Neighbors bring children to seek street closing

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Members of the Blackman Woods Neighborhood Association brought several children from the neighborhood to City Council's Feb. 7 meeting to solicit council's approval of the closure of Bowman Street, which they said causes major traffic problems for the neighborhood and raises concerns about the well-being of their property and their very lives. |ret||ret||tab|

The neighborhood association will pay the city $7,000 for the curbed street closure, if approved by council.|ret||ret||tab|

Blackman Woods is a 49-home neighborhood with one main street and two cul-de-sacs located behind Sam's Club in east Springfield. The neighbors wrote in a Feb. 4 letter to Mayor Lee Gannaway, "We have become the driveway for Sam's Club and the Balanced Care facility, and the short cut to Sunshine. Unfortunately, we have also become the illegal short cut from Bedford to Blackman. At the intersection of Bowman, Bedford and Cherokee, Bowman is narrowed down to one lane and traffic is supposed to be restricted to one-way only, exiting from the neighborhood. One-Way Only and Do Not Enter signs are posted. This one-way request is frequently ignored, and we have cars and even business vehicles traveling the wrong way through a one-way lane and using our neighborhood to get to Blackman Road."|ret||ret||tab|

The association received approval for the street closure from the Traffic Advisory Board, Fire Department and the Public Works Department. |ret||ret||tab|

Council will vote on the issue at its Feb. 21 meeting.|ret||ret||tab|

Other first-reading bills included a bill authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with the city of Battlefield whereby Springfield will continue to treat the sewage from Battlefield and provide additional capacity to Battlefield. |ret||ret||tab|

A bill authorizing the city manager to make application for and accept a Missouri Department of Public Safety Community Oriented Policing grant for the purpose of helping to fund a police internship program was heard. |ret||ret||tab|

The bill also amends the budget provided for the Police Department for fiscal year 1999-2000 in the amount of $40,000. A first reading of a bill authorizing a contract for the purchase of real estate at 930 N. Franklin as part of a long-term plan approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission for the Municipal Service Center was also heard.|ret||ret||tab|

A bill authorizing an agreement with the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission under which the state will construct highway improvements within the city on about 2 1/2 miles of Business Route 44 between Lulwood and Homewood was heard.|ret||ret||tab|

The only resolution of the meeting was approved unanimously and requests the Missouri Legislature to permit the city of Springfield to charge special groups, such as architects, engineers, contractors and developers with special interests, for use of the city's geographic information system in order to raise the necessary funds to make improvements to the system. State law currently prohibits the city from charging persons who use the GIS other than nominal charges to copy information. The city of Kansas City was successful in its request for the same legislation and was able to develop a more sophisticated system. If granted, the city of Springfield's request will allow it to develop a system similar to Kansas City's GIS.|ret||ret||tab|

Council bills for public hearing proposed rezoning about two-thirds of an acre at 1033 E. Walnut by including the entire property in the Walnut Street Urban Conservation District; rezoning less than two-tenths of an acre of land located on the north side of West Whiteside west of South Campbell from a single-family residential district to a highway commercial district; and a general ordinance amending a planned development district approximately 3 2/3 acres generally located on the south side of East Sunshine between Ventura and Woodward.|ret||ret||tab|

A bill approving the preliminary plat of Mount Vernon Lodge, located on the east side of South Glenstone south of Sunshine, as an addition to the city of Springfield was on council's consent agenda as a first-reading bill.|ret||ret||tab|

A bill on the consent agenda established the boundaries, adopted the plat, plans, specifications and sealed estimate of construction cost, and authorized acquisition of necessary right of way for a sanitary sewer district around Craigmont and Barbett. |ret||ret||tab|

Other one-reading bills included a bill establishing the rates for future assessment of special tax bills to pay for construction of sanitary sewers around Kearney and Westgate; a bill establishing the boundaries and assessing a special tax against properties around Barton between Lone Pine and Mentor; a bill approving the plans, specifications and bid of Towe Construction Company Inc. for the construction of drainage improvements on Michigan between Kingsley to Westview; and a bill to levy and assess a special tax to pay for the cost of sanitary sewers around Battlefield and Lakeside. |ret||ret||tab|

Second reading bills on the consent agenda included a bill amending the budget in the amount of $1.2 million for expenses related to the construction of the first phase of Jordan Valley Park. |ret||ret||tab|

Council also approved the preliminary plat of Warner Addition on the west side of South Kansas south of Republic Road as an addition to the city, and confirmed the appointments of Johnny R. Faulkner, David C. Richardson and Larry D. Folkins to the Planning and Zoning Commission, and confirmed the appointment of Donald Fischer to the Personnel Board. In other business, City Manager Tom Finnie also recommended the appointment of Annette Kay to the Center City Development Corporation.|ret||ret||tab|

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