Jackson aldermen OK new trails, discuss community center

The construction of a new recreational trail was approved by the Jackson Board of Aldermen on Tuesday.

The new construction will connect a trail on the north side of East Lane to a trail on Orchard Drive and will intersect a trail close to West Lane Elementary School on Oak Street. The contract for construction of the new trail went to Lappe Cement and Finishing of Perryville, Mo. The construction should start in late July and last about two months.

Rodney Bollinger, Jackson's public works director, said eventually the city wants to connect each school with a trail that can lead to a city park and other semipublic areas.

Bollinger said the project was made possible through a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation and will cost about $65,000.

"It was great we were able to apply for and get an enhancement grant from MoDOT to pay for 80 percent of it, otherwise we probably wouldn't be doing it this year," Bollinger said.

The city of Jackson will cover the remaining 20 percent of the cost.

Other items discussed during the meeting included an easement abandonment, how to circulate the board's responses to residents' questions and the hottest topic, the possibility of a community center.

Dr. Dwight Johnson from Southeast Missouri Medical Center Inc. said the idea for the community center was dropped a few years ago for various reasons, some financial, but now is the time to start envisioning and working toward creating the facility.

The community center would engender community pride and be a major investment in the quality of life, Johnson said. He also said the center would raise property values, make Jackson more valued by its residents and by businesses and be a "safe, positive place for our teens to go." Johnson discussed plans to move the 100-Mile Yard Sale into the future center and creating a housing facility for those participating in overnight sports tournaments.

Although the aldermen agreed the center would benefit the community, Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr wanted more information on the cost to build and operate the facility and what services the center would be providing.

"We don't have a whole lot to subsidize. We've got to have some kind of sustainable revenue" from the center, she said. Lohr said she was going to discuss it with people and try to set up a committee.

Staff writer Carrie Bartholomew contributed to this report.

blreutzel@semissourian.com

388-3654

Pertinent address:

101 Court St., Jackson, MO

Jackson Board of Aldermen action

Tuesday

101 Court St.

Action Items

Power and Light Committee

• Approved a motion to record the disposition of certain city records that have met their retention life according to the Missouri Secretary of State Record Retention Schedule.

Street Committee

• Approved a motion accepting the bid of Lappe Cement Finishing, Inc., of Perryville, Mo., in the amount of $65,888.50, relative to the East Lane Recreation Trail Project.
• Approved an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement with Lappe Cement Finishing, Inc., relative to the East Lane Recreation Trail Project.
• Approved a motion accepting the bid of Fronabarger Concreters, Inc., of Oak Ridge, Mo., in the amount of $99,295.00, relative to the 2010 Concrete Street Repair Program.
• Approved a bill proposing an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement with Fronabarger Concreters, Inc., relative to the 2010 Concrete Street Repair Program.