Poplar Bluff City Council tackles major infrastructure projects and land sale debates

Robert Knodell took the oath of office Monday evening at his first Poplar Bluff City Council meeting. City clerk and Assistant City Manager Lori Phelps administered the oath, having served as the interim manager since September.

“I want to thank the council for the opportunity to serve this great city and citizens,” Knodell affirmed.

He thanked the city’s department directors for their expertise and for bringing him up to speed.

“Our focus is one, city services, and the delivery of those services with excellence, with courtesy, with efficiency,” he stated.

The council voted to apply for a $25 million federal grant from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant program for Phase 3A of the Highway 67/Interstate 57 project. Chairman of the Highway 67 Corporation Bill Robison explained this phase of the project has not received any federal money yet.

“You need local state and federal. Right now, we have not gotten the federal,” he elaborated.

Robison said overall progress on I-57 is coming along at a good pace on both sides of the Missouri-Arkansas border. Phases 1B and 2 are currently under construction.

While Phase 3 was originally a unified stage, the available grant funding would split it into phases 3A and 3B. Robison estimated, with the applied-for funds, the Missouri portion could be complete in the next five to six years.

However, he speculated the 30-mile section from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, to the state line could take up to 10 years. The council voted to approve the application.

Next, members discussed the Delta Regional Authority Grant in the amount of $1.9 million for the improvement of Butzen Drive in the industrial park.

“I have received, in my short time here, ample feedback that the traffic on that road as it relates to the industrial park has created some pretty significant needs for repairs.” Knodell said.

As a condition of the grant, the city is committed to contributing $219,938 to the project. The council also discussed utilizing the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission for grant administrative services.

Knodell added the grant did not include the cost of OFRPC’s services, and the rate would be $55 per hour for a maximum of 200 hours. The maximum total would be $11,000.

Members will vote on the measures Feb. 19.

Next, members workshopped a request by Coppertop Foot and Ankle to purchase a strip of land between the Poplar Bluff Police Department and itself. Knodell informed the council the business wishes to buy only a portion of the city-owned land to construct a parking lot.

He said the assessment for the portion of the land valued the partial parcel at $25,000. Council member David Boyer said that figure likely does not take into account the value of the land as a whole, including its potential use commercially or for the city with its access to PP Highway and Shelby Road.

He advocated the city explore selling the land as a whole to prevent the remaining portion from losing its usefulness. Boyer also said the city should mow the lot to set a better example for code enforcement for residents.

“There are a lot of issues here that are unresolved,” Boyer asserted.

Members will vote on the sale at the next council meeting.

In other business, the council approved the following ordinances discussed at the previous session:

— Disposal of antiquated records of the Black River Coliseum

— Change order Number 3 relative to the American Rescue Plan Act Stormwater Project

— Amendment of the 2024 city budget to include new sources of grant funding per the recommendations of the city’s audit

— Adoption of a city safety policy for worker’s compensation