County Commission endorses Duquesne annexation request

June 11, 2009 10:43 pm

— By Susan Redden
sredden@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — A request that the city of Duquesne be allowed to annex 20th Street just in front of a new Joplin middle school was endorsed Thursday by the Jasper County Commission.
The city advanced the request so it could post school-crossing signs and enforce traffic in front of the new East Middle School, said Mayor Denny White.
“We had talked to the commission about it earlier, and they didn’t have a problem,” White said.
Under state law, the commission must approve a petition asking the town to annex the property. After that, Duquesne must hold a public hearing on the proposal before it can adopt an ordinance to complete the annexation.
Darieus Adams, Western District associate commissioner, said during the commission’s general session Thursday that he had checked with school officials, who did not object to the plan.
Duquesne is working to complete the annexation in time for the start of the new school year, said Jim Honey, Eastern District associate commissioner.
“I don’t have a problem with it, but I don’t want to act on it until the sheriff looks at the situation,” said John Bartosh, presiding commissioner.
Sheriff Archie Dunn was at Thursday’s meeting, and said he would look at the road later Thursday and get back to the commission.
“He called us before noon and said what they wanted to do makes perfect sense,” Adams said later.
White said the annexation involves a 300-foot-long stretch of 20th Street in front of the new school.
“About 150 feet of the road right in front of school property already is in Duquesne,” White said. “We want to go east another 150 feet to include both sides of the road so we can regulate traffic. We’d be taking over road maintenance too.”