HOLTS SUMMIT - Two residents of the Brookstone Subdivision in Holts Summit asked the city's board of aldermen for direction and support over a drainage problem in their neighborhood, which has become an area of frustration for the homeowners.
Jessica Bateman, of the 200 block of Brookstone Drive in Holts Summit, showed the board photos of a large trench that has formed between her and her neighbor's homes. The trench, which often has standing water in it, leads down the a city drain and but appears to be located in part on private property as well.
Bateman, secretary of the homeowner association, and her neighbor told the board that the trench has become a safety hazard for neighborhood children who try to play in it. They added that they often find cats living in the trench, too.
Bateman said they have filled in the trench multiple times over the past couple years. However, the problem keeps coming back. Erosion and rain water have undone their work to fill in the hole. The two homeowners said they have spoken to the city, the sewer department and the subdivision's developer in an effort to find the source of the problem so they can make arrangements for a more permanent fix.
City Administrator Brian Crane said the city recently received bids for solutions that may fix the problem. It just needs to be determined on whose property the problem lies. If multiple homeowners' land needs to be dug up to fix the overall drainage issue in the subdivision, the city would need easements from those homeowners.
Bateman and her next-door neighbor have gone door-to-door in their subdivision and had more than 50 neighbors sign a petition saying they are aware of the problem and it needs to be addressed.
Alderman Jason Glenn said the problem is a liability as children could get hurt playing in the trench and near a storm water drain.
In the meantime, for safety purposes, Alderman Landon Oxley recommended the homeowners need to purchase and put up netting and "warning" signs in an effort to prevent children from playing in the area.
Mayor Lucas Fitzpatrick said the city will do its part and work to support the homeowners as best it can.
"Unfortunately, we can't give you an answer right now (for how to permanently fix the problem)," Fitzpatrick told the visitors Monday night.
He said the city needs to mark the property lines so it can clearly see how much of the problem is on city property and how much is on personal property. That way, a more specific plan of action can be made. If it's on city property, he said they will of course take care of it. If it falls on the homeowners' private property, the city will give what support it can.
Glenn said he understands the homeowners frustrations. And echoed the mayor's recommendations for moving forward.
"It's baby steps, but at least it's steps (toward fixing the problem)," Glenn told them Monday night.
Also at its regular meeting, the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen certified the April 7 election results, and Glenn and Oxley took the oath of office to reclaim their seats on the board. Glenn ran uncontested for aldermen of Ward 1 for the city. He received 95.51 percent of the votes. Oxley won with more than 70 percent of the votes while his challenger, Charles Chamberlin received more than 29 percent.
In other news, representatives of the city of Holts Summit and the Village of Lake Mykee recently formally authorized one another to explore opportunities to work together and consolidate. During the next several months, Holts Summit and Lake Mykee will discuss how to best work together to provide services in Lake Mykee which will be more efficient for both communities, according to a press release from Crane.