Manchester Moving Forward With Shopping District

Monday night, the Manchester Board of Aldermen received an update on the progress of the South Manchester Transportation Development District (SMTDD).

The district encompasses the area on the south side of Manchester Road between Highway 141 and Enchanted Parkway. It is primarily strip malls directly across from the Manchester Highlands shopping complex.

An agreement to develop this district was signed a year ago.

Manchester City Attorney Patrick Gunn told the board that after almost one year of working with the board of directors, which represents the property owners included in the SMTDD, phase one of the project is moving closer to reality. Phase one includes the signage along Manchester Road.

Gunn said the city and board of directors have discussed signage, and there were a number of issues that needed to be resolved. He said the city initially wanted an entrance monument to be on the Firestone property located along Manchester Road across from the Highlands. However, the district could not get approval of the property owner to install the sign, so now it has been decided the sign marking the entrance to the shopping district will be installed on an island at the entrance to the district.

Identification of the shopping district has also been an issue, specifically selecting a name for the South Manchester Transportation Development District. Gunn said it was decided that the shopping district needs one unifying name which will be the South Manchester Shopping District. Gunn said that name is still subject to change, but is the decision at this time.

Stamped concrete crosswalks will only be put at the main entrance to the district located where the signalized light sits along Manchester Road at Highlands Boulevard Drive.

This latest agreement will go before the Manchester Board of Adjustment August 11. If approved, the SMTDD will have three months to begin construction of the signs.

The SMTDD has also agreed to contribute a total of $350,000 in payment to Pace Properties for its construction of the entire signalized intersection work at the Manchester Road and Highlands Boulevard Drive intersection.

Check back to Town and Country-Manchester Patch for more details on the development of this district.

Manchester Aquatic Center Pool Repair

Jeff Kuehn with KDG, Inc. updated the board of aldermen on the pipe repair project for the pool at the Manchester Aquatic Center. The re-evaluation of the project and its cost comes after the board was told in January that that the bid for repairs to the pool increased from the initial estimate of $285,000 to $672,000.

The pipes in the lazy river area are leaking, and board members say the city has been dealing with a leaky pool since it was built.

Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Manchester, Eileen Collins, explained that the parks department and engineering firm KDG went back to the drawing board after the last meeting and changed the entire scope of the project. Collins said it changed so much that the city will resubmit for bids for the repair to the pool. Collins said the new plan will constitute "substantial savings" from the $672,000 presented to the board in January, but she's not sure how much yet.

Once the new plan is approved by the St. Louis County Public Works Department and the St. Louis County Health Department, it will go up for bids. Collins is hopeful it will be ready for bids in two weeks. 

Kuehn said they have applied for and received permits to begin work on the pool. Construction is expected to begin right after homecoming in mid September. It should wrap up in April.

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City Budget

The city will begin working on its budget for next year. Oct. 6 is the first work session for the budget. The meeting is open to the public. The public can attend, but not participate.

 A draft budget will be submitted to the board on Sept. 19.

Former Alderman Lawsuit 

City Administrator Ed Blattner told board members had a brief telephone conversation with former Alderman Bob Tullock after being asked to contact Tullock at a recent board meeting. The city wants repayment from Tullock for the estimated $2,200 it spent on legal fees when he filed a lawsuit against the board. It was ultimately dismissed by a judge. 

Check back to Town and Country-Manchester Patch later this week for more details on this topic.

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Other Business

• City Administrator Ed Blattner said the water mains will be repaired and replaced by Missouri Water Company through the entire Mandalay Subdivision.
• Robert Lopez thanked for the quick response to his dog waste problem. He pointed out that the issue has not stopped, but he appreciated the attention from the police department.

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*Town and Country-Manchester Patch initially reported the city administrator's name as Ed Hassenger by mistake. The article has been corrected to reflect the city administrator's correct name, Ed Blattner.