JOPLIN, Mo. —
Steps to accommodate students displaced by the May 22 tornado dominated action Monday night by the Joplin City Council.
The council approved a measure that will allow the Joplin School District to lease Memorial Hall for physical education classes and other activities, and endorsed a proposal that would allow for more temporary housing on city-owned property south of the Joplin Regional Airport.
Because the Joplin High School was destroyed by the tornado, district plans call for the Memorial Education Center at Eighth Street and Wall Avenue to be used for ninth- and 10th-grade classes. School officials proposed the lease to allow the hall across the street to be used for physical education classes, band, orchestra, choir and large group activities.
The lease will include all of the hall except for the basement area occupied by local veterans’ groups, a portion of the office space, and all of the hall parking lot except that used by the Missouri Career Center.
$400,000 PER YEAR
The lease would extend for three years, with an option for a fourth year, at a cost of $400,000 per year. Christopher Cotten, parks director, said the lease price was based on hall rental revenues that would be lost. That includes the circus, mixed martial arts events, concerts and other activities. He said most department-sponsored activities normally held at the hall also would be canceled, though alternate sites are being sought for programs such as “Daddy-Daughter Date Night.”
“We’re trying to find a place for that, because it’s always so popular,” he said.
The council also approved a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to allow additional sites at a complex of mobile homes for those who need housing as a result of the tornado. Troy Bolander, planning director, said the federal agency is seeking city approval to add up to 135 spaces to the 346 sites approved earlier.
He said FEMA contractors are working around the clock to ready spaces approved earlier. He said the agency now wants to add another 95 spaces in a northeast part of the tract. A final 40 spaces would be constructed if necessary. Plans call for the housing to be in place for 18 months, though a six-month extension is possible.
City Manager Mark Rohr said work to install the mobile homes could begin later this week, adding “that would be a best-case scenario.”
ADA REPORT
In other action Monday night, the council accepted the annual Americans with Disabilities Act committee report from Ervin Wilson, committee chairman.
Wilson told the council ADA guidelines need to be followed in reconstruction efforts. He said some ADA regulations had been revised recently, citing requirements for parking for the disabled and power-door standards.
“The committee would be happy to work with city staff and contractors,” he said. “We hope you would endorse enhanced cooperation with ADA to ensure the recovery benefits everyone.”
MoDOT pacts
The council also authorized an application to the Missouri Department of Transportation for a grant of $10,526 for state funds to be used for the Metro Area Public Transit System. It also authorized an agreement with MoDOT to construct sidewalks along Range Line near 36th Street and reconstruct paved approaches at 36th Street and Range Line to meet ADA requirements.
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