Jackson accepts soccer park property

The City of Jackson officially owns a soccer park.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen passed handful of ordinances Monday night, accepting 28 acres of property from the Jackson Industrial Development Corporation. A contractor set up equipment on Monday and will begin work today, city engineer Dan Triller said.

The items were not listed on the original agenda. Some of the legal work was finished after the first agendas were posted and in the interest of speeding up the project, the aldermen voted Monday night on the following items:

Accepted an easement from the Jackson, Gordonville and Delta Railroad Company.

Accepted full release of claims from the Eileen D. Meier Revocable Trust.

Accepted a $98,000 bid from Clifton Excavating of Perryville for site grading and sanitary sewer improvements on the site.

The 16-field soccer park has been a huge undertaking. Monday night's action was needed for the city to access a $150,000 grant.

Soccer park organizers hope to have the park ready by 2005.

Also Monday night, the board gave its support in joining the Greater Cape Girardeau Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The MPO will help draw federal funding for planning in the Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City area.

Poles will stay put

Jackson public works director Rodney Bollinger said the city won't have to move its electric poles again after all. A miscalculation on Colorado Street, as part of the Highway 34/72 widening, meant some utilities were going to have to be moved again to accommodate underground retaining wall supports.

However, it was determined that the supports would come up to, but not go past, the poles. Missouri Department of Transportation officials said the contractor could work around the poles to save the money that would have to be spent on a re-design. The water line will still have to be moved, Bollinger said.

Speed limit lowered

The speed limit on Highway 25 from the city limits will be lowered from 55 miles per hour to 45 as soon as MoDOT officials place the signs.

The board passed the ordinance Monday night.

In other action:

In other action, the board approved street closure for the annual band festival today and the Veteran's Day Parade on Nov. 11. The board also approved the final plat of Fairfield Estates Third Subdivision.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635