Joplin police chief proposes new programs

Mar. 5—Joplin police Chief Richard Pearson on Monday provided a report to the Joplin City Council on 16 department goals and initiatives he would like to start this year.

One is adding five more officers to the department, which currently employs 113 sworn officers.

The chief said his plan would achieve additional hiring with a threefold effort of targeted candidate attraction and job fair recruitment, lateral recruitment of experienced officers, and encouraging a change in the department's culture to promote pride in serving and to retain valued personnel.

"We understand that we're a cog in a very big wheel" of city employment, the chief said. "We understand we can't monopolize all of the city funds," but some changes he proposed would not require more department funding.

He also proposes:

—Adding one more evidence technician; there is only one in the department now.

—Adding a social worker to the department who could help residents in situations of domestic violence, child abuse, homelessness, addiction and mental illness.

—Creating a downtown bicycle patrol to help business operators, downtown residents and visitors be and feel more safe.

—Allowing police department cars to be driven home by officers, providing more police visibility and serving as neighborhood crime deterrents.

—A flex platoon that would respond quickly to neighborhood problems reported by residents such as drug and theft issues.

—Creation of a quality-of-life team that would address nontraditional police work, such as responding to calls about abandoned vehicles, loud music, vagrancy, graffiti and neighborhood eyesores.

—Training for officers and those who work at hospitals, hotels and convenience stores on the signs of human trafficking.

—A gun buyback program that offers $50 for guns turned in to the department.

—Development of an expungement program to help people who have old felony convictions obtain expungement so they can get jobs and housing and other things they cannot access because of a nonviolent felony.

Pearson's proposals would be subject to city administration approval and the availability of funding.

Zoning issue

A zoning change from commercial to heavy industrial for property on East 20th Street met with neighborhood opposition and a split vote by the City Council.

Contractor Joel Standeford seeks the zoning change for property at the southwest corner of 20th Street and Prosperity Avenue in east Joplin. A public hearing on the request was held Monday night at a council meeting.

Standeford said the zoning change would allow the development of a contractor's office and storage units. He told the council he wants to put his office on the property with four warehouses and outdoor storage on the side of the property next to Interstate 49.

City planner Tyler Bellairs clarified at an initial hearing of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission last month that the storage units would be storage for trailers and parking for truck trailers, essentially a stow-and-go location for big trucks. Some of the property would be used for a contractor's office. The industrial zoning also would allow the storage of building materials.

But two nearby residents spoke in opposition to the change both at the zoning commission meeting and at the council session.

Max Myers said the change would be detrimental to seven residents, an attorney's office and a church in the area. A development such as the one proposed would lower property values for those owners and would further erode 20th Street, which he said was damaged earlier by the use of heavy equipment to clear land.

Debbie Heitzman said her yard shares a property line with the land proposed for the development. She has a well for water and said she is concerned that runoff from tractor-trailer traffic and other heavy trucks would contaminate her well. She and her neighbors also don't want to hear trucks coming and going as well as refrigerator trucks running around the clock.

Councilman Chuck Copple asked city staff if there is a zoning classification that would give city officials some oversight of what is built on the land. Bellairs said it could be designated as a planned development that would allow some requirements to be imposed.

Copple also questioned the condition of 20th Street and whether the city could require repairs to the street paid for by Standeford. Bellairs said city code requires that street improvements be made at the developer's cost if the impact of the development eroded the conditions of the streets.

Council member Keenan Cortez made a motion to approve the request on first reading and advance it to second and third readings. The vote was 4-3 to approve the motion. Two council members were absent. Copple, Phil Stinnett and Mark Farnham voted against the motion. The request will be considered on final readings at the council's next meeting March 18.

Water line work

The council also approved on final reading an agreement with Satterlee Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Co. for $597,756 to replace the water lines in the Donald E. Clark Justice Center.

Councilman Phil Stinnett said he spoke against that at the council's last meeting because he was concerned about public perception of spending that amount of money when the city proposes to build a new justice center on the site. But he had changed his view, he said, because it would be several years before that construction could be completed if voters approve a property tax proposal to pay for the project. A new justice center complex on the downtown property at 303 E. Third St. could cost more than $67 million.

Resident Frank Thompson spoke against the expenditure, saying most plumbers would not advise the complete replacement of plumbing unless there were problems that affected the entire system.

In other action, the council advanced:

—A zoning request to vacate part of an alley at the southeast corner of 32nd Street and Connecticut Avenue, requested by businessman Dick Ruestman.

—A construction agreement with Rosetta Construction for $2.55 million for the planned replacement of the lower reach of the Glendale Parallel Interceptor sewer lines located south of both Freeman Hospital West and Freeman Hospital East.

—An agreement with Burns and McDonnell Inc. to conduct a study on the amount of future sewer rate increases to cover the costs of operating the city sewer system.