Point of View

"Without pain, how could we know joy?" This is an old argument in the field of thinking about suffering & its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Friday, 7:30AM - Council Work Session

Saturday - Chocolate Tour 2022

Issues under development for council consideration include:

• Board appointments,
• 353 Public Hearings for Casa De Vite & 106 Saratoga
• Compensation & Classification Plan, & 353 Incentive Policy Amendment
• Agreements with Vireo + GBA to update Fishing River Watershed Masterplan, sales contract & funding agreement, change order with Lamp Rynearson, & 353 Project Redevelopment Agreements with Casa De Vite & 106 Saratoga
• Special Use Permits for vacation rental on Sunset Strip, & retail garden center on N. Industrial
• Equipment life cycle costing discussion, document shredding, & appropriations

Celebrating Work Anniversaries: Public Works Director Chad Birdsong - 28 years; Pollution Control Plant Operator Hunter Colbert - 4 years. This week, department heads held their annual staff retreat providing an opportunity to discuss department work plans for 2022 & team building exercises. Wow. We are blessed with a group of capable, intelligent, caring department leaders. They have prepared an ambitious plan for the coming year. Their work plan follows the City Council's identified priorities for 2021-2026.

• Hall of Waters bid opening has been rescheduled to February 15th to provide contractors with more time to prepare their bids.
• Seeking funding from EDA ARPA Tourism Grant to restore three Mineral Water Wells behind the Hall of Waters, applications are due 1/31.
• Compensation & Classification Plan completed by McGrath Human Resources is complete & under review by departments. The Study conducted an external market analysis of 19 area communities' pay & benefits, evaluated internal classification, & included policy recommendations to keep the plan up to date.
• Completed Asset Replacement schedule by consolidating historic water/sewer investment records to organize life-cycle improvements needed in future years. The result is a graph of the length of pipe that was installed by decade & type of material used. Pipe material useful life ranges from 50-100 years & also illustrates decades of community growth. The result is a graph of pipe value & non-linear assets that need to be replaced in future years. Long-term planning enables us to make future improvements without future debt financing, using intentional savings instead. By adopting the practice of taking the long view, it is possible to make significant rate reductions when current debt is retired & begin building reserves for future asset replacements.
• Conversations with Canadian Pacific provided an avenue to solve conflicts that address constraints that could occur with an increase in train traffic. CP was receptive to permitting a pedestrian passageway separate from the roadway on Kearney Road. The Titus underpass already provides a pedestrian passageway, it is overgrown with brush & sliding hillside that hides the opportunity. Wornall underpass is a tough one to solve. Also under consideration is flashing lights at Jesse James & Miller and Dunbar & Kimball to alert when the track is occupied, enabling emergency vehicles to consider if alternate routes are needed to respond to emergencies when Dunbar is blocked by trains.

Chocolate, Caramels & Wine, Oh My! The 16th Annual Chocolate Tour is officially SOLD OUT. We look forward to seeing our 400 ticket holders on Saturday. For just $20 you can sample scrumptious sweet treats at over 25 participating locations & have all day access to the trolley courtesy of DEP. Or you can become a VIP ticket holder for $30 and receive a bottle of wine at check in! (Limited to 50 VIP tickets). You can expect to enjoy tastes of Chocolate, Caramel, Glorious Fudge, Gourmet Hot Chocolate, Butterscotch, Coconut, Chocolate Butter, Dipped Chocolate, White Chocolate, Cherry, Chocolate Amaretto, Smores & more!

Email: mmcgovern@excelsiorsprings.gov
Website: cityofesmo.com
Location: Hall of Waters, 201 E. Broadway, 64024
Phone: (816) 630-0752