By Debby Woodin
dwoodin@joplinglobe.com
A recommendation for a site for a new fire station on the west side of Joplin will be heard tonight by the Joplin City Council.
Fire Chief Gary Trulson has recommended that the station be built along Central City Road, and there are several possibilities there between 20th and 32nd streets.
Council members previously discussed the sites but could not arrive at a decision because of concerns about narrow roads in the area and other access issues. The council agreed to seek a recommendation from the architectural firm that was hired to design the project. That firm, CR Architecture Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, was hired in February.
Erecting a sixth fire station and locating it on the west side was promised to voters as part of the half-cent public safety sales tax approved in 2006.
Also on tonight’s agenda are two matters scheduled for public hearings.
One is a request by Brad Baird, of Neosho, to operate a taxicab business.
The other is a zoning request to change property at 801 S. Forest Ave. from single-family to multifamily use. Jason Mayberry of Mayberry Construction is seeking to build a three-plex or four-plex. There has been no opposition from neighbors.
The council also will be asked to act on a staff request for a consulting agreement with Anderson Engineering for up to $126,650 to design a project to widen 26th Street from Maiden Lane to Schifferdecker Avenue. The plan is to add a third lane to the road. Widening that street was one of the projects approved by voters when the three-eighths cent sales tax for capital improvements was enacted in 2004. The total project is expected to cost nearly $1.9 million.
Property purchases
Several property acquisitions also will be discussed by council members.
The city staff proposes buying a piece of property at 313 S. Michigan Ave. for an unspecified future use for Joe Becker Stadium. The property borders an existing parking lot at the stadium, and a house on the lot is currently the subject of a demolition hearing because of its condition.
The owners of the property asked the city to buy it, according to city documents. The sale price proposed is $6,150. The sellers are Archie Jordan, Barbara Delheim, Charles Jordan, John Jordan, Holly Jordan and Cindy Daggett.
Right of way at 2790 Upland Road is sought at a cost of $6,000 for a future west bypass project that would link Zora Street and Missouri Highway 249 to the west side of the city.
The Public Works Department is seeking the council’s authorization to convey ownership of the Seventh Street viaduct right of way to the state. City documents show that the conveyance is proposed as part of a 1995 agreement to transfer maintenance responsibilities to the state.
Meeting details
The Joplin City Council meets at 6 p.m. today on the fifth floor of City Hall, 602 S. Main St.
