Members of the Houston City Council heard last week that warmer weather has allowed two projects to restart.
Maggi Construction Co. resumed work on a portion of the Village Trail, which runs on Airport Road from near Spruce Street, Hawthorn Avenue and Westwood Drive. Cold weather had shutdown cement work. Maggi also is the contractor on two other stretches of the trail, which will move forward after the Missouri Department of Transportation gave the green light.
McClanahan Construction, the city’s contractor on a $3.5 million new wastewater treatment plant, also is back on the job site after a delay promoted by nasty weather.
In other matters, members:
-Learned that a sewer line must be installed before work can begin on a new Houston street – Lilly Avenue – that will run from Holder Drive to West Highway 17.
-Heard that preliminary work has begun to identify alternatives to provide electricity to Houston. Sho-Me Power Corp. has told area municipalities that it will exercise an option to opt out of a long-term commitment for power. A delegation will travel to Columbia on Feb. 2 to hold a meeting with representatives of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance in Columbia. Sen. Frank Barnitz from Salem also is organizing a gathering of communities in the region. Another meeting is planned next month with a Kansas supplier.
-Learned that construction will begin soon on a new church in Houston. The Seventh-day Adventist Church will build a new facility on the south side of Airport Road, southeast of the historic Tweed home.
-Received an outline of a grant that would improve energy efficiency at city facilities. If successful, the funds would be used to replace the heating and cooling system at city hall. Lights also would be changed at Carter Field. If authorized, the city’s cost would be 25 percent of the outlay. It is estimated that the city would recoup its cost in less than 10 years.
-Hired John McCloud of Houston as the city’s bus driver. He will replace Danny Carter, who is retiring.
-Are inquiring of the city’s insurance carrier about the cost of earthquake coverage.Â