Shine a Light on City Government

SHINE A LIGHT ON CITY GOVERNMENT

Certified Election Results

All three Aldermen running for reelection (Dave Wandling, Justin Ungerboeck, and Dan Koch) were reelected.  Congratulations, Aldermen.  I look forward to working with you.  The Board of Aldermen re-elected Kevin Klingerman (Ward 1) to serve as Acting President of the Board of Alderman.  The Acting President steps in to preside at Board meetings if the Mayor is not available.  The Board also re-elected Dave Wandling to serve as the Board’s representative on the Planning & Zoning Commission.

Of the six proposed annexations, four were approved and only two were rejected by the residents of two parcels.  One parcel is in a Commercial District. The other three are in residential subdivisions. Thank you, voters, for helping bring these scattered parcels into our City.

Dardenne Prairie Athletic Complex

Nine construction companies submitted bids to build the Dardenne Prairie Athletic Complex.  The lowest, responsive, responsible bidder will be presented to the Board of Alderman at the next meeting on July 1.  If approved by the Board, the winner will begin work on July 15.  A separate contract will be awarded to the provider of the field lights.  It appears that our project will be at or just under the budget we planned for this work.

I am pleased to report that because of the competitive bids we received we will be able to include some additional work, including 2 more pickle ball courts and additional improvements to the new Field 3.

We anticipate holding a ground-breaking ceremony on July 15 to mark the start of construction. The trustees of the Dardenne Athletic Association will be honored guests at the ceremony.  We want to publicly acknowledge their generosity in donating the 4.5 acres of their historic facility to the City.  That donated ground plus the 2 acres acquired by the City last year will enable us to develop a 6.5 acre site that will include new restrooms, a larger, paved parking lot, a new Field 3, new lights, a maintenance building to store city equipment, 4 pickle ball courts and a walking trail around the perimeter of the complex.  We are pleased to report that our summer baseball and softball season will have completed all home games in Dardenne Prairie by July 15 so the ground breaking ceremony will not interrupt the home season. 

Hanley Road Project

You probably have noticed that utility companies are working on Hanley Road north of Feise Road.  The relocation of utilities is the next step in this project.  We have completed acquisition of rights of way and construction easements.  When the utility work is done we can move to final construction engineering and then actual construction of the improvements.  These improvements include widening the road, adding curbs and gutters, storm water facilities, sidewalks, and turn lanes.  Construction should begin next year.

 Stump Road Project

The City has awarded a contract for preliminary construction engineering for the Stump Road improvements.  Actual construction is not planned until 2023.

LED Lighted Street Signs

As part of the City’s efforts to brand Dardenne Town Square as a regional shopping destination, the City renamed the portion of Highway N between Bryan Road and the I-64 overpass as Town Square Avenue.  The City has ordered LED lighted street signs that will be placed at Merz Farm Lane; Hanley/Post Road; and at Cross Roads Elementary School.  There will be a ceremonial lighting of the new signs when they are installed in a few weeks.

Bicycle Pump Track at St. Charles County Youth Activity Park

St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department built a bicycle pump track at the Youth Activity Park in Dardenne Prairie.  The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Wednesday, June 24.  That track will become a destination for cycling enthusiasts because it is the largest pump track in the nation.  We commend the vision of the St. Charles County Government in deciding to build this new facility in Dardenne Prairie.

Development Projects in the Pipeline

Inverness:  The Phase 1 construction of luxury single family homes by McKelvey, Payne, and Lombardo home builders has proceeded so well this spring that the project is ready to move to Phase 2.  Grading of the remainder of the building sites, next to the Bainbridge subdivision will begin soon.          

Arden Pointe:  The Board of Aldermen approved the Final Plan and Planned Unit Development of 23 single family detached villas on Highway N, west of the Ostmann Elementary School.

Dragonstone:  The development of 5 luxury homesites on Bates Road was tabled by the Board of Aldermen at the builder’s request until August.

Kemp Homes @ Corner of Hanley and Feise:  There is a parcel of 5 acres at the northwest corner of Feise and Hanley that has been for sale for 15 years.  It was previously zoned residential, then commercial, then uptown, and then residential.  Finally, a developer has approached the City with a proposal for residential development.  At the June meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission, Kemp Homes proposed a 34-unit townhome development.  The nearby residents attended the P&Z meeting to express opposition to the plan.  Seeing the reaction of the neighbors, the developer requested time to revise the plan.  The matter was tabled until the August P&Z meeting.  This week the developer proposed, instead, 15 single family detached villas.  This substantial revision will be considered at the August meeting of Planning & Zoning and at a subsequent meeting of the Board of Aldermen.

Midwest Wellness Center:  We expect site preparation to begin soon for the Midwest Wellness Center on Stump Road. 

Sunterra Short Term Rehab Facility:  Construction is well along on the Sunterra Facility.  Landscaping is already underway.  This is going to be an excellent addition to our community.

City Street Repairs:  The City is pursuing its plan for street repairs for 2020 using the St. Charles County Road Department and potentially some private construction firm.  We are also developing a 3-year Capital Improvement Plan which would include planning for street repairs.  I have asked our staff to investigate the feasibility of hiring a private firm to fill potholes around the City to augment or replace the work done for us by the County under our contract.

St Charles Community College Culinary School:  The St. Charles Community College is converting the gymnasium at its Dardenne Prairie Campus (aka Dardenne Creek Campus) into a culinary school.  It should be operating by September.  This facility is intended to fill a gap left by the closure of several private culinary schools in the St. Louis area and it is a welcome addition to our community.

Our next meeting of the Board of Aldermen is Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at City Hall.  The work session begins at 6:00 PM and the business meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM.  Come see your City Government at work!

“Shine a Light on City Government”