Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 1-10-24

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8 I NEWS I NEWS BRIEFS O’FALLON Council defeats intersection project January 10, 2024 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE At its Dec. 14 meeting, the O’Fallon City Council defeated Bill No. 7596 by a vote of 6-3, denying use of federal funding and disapproving plans for a new intersection at Tom Ginnever Avenue and North Cool Springs Road. Council members Tom “Duke” Herweck (Ward 2), Nathan Bibb (Ward 3) and Steve Koskela (Ward 3) voted for the bill. Council members Deana Smith (Ward 1), Ron Epps (Ward 1), Lisa Thompson (Ward 2), Dr. Jim Ottomeyer (Ward 4), Debbie Cook (Ward 5) and Linda Ragsdale (Ward 5) voted against it. Council member Jeff Kuehn (Ward 4) was absent/excused. O’Fallon had been seeking to use external funds to help with the reconstruction and replacement of the stop-controlled intersection at Tom Ginnever Avenue/North Cool Springs Road with a roundabout to mitigate congestion and delays, and to improve St. Charles County Park will host an Eagle Watch Party at Riverside Landing, 101 Riverport Lane, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21. Park rangers will be at the park’s scenic overlook with spotting scopes and binoculars, childfriendly eagle activities and a toasty campfire. Registration is not necessary. For more information, visit bit.ly/stccparks_communityevents. (Photo by Elaine Collins) safety through this intersection. The project also would have addressed pedestrian improvements including the installation of new 10-foot, shared-use path sections within the intersection project limits. Prior to the vote, Epps said he would vote against the bill because his research indicated most of the congestion occurred between 7 and 7:20 a.m., with less than 1 minute required at the stop sign. He said he had trouble spending money to fund this even though much of it comes from CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) funds. Epps said he also is concerned about the safety of teen drivers and senior drivers using a new roundabout. Smith also spoke prior to the vote saying she did not want spend city or CMAQ funds on a project that really is not needed. “There is no free money,” she said. Smith noted that, at most, there have been two accidents per year at this intersection. @MIDRIVERS_NEWS MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM She estimated that a roundabout would likely result in seven accidents per year. For the sake of safety and fiscal responsibility, she said she would vote against the bill. Total project cost had been estimated to be $1,518,000. The city would have used $986,700 in federal funding (65% of the estimated project total) for all items that met the federal reimbursement requirement. SAINT CHARLES City plans new festival for February Love will take center stage on Historic Main Street in St. Charles at the inaugural Main Street Valentine’s Celebration,” Once Upon a Valentine: Stories for the Loved & Loveless.” The new mini-festival will blend history, fun and spirited entertainment in the same vein as the city’s other popular holiday offerings, Legend & Lanterns and Christmas Traditions. Taking place from noon-3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb.10 and Sunday, Feb. 11, activities include both pro and anti-Valentine’s Day programming in a family-friendly setting. A highlight of the event is the STC Valentine’s Cards initiative, which allows guests to collect postcard-sized valentines from JOIN US for the 29th annual Princess ® Cruise Tour to Alaska Get a 15-month CD at 5.25% APY * with a one-time bump up. Step into financial freedom. Making sound financial decisions today to create the future you want is easy with a local bank that offers better rates and personal service. Because at MRV Banks, from small moments to big milestones, creating financial freedom is everything. 1700 O’FALLON ROAD ≈ ST. CHARLES ≈ MRVBanks.com *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 9/19/2023. $1,000 minimum balance required to open an account and obtain the APY. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal and the rate may change after account opening. Fees could reduce earnings on the account. 7-DAY CRUISE FOLLOWED BY 7-DAY LAND TOUR 14 days • July 6 – 20, 2024 • From $3334.88 per person Cruise Only: 7 days • July 6 – 13, 2024 • From $923.98 per person IT’S TIME TO MARK ALASKA OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST SPACE IS LIMITED!! $100 deposit per person 636-970-7447 WWW.CRUISENUT.COM Like Us On Facebook Ships Registry: Bermuda MRV CD Rates 4.916x5.6 Print 2023-11.indd 1 11/3/23 12:12 PM
