CITY COUNCIL MEETING 01/13/14 (Street Projects, Dorney Shadow Box, Firefighter Promoted)

City Approves List of 2014 Street Projects
Calli Price 01/14/14 CT

Chillicothe Street Superintendent Barry Arthur presented his proposed list of 2014 street improvement projects to the Chillicothe City Council during the council's regular meeting Monday evening at City Hall. Arthur said that deciding which streets would be placed on the list was difficult. "This is not an easy task, to try and decide which roads we're going to repair," he said. "We have a lot of them to repair."

The city council unanimously approved Arthur's project list, and he will begin the planning stages of the projects. Once receiving bids on projects, the superintendent will choose which projects will be completed according to the amount of money in his budget and will appear before the city council to seek project approval.

Arthur's list was divided into two categories - projects that would be paid for out of the permanent street fund and projects from the improvement of streets budget.

Projects under the permanent street funds list include replacing concrete on Morningside Drive from Trenton Road to Morningside Center and finishing the street, curb and gutter work. Curb and gutter repair is planned for Country Club Drive from Fairway Street to Fair Street, Tomahawk Road from Mohawk to Broken Arrow, Fairway Drive from Country Club to Missouri Highway 65 and Third Street from Grandview Avenue to South Woodrow. Arthur also wants to redesign the drainage structure and ditch at Adams Drive on the west end at Tomahawk.

Street projects coming from the improvement budget include overlay on East Street from East Jackson to Route V, Fairway Drive from Ridgecrest Drive to Missouri Highway 65, Springhill Road from Fair Street to City Limits, Walnut Street from Normal Street to Simpson Park, Fairview Street from Broken Arrow to Arcadia Street, JFK Street from Easton to Locust, Grandview Street from Calhoun Street to Webster Street, Tomahawk Road from Mohawk to Broken Arrow and Peacher Street from Clay Street to Webster Street.

A special presentation was made during Monday's meeting. A shadow box display honoring Chief Maurice Dorney that has been on display at City Hall was presented to Museum President Marvin Holcer to be displayed in the Grand River Historical Society Museum. Chief Dorney served the City of Chillicothe for 48 years in the police department. Dorney's badge, pistol and key to the old jail facility in the basement of City Hall are included in the shadow box, along with a photograph of him and a memorandum written as a tribute to him for serving Chillicothe. The shadow box had previously been on display in City Hall, but Holcer asked the city for the opportunity to display it in the museum.

City Auditor Theresa Kelly, Dorney's granddaughter, asked her extended family for their thoughts, and they agreed that the museum could display it. "We thought that would be a good place for it," Kelly said. The city signed an agreement loaning the shadow box to the museum, and Kelly presented the item to Holcer. "On behalf of the museum, I'm going to say thank you," Holcer said. "We have been planning on where we want to put it." Once Holcer presents the agreement to the museum board at their quarterly meeting on January 14, he will then sign the agreement allowing for the shadow box to be placed in the museum.

A Chillicothe firefighter was promoted to the rank of engineer/ paramedic following an executive session of the city council following its regular meeting Monday evening. David Gillespie's promotion was recommended by Fire Chief Darrell Wright and was approved unanimously by the five-member city council. Gillespie became a paid-by-call firefighter in 1995 and became a fulltime member of the department in 2000. Gillespie, 56, completed his paramedic training in 2005.

In closing remarks, Mayor Chuck Haney announced that the Mayor's Coffee will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, at the Yogurt Stop. On Thursday morning, Jan. 16, there will be a mock practice event of moving patients from the old Hedrick Medical Center to the new hospital site. City Hall will be closed Monday, Jan. 20, in observance of Martin Luther King day.

The next city council meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, at City Hall.