Burlington Jct. councilmen take oath of office

Rich Cook and Darby Grace, Burlington Jct. newly-elected council members, were sworn in during the regular city council meeting on April 9.

Cook received 54 votes, Grace had 68 and Jon Mires had 42. Mayor Justin Plymell ran unopposed and was re-elected.

The voters approved the street tax in the amount of 70¢ per $100 valuation for resurfacing of streets and drainage purposes, with 56 voting yes and 29 voting no. The tax is for one year and will end at the same time as the 30¢ four-year tax currently in place.

Cathy Mather and Pam Ramsey addressed the council about water quality concerns. They brought in samples of water, which were brown and yellow with flecks of floating rust. They stated that for the past six years, they have been dealing with the poor water quality, which occurs several times a month. They asked for a monetary reduction with their water bill until the situation is fixed. The council approved a 50 percent reduction in the water bill for all six residents on the line. Alliance Local Manager Dennis Chitwood has begun a system-flushing, flushing every line from the water plant outward. He plans to finish soon and is hopeful it will solve the issue.

Alliance Division Manager Bart Downing hypothesized that lyme deposits from the old water treatment plant could have settled into the lines and are still breaking loose, entering the water supply.

A memorandum of understanding was signed with the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments for a hazard mitigation plan.

The City of Cape Girardeau donated rubber interconnect solid surface mats for Little People’s Park. On April 14, there will be a work day to clean out all of the mulch from the park and install the rubber.

The council approved the new derelict vehicle ordinance. It classifies a derelict vehicle as one that is not operable. The council approved to send out two letters to town residents. Once notified, a resident has 30 days to remove a derelict vehicle from private property, two days to remove it from public property and seven days to remove it from a side street in front of their property.

Chitwood reported that the water treatment facility was working properly and all samples came back in compliance. They discovered an abandoned residence that had water available, which was a surprise to alliance staff. The water pipes froze and burst resulting in the loss of 100,000 gallons of water. Chitwood also detected a leaking water hydrant, which was fixed. The net water loss was 20 percent for the month, although Chitwood believes it will be lower next month since he has been finding leaks.

There are a total of 25 water meters that have surpassed their lifetime. Council voted to buy two boxes of meters a month, amounting to 12 meters, for $38 each, until the 25 are replaced.

New meter pits are being dug for those meters located in resident basements. There are approximately 20 that need replaced. Four have been completed with two more scheduled. The council approved Chitwood to schedule three each month with Johansen Drainage and Tile, Rulo, NE.

Gravel has been used to fill potholes in the street until the weather warms up enough to use asphalt.

Alliance staff will contact Mid-American Road Builders, St. Joseph, to get on the list for street repairs. The next section for repairs will be streets to the east of Clarinda Street through Ballard Street and north of Highway 136.

May 3 will be the citywide clean up day with curb side pick-up. For TVs, florescent lights and computers, residents need to call the number on the flyers posted in town. No yard waste, hazardous materials, tires or batteries are allowed.

May 19 will be a citywide garage sale day.

The Town and Country Days planning committee is still in need of a coordinator to plan the event.