property to a business district was planned for O’Fallon’s June 1 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, after presstime. ST. CHARLES COUNTY International building code vote tabled again The St. Charles County Council again tabled the adoption of international building codes governing residential and commercial construction and heard from some residents skeptical about adopting those changes. Going back to February, the council has failed to adopt a bill updating a series of international residential, building, plumbing, mechanic, fire and electrical codes. The county currently is using the 2009 international codes and typically amends it about every six years to include code changes. Similar code updates have been approved by some county municipalities. But councilmembers Joe Cronin [District 1] and Joe Brazil [District 2] objected, saying some new safety requirements aren’t worth the cost, which could impact the county’s housing industry and raise the cost of homes and home repairs. Also, the 8,000-page international code is too encompassing and bureaucratic, they said. The council gave the bill a first reading at its May 8 meeting. On May 30, the bill was tabled again to allow more review of changes that councilmembers and staff are proposing. But, at that meeting, a group of residents opposing the bill came before council echoing Cronin’s and Brazil’s concerns. Cathy Lenihan, who lives in the St. Peters area, told the council that the county should not blindly adopt international building codes based on the promise of lower insurance premiums. “We’ve heard that promise before,” she said. Brenda Webb, of Saint Charles, said she isn’t opposed to codes but rather their broad reach and the fact that it is expensive and difficult for residents to obtain copies. “We don’t want extreme codes, we want common-sense codes,” she said. Bill Davis, who has developed commercial space throughout the county, said the permitting costs for buildings often are added to development costs, which are passed on to consumers. Jobless rate at new low St. Charles County’s unemployment rate was down in March, the most recent period for which numbers are available, which means it remained the lowest in the state and nation as a whole. The county’s jobless rate was estimated at 3.2 percent of its workforce in March, down from 3.7 percent in February and 3.8 percent last March. The rate also was the lowest one-month rate so far in 2017. The county’s January rate was estimated at 3.4 percent. An estimated 208,872 of the county’s estimated 215,755 workforce were employed in March, according to the center, with 6,883 persons listed as jobless that month. The number of jobless dropped from 8,114 in February and 8,442 last March. In general, jobless rates dropped in the St. Louis region and Missouri in March. Missouri’s jobless rate in March was 4.2 percent, down from 4.8 percent in February and the same [4.8 percent] as last March. The nation’s jobless rate was 4.6 percent in March, down from 4.9 percent in February and 5.1 percent last March. Unemployment rates edged down in six neighboring Missouri counties in the St. Louis region. St. Louis County’s rate was 3.7 percent in March, down from 4.2 percent in February and 4.4 percent in March 2016. Jefferson County’s rate was 4.1 percent in March, down from 4.7 percent in February and 4.8 percent last March. Franklin County’s rate was 4.2 percent in March, down from 4.7 percent in February and 4.9 percent last March. Meanwhile, Lincoln County’s rate was 4.1 percent in March, 4.8 percent in February and 5.1 last March. Warren County’s jobless rate was 3.5 percent in March, 4.2 percent in February and 4.8 percent last March. The city of St. Louis saw its jobless rate drop to 4.7 percent in March, compared to 5.2 percent in February and 5.5 percent last March. The jobless rate also dropped in the county’s largest municipalities, but rates are far below rates for February 2014. O’Fallon, the county’s largest municipality, saw its jobless rate drop to 3 percent in March from 3.5 percent in February. Last March, O’Fallon’s jobless rate was 3.6 percent. St. Charles, jobless rate in March was 3.4 percent, compared to 4 percent in February and 4.3 percent in March 2016. St. Peters’ jobless rate was 3.3 percent in March, down from 3.7 percent in February and 3.6 percent last March. Wentzville’s jobless rate was 2.9 percent in March, down from 3.5 percent in February and 3.5 percent last March.
FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM By NATHAN RUBBELKE The debate isn’t about whether O’Fallon sewer district rates have to go up. It’s about how much. At its May 25 workshop meeting, the O’Fallon City Council reviewed three options for potential rate increases, opting to move forward with a plan that will raise rates by about $12 over the next five years to help fund capital projects for the city’s wastewater treatment plant. In 2015, the city set its rate structure through 2021, but new ammonia discharge requirements handed down by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources forced the city to go back to the drawing board. Working with engineering firm Woodard & Curran, a 20-year capital improvement plan has been developed and broken into two 10-year periods. Necessary improvements identified in the first period, ending in 2027, include ammonia upgrades and biosolids improvements. In a presentation to the city council, Water and Sewer Project Manager Chris Horvath, along with representatives with Woodard & Curran, presented three scenarios: a minimum, intermediate and allprojects plan. The minimum scenario calls for $49.5 million in projects necessary to keep the wastewater treatment plant compliant and operational. The projects include the required ammonia upgrades, estimated at $26 million. Under the minimum scenario, the average O’Fallon resident’s rate would increase from $18.33 in 2017 to $23.61 in 2022. However, that scenario is not favored by the experts. “The minimum option we are presenting here from a technical standpoint, we would not recommend. We do give it to you so you can see it for illustrative purposes,” said Jennifer Anders of Woodard & Curran. The intermediate plan includes additional improvements, totaling $64.3 million, forcing the average rate to rise to $27.43 in 2022. The last option, described as the “all projects” proposal, would fund the full range of recommended capital improvements for the 10-year period at an estimated price tag of $77.6 million. Under the final scenario, rates would rise annually from $18.33 in 2017 to $30.03 in 2022. While the “all projects” plan comes at a significantly higher price than the other two options, Horvath and Anders stressed that it includes only projects necessary for keeping the wastewater treatment plant operational long-term. Anders said the scenario doesn’t include any “luxury-type” items. “If you push that $13 million off and you push it off another one, three, five years, those costs are just going to further escalate. It’s not going to go away,” she said. “You’re still going to have to spend the money. It’s going to become more costly to do it and you’re going to carry additional risk during the time you haven’t made that investment.” Multiple members of the council agreed with those sentiments. Councilmember Tom “Duke” Herwick [Ward 2] said he hates raising rates, but funding all the projects prevents saddling future generations with the costs. “My feeling is if we keep kicking the can down the road on the rest of that $77 million, that’s irresponsible,” Herwick said. “The systems are going to fail eventually and it’s better to get control of it now.” Councilmember Rick Lucas [Ward 1] said the capital improvement plan doesn’t include a list of “what-ifs,” but rather just those projects needed to keep the city’s June 7, 2017 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE O’Fallon City Council selects sewer district rate increase plan I NEWS I 9 plant functional. “Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and understand that the cost of doing business is the cost of doing business,” Lucas said. Eight members of the council voted in favor of the $77.6 million plan that will raise rates to around $30 per month. Councilmembers Reid Cranmer [Ward 3] and Jeff Schwentker [Ward 4] were opposed. With the council’s approval, Horvath said the next step is a public hearing. WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED! Call Now for Your FREE Comprehensive Inspection Report Matt Wellman & Dennis Ruckman - Owners West County Residents References Available Like us on Visit AdvancedOneRoofing.com to view more projects! Roofing • Siding • Gutters Fascia • Soffit • Windows STORM DAMAGE? LET US HELP! 3130 Gravois Ave. St. Louis, MO 63118 314-553-9201
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