City Council OKs new security for Downtown bus station, funds for Allied Arts, Phil Welch Stadium
Cameron Montemayor
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — New security services will be added to a local bus station in Downtown St. Joseph to deter ongoing issues with behavior and vandalism.
St. Joseph will enlist the services of Missouri-based Triple B Security moving forward to help monitor the Downtown bus transfer center at Sixth and Angelique streets during hours of operation. The one-year contract unanimously approved by City Council members on Monday for $47,211 also comes with a renewal option for an additional three years.
Monday’s contract opens the door for a new partnership with another security firm to continue services already in place for the station. The agreement comes in light of ongoing issues with disruptive behavior, property damage and even threats from non-bus riders toward paying passengers at the station.
“The consistency of this behavior has caused discomfort and fear for paying passengers and damage to the facility. Transit Supervisors constantly monitor the transfer station and ask these people to vacate the facility. Once staff leaves, however, the violators quickly return,” the ordinance reads.
The St. Joseph Police Department has responded regularly when requested, but frequent occurrences make it unreasonable to expect police personnel to permanently station a staff person at a single location.
“Our police department does a good job of helping us out whenever there’s a situation. But this contractor is just there to make sure that there’s no loitering or types of activity that shouldn’t be taking place in those areas,” St. Joseph Public Works Director Abe Forney said.
The hope is that having a security officer present during hours of operation will deter this type of conduct and enable St. Joseph Transit to react to incidents more rapidly, as well as provide a safer environment for the patrons who wait for the bus.
The transit system is required to spend at least 10% of its annual operating expenses on system security according to the Federal Transit Administration, making this an eligible investment that requirement.
Council OKs change for Phil Welch Stadium infrastructure project
Council members approved a $674,611 order on Monday tied to changes for a large structural improvement project planned for Phil Welch Stadium this year.
The upcoming project for Phil Welch Stadium consists of improving the structural steel underneath the grandstand to meet current building codes. Two alternates were bid out to replace deteriorated tiered concrete risers in two sections of Phil Welch Grandstand.
Alternate No. 1 was utilized at the time of receiving the bid, which was to replace the tiered concrete on the west side of Phil Welch Grandstand. This change order is to utilize Alternate No. 2 to replace the tiered concrete on the North side of Phil Welch Grandstand.
The project will not result in any significant changes to the footprint or layout of the stadium. Funds for the project will be utilized from Parks Sales Tax Fund.
Funding approved for Allied Arts Council
Close to $33,000 in funding will be used to the benefit of the Allied Arts Council following approval by Councilmembers on Monday.
Monday’s meeting saw Councilmembers approve a $32,950 funding agreement with the group to assist with operating and providing a variety of fine arts and entertainment experiences to the community.
This contribution will ensure that the arts are kept affordable and that the funded agencies are able to continue to provide quality programming and educational experiences.
The Allied Arts Council manages the Sculpture Walk program that attracts a wide variety of visitors to the Downtown area, among numerous other activities.
Roadmap for city improvements approved
Council members signaled their approval for a much-discussed plan that lays out the next 12-to-18 months of objectives and goals for addressing customer feedback from a community survey launched this year.
The survey identified three “very high priority” areas that the city intends to focus its efforts on, including enforcement of city codes and ordinances, improving the quality of police services and the effectiveness of city communication with the public.
City Council’s approval on Monday will help guide decision-making, resource allocation, and performance tracking across all departments for the survey guided action plan, a plan created with the help of city staff and key input from all of the city’s department directors.
In response to the survey, the city announced this week that it would be hiring two new civilian traffic enforcement officers to help boost code enforcement by patrolling the city and issuing tickets and tow tags for vehicles not following city traffic ordinances.
The hiring is one of numerous efforts planned or already carried out by the city, including plans for a new 5-year master plan to better plan and carry out improvements to the city’s streets.
Directors will be asked to provide monthly updates on their progress moving forward.
City to demolish home on South 12th Street
Monday’s meeting saw Councilmembers approve a $25,000 contract with Cornelius Wrecking LLC to demolish a deteriorating home located at 518 S. 12th Street using vacant structure stabilization program funds.