Help For Ukraine Announced by Sedalia Tabernacle Church

Monday night's City Council meeting began with two presentations, one involving a collection day for Ukraine, and the other concerning Autism Awareness Month.

Fourth Ward Councilman Steve Bloess introduced three members of the Sedalia Tabernacle Church Youth Group, including Essie Onufreychuk, Ivan Golub and Lana Ravumovsky.

Bloess said he approached the church about helping Ukrainian refugees fleeing from Russian forces invading the country. At last count, more than 4.2 million Ukrainians have fled the country due to Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion. Countless Russian troops and Ukrainian civilians have been killed as a result.

Onufreychuck showed Council members a video shot in Ukraine that showed the devastation inflicted upon the residents by Putin. Many churches have come together in an effort to help the survivors.

The video also showed volunteers delivering food and water to “hot spots” in Ukrain under very dangerous conditions. One part of the video showed several beds lined up in a building designed for sleeping arrangements for refugees.

Onufreychuck said that an event to let Sedalians show their support for Ukraine is scheduled for Sunday, April 24 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the new Furnell downtown pavilion. There will be a designated area for dry good donations near the downtown pavilion

Also, non-perishable goods will be collected to be shipped to Ukraine, she said, at Sedalia Tabernacle Church, 23299 Highway B, until April 24.

Golub, in his remarks, said that about 90 percent of the aid delivered to refugees involve baby food and baby formula. He also noted that store shelves are empty. “There's nothing to buy,” he said.

First Ward Councilman Tom Oldham was in charge of the Autism Awareness presentation.

Oldham read aloud a proclamation, which was then presented to Kyle Cory-Yeaggi, Director of Operations for Retrieving Freedom. The proclamation focused on April being designated as Autism Awareness Month. Cory-Yeaggi brought one of his Labrador dogs with him Monday night.

Oldham noted that Retrieving Freedom helps not only Veterans suffering from PTSD, but also Autism patients. He said that 3.5 million Americans currently live with Autism. In August of 2020, Sedalia was declared an Autism-friendly city.

The presentations were followed by three service awards.

Crew Supervisor Brent Stevenson (not present) was recognized for 25 years of service with the Street Department.

Firefighter Colby Snapp was recognized for five years of service with the Sedalia Fire Department. Fire Chief Matt Irwin said that “in five years, Colby has done a number of things, but I stopped counting after 15 state certifications in those five years.” Irwin noted that Colby is a driver, and also the department's “shade tree mechanic,” fixing all the minor stuff that goes wrong with firetrucks. “He's a pretty good all-around guy and I'm glad to have him. And I hope that he gives me 25 more years.”

And Animal Services Manager Randi Battson was recognized for five years of service with Animal Services.

“I know your passion about what you do,” Mayor John Kehde said to Battson, “and you take great care of those animals and a lot of people don't understand that. We appreciate it.”

“Thank you,” Battson responded.

Under Public Works, Council rejected a bid from JCI Industries, LLC, Lee's Summit, for a replacement blower for the Central Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Only one bid was received after a request for proposal went out in March. The problem is that the time frame for delivery of the $19,500 blower would be between 20 and 24 weeks. That is not workable, staff said, so the decision was made to reject all bids and instead work with alternate vendors to secure the needed equipment through an informal bidding process.

Installation of the Roots brand blower would have cost $2,812, making the total amount $22,367.

Oldham noted that staff found a blower that is immediately available, adding that as of April 1, a new requirement necessitates that the lines be cleared of e.coli.

During the City's budgeting process, staff proposed purchasing equipment that will allow for more street maintenance and improvements to be done in-house. Therefore, Council approved the purchase of three items from Foley Equipment Company (Wichita Kansas), including a Caterpillar Planer (miller) for $522,500, a Weiler Commercial Asphalt Paver for $228,390 and a Caterpillar Skid Steer Loader for $78,000.

Note: The City's Bobcat Skid Steer Loader will be used as a $13,700 trade-in for the $91,900 Caterpillar.

