The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published November 7, 2018

Osage Beach to ask for sidewalk grants

OSAGE BEACH – The Board of Aldermen has agreed to send letters of support for two Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grants for sidewalk work.

The grants are for Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the city’s sidewalk project with Phase 5 seeking the highest amount of grant money. Phase 5 will extend the sidewalk from a location near Stonecrest Mall to a location across the bridge on Osage Beach Parkway near Mace Road.

It will include sidewalks up to the bridge, pedestrian accommodations across the bridge, pedestrian railing across the bridge, a safety barrier and lighting.

The city has estimated that this project will cost approximately $600,000 but costs may vary depending on what options the city chooses. HR Green Inc. is doing the engineering for the project and is scheduled to be at the November 15 Board of Aldermen Meeting to present a report on options.

Once the options are chosen, then the final cost can be estimated.

The city wants to apply for the TAP grants for Phase 5 and will be seeking the highest amount (approximately $400,000) which is the maximum they can apply for, according to Public Works Director Nicholas Edelman.

The city’s portion of this phase would then be $200,000 if they received the entire $400,000 requested.

The Osage Beach Special Road District has said that they would fund 50% ($100,000) of the city’s required match leaving the city’s expense for Phase 5 at $100,000.

The second letter of support is for another TAP grant for Phase 6 of the sidewalk project.

Phase 6 will build sidewalks from the Barry Prewitt Osage Beach Parkway Intersection to a location near Highway 42. This sidewalk is planned on the Walgreen’s side of Osage Beach Parkway and is estimated to cost approximately $380,000.

The application for grant funds on Phase 6 is seeking 80 percent of the cost of the project. Once again, the Osage Beach Special Road District has stated that they will fund the city’s 20 percent required match.

The Board of Aldermen agreed to support letters for both applications.

In other business at last week’s Board of Aldermen meeting:

• Approved a request by The Osage Beach Special Road District to utilize the city’s Public Works Department to design and inspect the Ledges Drive Improvements.

Ledges Drive is a private road off of Dude Ranch Road. Ledges, Stone Ledges, and Ledges home sites, have been working for years to try and make Ledges Drive a City Street.

The project is estimated to take approximately 160 hours and would be done sometime in 2019

• The board finally approved a Professional Services Contract for Public Safety Technical Assistance with CPSM for $43,650 plus travel expenses not to exceed $4,000.

This was the fourth time the matter was brought to the board for approval.

This had been approved by a majority of those present at the September Board of Aldermen meeting but, according to the city attorney, that was not sufficient to pass it.

At that meeting (September 20) the Board of Aldermen voted three to two in favor but with one alderman absent from the meeting it failed to pass due to its contractual nature.

The law requires a majority of the elected board for passage. Since one was absent and the vote was three to two, a majority (four) did not approve it so it did not pass and was brought back for another vote to the entire board.

That second attempt happened at the October 4 board meeting but the exact same thing happened due to Alderman Jeff Bethurem being absent. Aldermen Kevin Rucker wanted it placed on the next board agenda so they can try a third time to pass it.

An exact repeat occurred again at the October 18 meeting due, again, to Bethurem being absent.

With an entire board present last week the matter was brought to a vote with the aldermen voting three for and three against. When the board ties on a vote then the mayor is allowed to vote to break the tie and Mayor John Olivarri voted in favor.

This contract will be to review the police department only (public safety) and report their findings to the board.

• Approved payment of an invoice from Tri-County Lodging Association for the 2018 media partnership in the amount of $25,000.

• Passed the second reading of An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor to Execute Aviation Project Consultant Supplemental Agreement No. 1 Construction Services for Engineering Contract for the Lee C. Fine Memorial Airport Taxiway Phase 2 Project with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.

A contract with Central Bank of Lake of the Ozarks for banking services was delayed after representatives from Providence Bank showed up at the meeting with figures that contradicted the city’s figures.

The board asked the city staff to review the differences and to report back at a future Board of Aldermen meeting. If the figures from Providence are correct, the city may switch from Central Bank (their current provider) to Providence.