GORDONVILLE TOWN BOARD ABANDONS ANNEXATION PLAN

GORDONVILLE, Mo. -- The town board has abandoned plans to annex two nearby subdivisions as part of a sewer project because of opposition from property owners.

City officials, however, will continue to push to bring sewers to the 104-year-old Cape Girardeau County town.

The town board will ask voters in the April 3 election to approve a $1.8 million bond issue to install a sewer system. A simple majority is needed for passage.

"It is something that has to be done," said town board member Sheila Gross. Town residents have septic systems, some of which are leaching into the soil.

Sooner or later, Gordonville must install a sewer system to meet environmental requirements, Gross and other city officials say.

Gordonville residents would be saddled with a monthly sewer charge, but no upfront costs for installing the sewer system.

$35 a month charge

The charge likely would be about $35 a month, Gross said.

The town board had hoped to lower the charge to $28 a month by expanding the city limits eastward along Route K to include Hillcrest Manor Subdivision and Adams Estates. Hillcrest is served by a private sewer system. Adams Estates is served by septic tanks.

The move would have doubled the town's population and spread the cost of a sewer system among more households.

Gordonville, founded in 1897, has a population of about 350. The town sits at the junction of Highway 25 and Route Z.

Gross said homeowners in the two rural subdivisions opposed annexation plans. The homeowners objected at a meeting with the town board last week.

That killed the expansion plan because it depended on securing 100 percent support from affected property owners, she said.

"I hated that they didn't feel it was a viable option at this point," Gross said. "It would have helped us immensely."