Festus Puts West Main Street School Traffic at the Top of Its New Street Plan

The council also approved repairs to a backup water tank and a first-responder pavilion at Crites Park, while residents renewed calls for answers on the data center.

By The Jefferson Review

FESTUS, Mo. — The stretch of West Main Street where Collins Drive and Sunshine Drive meet is the first priority in Festus’ new street master plan. The City Council voted 8–0 Monday, Nov. 9, to adopt the plan after Public Works Director Michael Christopher told members that the stretch had the highest crash count in the city’s review of 2020 through 2024 data.

Christopher said most crashes there involved left turns at the triangular junction, which gets heavy school traffic. The plan ranks 10 locations and will guide the city’s funding applications. Design, funding and construction decisions are still ahead.

West Gannon Drive between YMCA Drive and Route A ranked second. Christopher said closely spaced business driveways can make it hard for drivers to tell where others are turning. South Mill Street at Lee Avenue and West Main Street at Mill Street came next. The city recently added a stop sign at Lee Avenue and will watch to see whether crashes decline there. At Main and Mill, the plan calls for studying the intersection and looking at ways to improve pedestrian access.

Backup Water Tank and Park Pavilion Get Approval

Council members voted 8–0 to approve a $62,425 proposal from Viking Industrial Painting to repair the 15,000-gallon contact tank at Well 8. The well serves as an emergency backup. Christopher said corrosion had begun to return since the tank’s exterior was coated in 2018. The new work will coat the inside and outside of the tank and repair or replace components.

In another 8–0 vote, the council awarded CMD Custom Concrete $36,077 to pour the foundation and slab for a pavilion near the stage at Larry G. Crites Memorial Park. Interim Parks Director Shain Dollar said the pavilion will give police a place to set up a command post during special events. Fire and ambulance crews would use it, too. City crews plan to build the rest of the pavilion to keep labor costs down.

A Red Barn Repair Request and a Memorial Nine Years in the Making

Ward 1 resident Judy Ivory brought photos of peeling paint, deteriorating windowsills and protruding nails at the Red Barn in Crites Park. “The Red Barn is unquestionably the jewel of Crites Park,” she said. She recalled years of prom photos taken in front of the barn and urged the city to repair its exterior.

A mother told the council that the Sunset Park batting cage built in memory of her daughter was finally complete after nine years. She thanked Dollar and the Street Department for getting the job done and invited council members to go see it.

Data Center Returns to Public Comment

Several residents raised concerns about the proposed hyperscale data center, including its proximity to homes and how much information the city has shared about the project. The council took no public vote on the development Monday.

Ward 2 resident Mary Youmans announced she plans to run for City Council in April 2027. She said she wants residents to have a vote on major local decisions such as the data center. Another resident asked why the council had gone ahead with Susan Harrison’s appointment to the vacant Ward 2 seat in October before every council member had a chance to speak with her. Councilman Moore said he had spoken with Harrison before voting, and Harrison said she welcomed further conversations.

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