Grant funding could help add a lighted crosswalk to an area where a pedestrian was struck and killed in October.
Better crosswalk visibility is important, a tearful Jessica Bishop told the Poplar Bluff City Council Monday during a public hearing held before the normal council meeting.
Bishop was the driver involved in the October accident. A new crosswalk with flashing sings would connect Linc Park to Pine Street under a grant proposal submitted by the city to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
“I don’t want anyone to feel like I do,” Bishop urged the council.
The main purpose of the grant was the lighted, flashing crosswalk, City Manager Matt Winters said.
“This would make it a whole lot more visible to drivers,” he said.
The grant would be part of MoDOT’s Transportation Alternative Program.
It would also help fund sidewalks on Gum, Sycamore and East Pine streets.
The project has been an item of discussion for some time, said Brain Rosener of the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission.
Rosener stated the funding would be an 80/20 grant with the city needing to provide 20% of the $225,850 projected cost. The council authorized the mayor to contract ORFPC to write the grant and members unanimously approved a motion to send the measure to the April 1 city council voting session.
During the citizen’s input period, Director Robbie Myers from Butler County Emergency Management Agency praised the city’s efforts to prepare for the influx of people for the April 8 eclipse. He stated his top concern was safety, as roads are likely to become congested with visitors.
Myers praised city employees and reiterated the importance of collaborative contingencies with MoDOT, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Butler County Sheriff’s Department, Poplar Bluff Police Department and other agencies.
Winters later re-emphasized the efforts ahead of the eclipse in his city manager’s report.
“It’s exciting,” he stated. “As it gets closer, it gets more exciting.”
He mentioned the city had drawn the attention of some national media outlets for its events, and he hoped to see a large turnout on Saturday for the Total Cleanup of the Bluff.
He also applauded Missouri Highlands Healthcare and Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health for sponsoring the event.
The council also addressed a handful of workshop items. The city received two bids of $100 each for two vacant city lots. One is located at the intersection of Garfield and Valley streets and the other is at 519 Kinzer. The city had purchased the properties from the county collector for $1.
Winters recommended getting the properties back into private hands. The council unanimously approved a motion to move the item to the April 1 voting session.
For the Stormwater System Improvements Project, members discussed bids received. The project stems from the Department of Natural Resources American Rescue Plan Act grant. The city received four bids, with R.L. Persons Construction being the lowest at almost $1.3 million with an add-on totaling nearly $2.8 million.
The base bid includes putting a concrete lining in the drainage pathway on Ditch Road as well as storm drainage improvements for various locations in the city. Winters recommended approval of the bid. The council will vote on the matter April 1.
Working with the Jackson Lewis Law firm, human resource Director Tim Edington updated the employee handbook for the city of Poplar Bluff and Municipal Utilities. The last update was conducted in 2015. Winters elaborated the primary thrust was to update policies to reflect changes in state and federal law. The council moved the item to the voting session.
The council unanimously approved the following action items:
• An ordinance accepting a bid for five tracts of real estate owned by the city.
• Authorization for the mayor to enter a mutual aid agreement between Poplar Bluff and the Missouri Public Utility Alliance.
• Accepting a bid for worker’s compensation insurance from Higginbotham Insurance Agency of Branson, Missouri for April 1 to April 1, 2025.
• Adoption of an annual net metering report for Municipal Utilities for the calendar year 2023.