Safety Issues Top Goodman Council Meeting

Goodman city officials discussed on Tuesday night the logistics of future access to a FEMA safe room, which will be housed in the new Goodman school.

The former school was severely damaged in the April 2017 tornado. When plans were designed for the new school, the building was approved to have a FEMA safe room, with a 70-citizen capacity, said emergency management director Denis Kolb.

Police Chief Curt Drake said he initially approached school officials about having a lockbox with a key and code access to the FEMA safe room. Ideally, any council member or staff member could get the code, then get the key from the lockbox and open the FEMA safe room, in case of a tornado.

"That way, we wouldn't have to wait for a keyholder," Drake said.

City council members encouraged Drake to set up a meeting with school officials so the issue could be discussed.

In addition, Kolb presented the council with some information about a system which would alert citizens of an approaching storm, and that the FEMA room is open. The system would send out messages to citizens who chose to pay for the service. The council will review the information.

In other news, Mayor Greg Richmond reported that he had contacted Missouri Department of Transportation officials, upon the recommendation of concerned citizen Connie Letourneau. She had asked council members at the Sept. 4 meeting to consider placing signs near that spot and putting a crosswalk from Casey's to Dollar General. She said she had noticed several kids running across the highway from Casey's to Dollar General and was concerned about their safety.

City attorney Duane Cooper had said during that meeting that any signs are owned by the state and that MO-DOT officials would determine any crosswalk.

On Tuesday night, Richmond said officials are going to conduct a foot traffic survey and will let city officials know the findings of the study. If merited, officials may put up signage near that section.

In other business, the council:

• Said it will review David McGarrah's recommendations about the city's water billing policies;

• Averaged Betty Hayes September and October water bills, due to a leak;

• Voted to change the Tuesday, Jan. 1, council meeting date to Wednesday, Jan. 2;

• Approved the bills in the amount of $40,707.22 for the Sept. 18 meeting that was canceled due to lack of a quorum, and $18,179.96 for the Oct. 2 meeting.

General News on 10/04/2018