PINEVILLE -- Sam and Kara Walker appeared before the Pineville Board of Aldermen at Tuesday's meeting to discuss concerns about a new driveway connecting their property to Jesse James Road.
Mayor Gregg Sweeten told the couple that, before connecting to the right of way, they needed permission from the board.
Sam Walker told the board that they were putting in the driveway to run utilities and that they had access to the fire hydrant. He said they have another drive and they were going to build and wanted to be annexed into the city.
Alderman Scott Dennis said he had concerns about the structural integrity of the driveway and whether a torrential rain would wash out the dirt. He noted it did not have a whistle. He wondered what the city's liability would be if a delivery truck drove over it and it collapsed, he said.
Walker said he has experience putting in driveways and added there are three feet of concrete beneath the dirt. He said he could put in a whistle as well.
Alderman Roy Milleson said he would like to have a professional look at it and determine what the effects of a 100-year flood would be.
Walker asked what would happen if he did not have a driveway there, and Sweeten told him the fire department could still run fire hoses from the fire hydrant to his home without the driveway being there.
Walker asked if the board could recommend an engineer who could look at the driveway for him. The board declined to make an official recommendation due to liability concerns. However, City Clerk Melissa Ziemianin said she would provide a list of engineers the city has worked with as a starting point.
The board also approved purchasing a waterline locator for the public works department.
Sweeten said the item was used for locating the water lines with GPS technology. Public Works Superintendent Chris Tinsley said the locator is a handheld piece of equipment with an antenna, and only one company sells the type with GPS technology that works with MoDOT's network. Using the locator, city employees can map the city's water lines rather than paying a company to come in and do that, Tinsley said.
The board approved purchasing the locator for $10,490.
The board also approved a resolution to apply for a lead and copper service line grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Tinsley said the state requires cities to take an inventory of what water lines in each home are made of. The grant will help offset the cost of this process.
Dennis told the board that the Planning and Zoning Commission held a three-hour meeting with the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council and laid out zoning for the entire town. He said two public meetings will be held for input, and then, if the board of aldermen approves, zoning will be in effect.
The board discussed collecting unpaid city taxes for 2019-2022. The total amount was $475.29. Sweeten said the amounts ranged from 48 cents to $94.12.
Ziemianin said there are a few amounts that could be collected, and the board decided to table the matter until letters could be sent to collect those few.
In other business, the board approved:
- An ordinance to annex 539 Route H.
- An ordinance to annex 11 Scenic Lane.
- A resolution to purchase a six-month CD in the amount of $380,000 at Cornerstone Bank at a rate of 5.1 percent.
- Bills in the amount of $18,502.