Mt. Pleasant council begins preparations for Mapleleaf Drive, Iris Street projects

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

With the Washington Street reconstruction project on the home stretch, Mt. Pleasant City Council members turned their attention to upcoming projects during their regular meeting Wednesday night.

Council members approved two large engineering service agreements with Warner Engineering. The agreements are for the preliminary design of the Mapleleaf Drive reconstruction project from Lincoln to Iris streets (scheduled for 2014) and the Iris Street reconstruction project from Washington Street to Winfield Avenue (scheduled for 2016).

Warner will be paid $200,000 for design work on the Mapleleaf Drive project and $180,000 for designing the Iris Street project.

Stan Curtis, chair of the council?s street committee, said it was important to improve the agreements well before the scheduled date of the projects. ?We are doing this now so we can get in line for available grants and get the bidding specifications out to contracts. If you do this early, generally you can get favorable prices.?

Regarding the Washington Street project, Jim Warner of Warner Engineering said the project is ?proceeding quite well. We have a few little pieces left on the north side but hope to get it done in the next week or so.?

Although the council did approve a 30-day extension for completion of the two current alley projects ? one near the Dairy Queen and the other adjacent to the Mt. Pleasant News ? Warner said he thinks the projects could be finished by the original completion date of Aug. 15. The council?s action sets Sept. 14 as the completion date.

Warner also said construction crews hope to have the Washington/Marion streets intersection finished by Old Threshers.

In another street-related item, the council passed the first reading of a proposed ordinance establishing three-hour parking for the first three parking spots on the west side of the 200 block of South Jefferson Street. The area is just south of the Washington/Jefferson Street intersection and in front of the former VFW building.

Home Furniture made the request due to apartment houses in the area that seem to result in long-term parking in the area.

Melodee Yaley questioned the action, asking if the council considered diagonal rather than parallel parking in the area and why there weren?t more handicapped parking spots along that stretch of Jefferson Street. Yaley also pointed out that there is a city parking lot bordering Home Furniture on the west.

?If you put in handicapped (parking), it would reduce parking drastically because handicapped parking requires a larger parking space,? Curtis answered. The council also said the street is not wide enough to allow for diagonal parking.

Yaley also inquired when the alleys along the 200 block of South Jefferson Street would be repaired. Mayor Steve Brimhall said the city?s priority is to repair the alleys which receive the most use. Pressed by Yaley for a year guesstimate on when the alleys would be repaired, Brimhall said, ?probably in three years.?

Approval was given to an interim loan agreement and issuance of $250,000 sewer revenue capital loan notes for the Jay Street sewer project. The project has an estimated cost of slightly over $2 million. ?We know we have to do this project, that?s the problem,? quipped Brimhall.

The city is still seeking people who would like to serve on a committee to examine the deer problem (if any) in Mt. Pleasant and make a recommendation to the city council. MP Police Chief Ron Archer said he has had only one person contact him about serving on the committee. Interested parties should contact either Archer at 385-1450, or City Administrator Brent Schleisman (385-1473).

In final agenda items, the council:

? Passed the third reading and adopted an ordinance establishing nor parking on the east side of the 300 block of North Marion Street.

? Passed the third reading and adopted an ordinance establishing stop signs on Perry Street where it meets Harlan Street.

? Approved a contract with Kinney and Sons to reconstruct the storm water drains and sidewalks near the fire department. Currently, the drains coming from the roof get clogged in the winter, creating an icy, dangerous walking situation for the fire fighters. Cost of the project is $26,028.

Council members meet again in regular session Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. in City Hall.