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Parking was once again at the top of the list for discussion during Tuesday’s meeting of the Perryville Board of Aldermen — with one difference.
This time, it was about bicycles.
Ben Rehagen, a Life Scout and member of Scout Troop 250 in Perryville, is working toward his Eagle Scout award.
To earn the Eagle Scout rank, Scouts must complete a number of tasks, including earning numerous merit badges and completing a service project of some sort generally benefitting their community.
On Tuesday, Rehagen visited City Hall where he led the Pledge of Allegiance and offered the opening prayer before presenting his Eagle project to the board for consideration.
Rehagen’s proposed project developed after he noticed a number of youth in the downtown area riding bicycles but not having anyplace to chain them up, particularly on Jackson Street.
“They’re chaining them to light poles, trees and trash cans,” Rehagen said.
After doing some research, Rehagen decided to petition the board for permission to install a bike rack in the downtown square.
As part of his presentation, Rehagen provided the board with pictures of proposed installation sites — including the Downtown Plaza at the corner of St. Joseph and Jackson Streets and near Enterprise Bank at 14 N. Jackson St. — and options for various sizes.
After hearing Rehagen’s proposal, the board gave initial to the plan pending a meeting between Rehagen, city administrator Brent Buerck and Maj. Bill Jones of the Perryville Police Department to determine the best location for the installation.
In other business, the board also held a public hearing regarding a special use permit request from Henry Griffin to operate a home gym on his property located at 107 Feltz Street.
Griffin, a bodybuilder, was the only one to speak during the hearing, explaining how he’d addressed the concerns of the city’s Planning & Zoning Board, which had initially denied his request to host training sessions in an accessory building he recently built as a shed, located in the rear yard of his residence.
The property is currently zoned R5 and the proposed use for this accessory building is defined in Section 17.04.020 of the Municipal Code as a home occupation, or “any occupation or activity which is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the premises for dwelling purposes” and being defined as such requires a special use permit.
Planning & Zoning initially recommended Griffin’s request be denied after several of his neighbors spoke in opposition.
“I’m not even sure how we got here,” Griffin said, adding that he had eliminated the parking problem by restricting access to the building.
Ater hearing Griffin’s statement, the board said it would deliberate on the matter before its next meeting, which is scheduled for Dec. 16.
The board was also introduced to new city treasurer Paula Terbrak, a certified public accountant who previously worked for Robinson Construction. Terbrak will be taking over for treasurer Donna Strattman, who plans to retire in May.
The board also discussed and approved a new Snow Removal and Ice Control Policies and Procedures manual prepared by street superintendent Angie Brown.
Buerck praised Brown’s work on the policy, which formalizes long-standing city procedures for snow removal, while filling in certain gaps.
The board voted to approve a salary increase of $52 per year for the municipal judge position, which represents a cost-of-living adjustment. The proposed salary would be $1, 144 per month.
The board also gave final approval to an ordinance to amend a city statute relative to “Structures Deemed Unfit for Human Habitation - Tents, Campers, or other Recreational Structures,” designed to prohibit individuals from using tents and other temporary structures, including recreational vehicles, for extended stays.
The proposed ordinance drew much discussion during the board’s meeting on Nov. 19, especially in regards to the time limit before complaints would be recognized.
Based on the board’s input and discussion from the previous meeting, the limit was set at 3 days, consecutive or otherwise, over a 30-day period.
The board also apporved an ordinance regarding properties deemed as “chronic nuisance properties.”
Examples provided to the board included the former Hilltop Apartments on South Kingshighway and the Zeno mobile home court, which both saw repeated incidents in years past.
“This is more about those places that keep coming up over and over and over again,” Buerck said during the Nov. 19 meeting.
Pressed for more explanation, city attorney Thomas Ludwig explained that property owners would have the chance to address problems before the city took any action.
“If the landowner does something to abate that problem, then we’re not going to give him a ticket,” Ludwig said. “We’re not going to harass the property owner. It specifically says that a defense to this is the landowner has taken steps to abate the nuisance.”
Ludwig added that there are procedures included in the proposed ordinance to protect the property owner, including a hearing before the municipal judge.
Later in the meeting, Buerck delivered an update on proposed changes the city had requested from the Missouri Department of Transportation for the intersection of North Main Street and Hwy. 51.
There have been several accidents at the intersection, and the board requested that MoDOT review the site.
According to Buerck, MoDOT is expected to begin making plans for adding an island and a turn lane a the intersection, which would pull the stop sign off the shoulder and place it more in the roadway, as well as making it easier for turning vehicles.
“I think they’ve done us one better that what we asked for,” Buerck said.
