Community Development
Downtown Treescape Project
City Staff has completed the replacement of Spring Snow Crabapple trees, and Pencil Holly bushes. The trees are a 2.5" diameter tree, so they will be providing shade and significant aesthetic enhancement to the downtown year one. As mentioned, they are a non-fruit bearing tree and are a relatively slow growth tree, with a smaller root system that will be one of the best suited trees for the downtown area. They have a showy spring blossum that adds to their overall attractiveness. The pencil holly is a more vertical style bush that doesn't get very wide, which will be beneficial for the downtown setting. They are a good filler bush that still provides for attractive greenery in the downtown. This spring, we will be planting ajuga ground cover to fill in the dirt area around the trees and bushes. This will eliminate the need for mulch or gravel medium around them.
We have an electrican contracted to make repairs to the electrial outlet around the opening and should have them all on-line this spring as time allow them to get the work done. Some of the conduit underground has to be replaced, so its not the simple project that one might suspect.
Sidewalk Replacement Program
As you know, the sidewalk program is a development in progress. We, The City of Moberly, have had a sidewalk program of some type for many years, but perhaps the most widely utilitized was the cost share program. That program went on for six years, but was postponed last year due to the funding being tight in that area. The council is adamant to reinstate it, and it will all depend on how the budget turns out. Revenues in the transportation trust fund have stayed flat, while costs have continued to make significant increase in the last few years. Even with pumping the cost savings realized from holding up the sidewalk program for a year, it has been difficult to just hold our own on the conditions of the street.