Red Bud Filled With Revelers This Weekend During Annual Firemen’s Picnic

Kristen Woods, 9, and John Woods, 7, of Red Bud stopped by the Red Bud Firehouse June 24 after Red Bud Firemen’s Picnic Parade and took a ride on the Dalmatian statues. They attended the parade with their mom, Lori Woods.    – photo by Carol Floarke

County Leaders Look Into Interchange At Fish Lake Overpass

Kaskaskia Engineering Group Managing Partner Marsia Geldert-Murphy points to the Fish Lake overpass on a map during last Thursday’s meeting at the Waterloo Country Club with Monroe County Commissioners. At the table are, left to right, Monroe County Economic Development Director Mark Kurtz, commissioners Delbert Wittenauer, Dale Haudrich and Terry Liefer, Kaskaskia Engineering appraiser Ron Auld, Geldert-Murphy and Monroe County Clerk Dennis Knobloch.

The Monroe County Commissioners met Thursday at the Waterloo Country Club with representatives of Kaskaskia Engineering Group to inform them of the status of the engineers’ work on the proposed interchange onto I-255 from the Fish Lake overpass in Columbia. Managing partner Marsia Geldert-Murphy and appraiser Ron Auld provided a detailed update on the situation to the commissioners.

The interchange would direct traffic onto the planned Columbia Crossing commercial development planned by G.J. Grewe. The commissioners requested the meeting after the Columbia City Council voted June 18 against accepting an agreement to streamline the process of handling the study and removal of archeological findings at the proposed development site.

At the request last year by Columbia Mayor Kevin Hutchinson and the city council, Kaskaskia Engineering Group recently completed work on a Programmatic Memorandum of Agreement (PMOA) between the City of Columbia, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois State Historic Preservation Officer and the Illinois Department of Transportation. Because the federal government requires the study and removal of archeological artifacts prior to a development, the PMOA would provide a consolidated guideline for the city and all the landowners in a 1,000 acre area surrounding the interchange. Without the PMOA, individual landowners would have to work with the government on an individual basis to comply with federal regulations regarding the removal of historical artifacts.

“If we did an individual plan for each landowner, it would end up costing a lot more money and lengthening the process,” said Geldert-Murphy.

The Columbia City Council voted 5 to 3 against the PMOA, but voted later in the meeting to have City Attorney Tom Adams look over the plan and provide to the council at a future meeting his analysis of the plan.

“We may be committing to this document too early in the process of a development,” said Alderman Jay Unnerstall, during the June 18 city council meeting.

“I think we are putting the cart before the horse,” added Alderman Fred Stumpf, who voted against the PMOA along with Unnerstall, Candice Hejna, Dan Row and Brad Oberkfell.

While the majority of Columbia aldermen are cautious in proceeding with the plans to develop the land around the Fish Lake Overpass, mainly because the initial talks with Grewe included the use of TIF funding for the project, others fear losing this economic project.

“We are at a watershed moment for this project,” said Geldert-Murphy. “If Columbia does not move on this, the Village of Dupo or Monroe County would have an excellent opportunity to move forward.”

“I don’t think the city can survive financially without more commercial development,” said Mayor Hutchinson. “This project is more than just a quality of life issue. If we lose it this will be a critical financial issue that may kill the quality of life as we know it in the future. It is very clear the opposition will do anything and everything to stand in the way of the development.”

This delay by the city council in proceeding with the development of Columbia Crossing prompted to G.J. Grewe to request a special meeting Monday of the Columbia City Council. The aldermen are expected to meet in executive session with Terry Grewe, who is expected to urge the council to proceed with Columbia Crossing or his company may begin looking at development opportunities elsewhere. One of the items Grewe will discuss is an international entity that is considering backing out of a lease with Grewe at Columbia Crossing if the project continues to be stalled.

“The entity requires access to an interchange to an interstate,” said Geldert-Murphy.

County Commissioner Dale Haudrich is expected to attend Monday night’s meeting of the Columbia City Council. He plans to offer any assistance the county can provide to help Columbia proceed with the interchange and development.

While Columbia is struggling to work out a deal on Columbia Crossing, it appears Dupo is quickly moving ahead on their large industrial development with Clayco of St. Louis, one of the nation's largest, privately owned real estate, architecture and engineering and construction firms. Clayco is close to beginning construction on a large industrial and commercial development along the bottoms between Dupo and East Carondelet, which would abut the proposed Columbia Crossing development. Last week, Dupo requested to annex 350 acres of Monroe County ground owned by the Lindhorst family as part of this development.

Columbia Alderman, left to right, Brad Oberkfell, Jay Unnerstall and Mary Ellen Niemietz review a PMOA document during the June 18 city council meeting.

Gregson Finishes Second In Missouri Golf TournamentMitchell Gregson finished in second place Sunday in the 36-hole championship round at the 100th Missouri Amateur Golf Tournament at the Jefferson City Country Club. Taking home the first place trophy was Connor McHenry of Jefferson City, Mo. “There were a lot of friends and family from back in Waterloo who drove to Jefferson City to root Mitchell on,” said Jeanette Gregson, Mitchell’s grandmother.