Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
February 7, 2008
Here is a summary of Monday’s City Council meeting items. Click here to see the full texts of the resolutions, ordinances, and staff reports.
1. State/Obernuefemann Roundabout: Bids were opened two weeks ago and the low bid was $397,000 by Killian Construction. Three resolutions were approved on Monday that will enable IDOT to proceed with the project. The roundabout is grant funded by IDOT and the City’s portion of the project is $163,000
2. State/Obernuefemann Railroad Crossing Improvements: You would not believe how hard it is to do something with the railroad. All we want to do is to rebuild the crossing and build a sidewalk across the railroad tracks so we can extend a sidewalk from State Street to the Family Sports Park. To accomplish this, we must submit an application to the Illinois Commerce Commission and appear at an administrative hearing in Springfield to justify our intentions. All for a sidewalk. In any case, the resolution is for Rhutasel and Associate to prepare the engineering design and navigate the state’s regulatory process for $17,000.
3. Wesley Drive Storm Sewer Culvert Replacements: If you have ever driven along Wesley, you know that addressStreetWesley Drive is the southern boundary of Fairwood Lake. The lake collects stormwater for a large section of O’Fallon, primarily the presidential streets east of Lincoln. The culverts under Wesley are old and in danger of collapsing, which would severely damage the street. The resolution authorizes Hoelscher Engineering to design the replacement culverts at a cost not to exceed $34,900.
4. Ogle’s PlaceTypeplaceCreek PlaceTypePark Development: About a year ago, we applied to the St. Clair Grants Commission to improve an undeveloped neighborhood park in the Bluffs at Ogle’s Creek subdivision. The land was dedicated to the City in 2004 as a result of a pre-annexation agreement with the developer. The grant commission recently approved the $50,000 grant and the resolution confirmed that the City of O’Fallon would commit the $25,000 match. The project will include grading, parking lot, and a pavilion.
5. Zoning Text Amendments: This is a housekeeping item that clarifies our zoning ordinance now that we are Home Rule. The first change involves a small number of residential structures in the downtown area that are currently zoning B-1 (business). As these houses are sold and turned into businesses, this ordinance outlines how they will go through the Planned Use process. The second change addresses the appeal process for Zoning Hearing Officer decisions.
6. Zoning Hearing Officer Zoning Variance on Dogs: Speaking of the Zoning Hearing Officer, the City Council made a final decision on the zoning variance application at 719 S. Vine. The Hearing Officer had granted a variance but the City Council overturned the Hearing Officer’s decision and upheld the zoning ordinance that only allows three dogs at a residence (the homeowner at 719 S. Vine has six dogs). The homeowner is only allowed to have three dogs at the residence and must build a six-foot privacy fence, but the City Council gave the homeowner one year to reduce the number of dogs from six to three.
7. McDonald’s Southview Water Main Variance: This item was sent back to the Public Works Committee for further review.
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