FACEBOOK.COM/MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM January 10, 2024 MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE I NEWS I 9 a variety of activity locations. The cards feature quaint images of Saint Charles and offer intriguing snippets of Valentine’s Day history, connecting visitors to the holiday’s lesser-known backstories and fun facts. Other activities include crafting an oldfashioned Valentine’s Day cards with the infamous king of romance, Casanova, testing your bow and arrow skills on heartshaped targets, getting your mugshot taken with gangsters made famous by the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; Feb. 14 also has been a historical day of infamy. On both days, a cappella singing groups, The Conversation Hearts and The Lonely Hearts Club, will provide the event’s sound track with a variety of love ballads and breakup anthems. The festival will conclude with a largescale vow renewal ceremony, inviting lovebirds to join with dozens of other couples at the iconic Main Street gazebo for a symbolic reaffirmation of love. $383,633,080, and with total anticipated funding resources of $652,614,278. Freezing weather is here! Transportation projects prioritized through 2026 At its Dec. 18 meeting, the St. Charles County Council passed Bill No. 5246 by a vote of 7-0, approving the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) for fiscal years 2024 through 2026 along with corresponding intergovernmental agreements. The bill was sponsored by the council as a whole. The bill has a list of 97 projects for 2024, totaling about $120 million, including projects for Dardenne Prairie, Lake Saint Louis, New Melle, O’Fallon, the city of St. Charles, St. Peters, Wentzville and unincorporated St. Charles County. The 2024 TIP includes 55 ongoing previously approved projects with funds rolling forward to 2024. The rollover is anticipated to be about $72 million, resulting from delays caused by right-of-way acquisition, lack of staff and inflation impacts. The county expects to see about $13 million in federal and state reimbursement in 2024 for Roads and Traffic and County Highway projects. The County Road Board has recommended 19 new projects for the TIP with three-year total county funding of about $20.7 million. The Road Board also approved four project amendments, due to construction cost inflation, adding funds totaling about $5 million, to cover overrun costs from actual construction bids and consultant fees. The contract for the Route 370 Interchange Ramp at Salt River Road project will be terminated, due to the lack of funding available for a higher estimated project cost caused by the impact of inflation. That termination results in $4,347,906 in county funds to be used for other projects. ST. CHARLES COUNTY County approves 2024 budget before 2023 ends At its Dec. 18 meeting, the St. Charles County Council passed substitute Bill No. 5247 by a vote of 6-1. The bill, requested by County Executive Steve Ehlmann and sponsored by the council as a whole, approves and appropriates the county’s 2024 budget. Council member Joe Brazil (District 2) voted against the bill. Prior to the vote on the bill, Brazil had moved to amend the proposed budget to remove funding for the St. Charles County Election Authority, because he said its director (Kurt Bahr) still had not responded to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information requested back in May, even after repeated requests. Brazil said he and others had sought information about the cost of storing, transporting and maintaining voting machines in addition to other information. He said Bahr had come to a council meeting and when asked had said the machines cost about $1 million. Brazil said the actual total cost appears to be $4.4 million. However, the motion to remove Election Authority funding did not pass. Brazil said he appreciated the excellent work done by executive staff to prepare the budget and address all of the issues but could not support the bill only because of the lack of responsiveness of Bahr and noncompliance with FOIA laws. He acknowledged that the council cannot tell the Election Authority what to do, but said that the council does have authority to approve the agency’s funding. The budget includes total expenditures (including capital outlay) of $561,494,489, with anticipated total revenues of Slips and falls affect us all. Frost, ice and snow are particularly dangerous for our seniors. If you slip, give us a call! 95% of our rehab residents return to home. EXPERTS IN DEMENTIA CARE gardenviewcarecenter.com 636-240-2840 | O’FALLON 636-537-3333 | CHESTERFIELD 636-861-0500 | DOUGHERTY FERRY
Page 1: Vol. 21 No. 1 • January 10, 2024
Page 4 and 5: 4 I January 10, 2024 MID RIVERS NEW
Page 6 and 7: 6 I OPINION I January 10, 2024 MID
Page 10 and 11: January 10, 2024 10 I NEWS I MID RI
Page 12 and 13: 12 I NEWS I January 10, 2024 MID RI
Page 14 and 15: 14 I SCHOOLS I January 10, 2024 MID
Page 16 and 17: 16 I HEALTH I January 10, 2024 MID
Page 18 and 19: 18 I MATURE FOCUS I January 10, 202
Page 20 and 21: 20 I January 10, 2024 MID RIVERS NE
Page 22 and 23: 22 I EVENTS I January 10, 2024 MID
Page 24: CD Special 12-month or 18-month You

Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 1-10-24

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?