It is hoped that the new equipment will be delivered and in service sometime in May. Three major projects had to be pushed back in 2021 due to lack of properly-working equipment. The shelf life of the new equipment is expected to be between 15 and 20 years.

That was followed by a Community Development presentation from Chief Building Official Devin Lake regarding 911 addressing issues.

Lake complained that out of 10,370 addresses in Sedalia, 2100 of those need corrections.

Lake went on to show several examples of incorrect addresses in the City via slide show.

Council rejected four bids to repair a roof located at 119 West Main. The reason for the rejection was that funding for the project has not yet been identified and the bids that were received are “getting stale.” Rejecting the bids will close out the process, it was noted by Community Development Director John Simmons.

The bids received July 22 were from ASR Commercial Roofing from Jeff City ($152,741), Apple's Construction & Roofing from Sedalia ($188,500), Compass Roofing from Parkville ($193,300) and SLV Roofing Service from Carollton ($387,411).

Council passed an ordinance incorporating the Main Street Model into Central District and Cultural Board (CBCD) functions.

The move amends Division 4 of Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances.

It was explained that staff and the Community Development Committee have been working with Main Street Connection on ways to “reinvigorate our use of the model and affiliation with this nationally-recognized program.”

It was noted that Sedalia's downtown status was downgraded to an “affiliate tier level” by the group because Sedalia didn't meet six of the 10 required and established criteria for accreditation by Main Street Connection.

So therefore, “Main Street” functions will be added to the job duties of the CBCD.

In the last couple of items for Community Development, Council passed an ordinance approving a mural license agreement form to be sued as a template for future mural projects, such as the one agreed to between Stefanie Aziere-Sattler and the owners of the Stone Laser Imaging Building in the 200 block of South Ohio.

Funding for that mural project was secured in the form of a $5,000 grant.

The grant was a Marketing Heritage and Cultural Tourism in Rural Missouri grant from Missouri Humanities through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Missouri Main Street Connection is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This grant spotlights the effect COVID-19 has had on a community's heritage and cultural tourism and supports a project that "re-grows" and even advances the way a city shares its story.

While the grant award is $5,000 with no match requirement, the City of Sedalia is providing a $5,000 in-kind match for a total of $10,000 to be used for a mural installation on the south wall of 209 S. Ohio Avenue. The alley between 209 S. Ohio Avenue and 211 S. Ohio has been selected for the first alley activation in downtown Sedalia.

On March 21, City Planner and Downtown Specialist Joleigh Cornine announced that Bob and Barb Hayden contributed another $10,000 to the project to make it $20,000.

The City and nearby merchants identified the need for better lighting and paving to increase pedestrian safety as this alley is used as a conduit between public parking and area businesses. With the installation of a new mural, downtown Sedalia's first alley activation will not only address safety concerns but give downtown Sedalia another outdoor space for people to gather, a press release said.

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) into law. The $1.9 trillion package, based on President Biden's American Rescue Plan, is intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including the public health and economic impacts.

"The American Rescue Plan is delivering direct relief to the American people, rescuing the American economy, and starting to beat the virus," according to the White House.

Council approved three liquor license renewals Monday night.

*Carlos A. Morales-Pasquel dba Los Volcanes Mexican Restaurant, LLC, 504 W. 16th, liquor by the drink, $450
*Henry Hatfield dba E Street Bar, 1201 E. 3rd, liquor by the drink, $450
*Virginia Kay Jones dba Prime FavTrip, 216 W. Broadway, packaged liquor and Sunday sales, $450
*Daniel S. Fox dba Smoker's Outlet, 1700 E. Broadway, packaged liquor and Sunday sales, $450

Fox was added to the agenda at the last minute, due to his license set to expire today (Tuesday, April 5), noted City Clerk Arlene Silvey.

Under miscellaneous items, Councilman Oldham thanked Public Works Director Brenda Ardrey for improved street lighting on Thompson Boulevard.

Council then adjourned to closed-door session for legal advice and Real Estate matters.