Excessive rain creating serious mudslides in Chester
The relentless rain of the past few months is creating serious mudslides in two areas of Chester, City Engineer Harold Sheffer and Mayor Tom Page told the city council Monday night.
The most expensive damage has occurred on Harrison Street, which runs directly in front of the historic Cohen House overlooking the Mississippi River. The road is breaking away and dropping as the earth underneath of it is washing out.
Street Superintendent Steve Renner reported his crews have hauled away tons of mud which has washed over the hillside. Sheffer, meanwhile, has asked a company to perform several core drills to determine what can be done in the long term to shore up this area.
In the short term, Renner says concrete barriers are being put into place to hold what remains from sliding further.
The second area affected by mud slides is the old ball diamond at Cole Park. The entire right field fence leading into center field is nearly on the ground. The outfield slid onto one of the main park roads, temporarily closing it for a period of time. The area has been closed off with yellow police tape as this section poses a danger to pets and people if they would get too close to the slide.
There are also two light standards leaning badly, and the fence and lights will be removed by Renner's department.
With a wet spring predicted, the city may be faced with more of these slides.
<h3 class="breakHead">Other news</h3>
Alderman Mike Blechle moved and the council agreed to remove two handicap parking spaces on Swanwick Street behind Arbiter's Law offices. Blechle said they were placed there when a resident living in the area needed them, but that resident has since moved and parking is limited in the area.
The council approved the appointment of Mary Ann Heberlie to the Beautification/Tourism Commission, while the city also got a letter of resignation from Sandra Starr, who is on that same commission. Alderman Ray Allison suggested that when commission seats are reappointed the council should consider staggering the terms to prevent members' terms from expiring all at the same time.
Commissioners approved an agreement with Deb's Diner for concessions at the Cohen Complex. Recreation Director Patti Carter said the diner will offer grilled food for sale and will be open for every event. Deb's Diner will receive 100% of the profits and will use their own equipment.
The council approved agreements with J&S Services for the 2020 mowing season at a cost of $638 per cut at the Cohen Complex and $400 per cut at Cole Park. This reflects no change from last year's agreement which runs from March 15 to Oct. 31.
Chester Police Chief Bobby Helmers reported that his department has had 872 calls in the first two months of 2020 and they made 89 arrests in February, most for drug-related charges. In February 2019 the department made 48 arrests.
The police department is looking for help from anyone who may have knowledge of an incident involving damage to a back hoe parked down at the river.