State Transferring Prison Property

The remaining portion of the old Chillicothe Correctional Center on Third Street was to be transferred to the city of Chillicothe during a ceremony this afternoon. The property consists of the old administration building on the north side of the street and all of the correctional center buildings and land on the south side of the street. The state had previously deeded the vacant land on the north side of the street to the city.

Today’s planned transfer of property was announced in a news release issued by the city this morning, but embargoed until after the ceremony, which was scheduled for 2 p.m. and after the Constitution-Tribune’s daily press time. The release stated that Missouri Department of Corrections Director George A. Lombardi and Chillicothe Mayor Chuck Haney, along with CCC Warden Jennifer Miller declared that the facility and surrounding land, will be property of the city.

Missouri Gov. Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon finalized the transfer of the property. The official deed is filed with the Livingston County Court. The property transaction is a cooperative effort between the city and state.

City Takes Full Ownership 06 10 09

City Council Approves Permit For Home-Based Day Care

Chillicothe City Council members voted 4-0 Monday night to allow a home-based day care business to operate in a residential area. After hearing testimony from about a dozen people — both in favor and against the request — the council voted to grant a conditional use permit for Frank and Toni Pagliai to operate a home-based day care at 2403 Country Club Drive.

Toni Pagliai has been operating a day care from this location for more than four years and was unaware that she needed a license from the city. Since the home-based business is in a residential area, she needed to acquire a conditional use permit which would have to be approved by the council. Pagliai is licensed by the state for up to 10 children, plus an additional three children for only short periods of time during the day.

County Drainage System Reviewed
Published: Thursday June 11, 2009, C-T

Chillicothe Municipal Utilities wants Livingston County officials to take steps to separate storm water drainage from sanitary sewer drainage at the Livingston County Courthouse. County officials are hesitant to take that step.

CMU General Manager Steve Svec told Chillicothe City Council members this week that the separation is needed, in part, to help ensure an effective storm water drainage system. Additionally, the Livingston County Courthouse is the last remaining structure known by CMU to have its storm water draining and sanitary sewer lines combined.

County officials told council members that reconfiguring the drainage system would be costly, difficult to do and would disrupt the architectural character of the 96-year-old landmark building. Additionally, such work could lead to unforeseen problems. After an hour-long discussion during Monday night’s regular council meeting at City Hall, the council decided to table talks pending results of further research by both CMU and the county.

The matter was brought to the council’s attention as the result of a mid-1980s ordinance which had stated that all properties within the city limits must separate storm water drainage from sanitary sewers. No longer could roof drains be connected into the sanitary sewer. Homes and businesses were inspected to make sure they were compliant, Svec said. The issue was revisited in the mid-1990s and it was found that four larger entities still needed to comply.

By 2003, the Livingston County Courthouse, Chillicothe Middle School/High School, and Bishop Hogan Memorial School were the only structures in non-compliance, Svec said. Due to the architecture of these buildings and the cost of dividing the rainwater drains and the sewer drains these entities wished to continue to use the wastewater drainage system for their storm water runoff. In lieu of making these entities comply with the mandate, CMU imposed a fee against them for water treatment based on the amount of runoff of the buildings to the wastewater drain, based on an average rainfall of 36 inches per year. Since that time, the high school and Bishop Hogan School have complied and the middle school has committed to compliance once the old high school is demolished.

What was considered Monday night was rescinding that 2003 ordinance which allowed the fee alternative and making the courthouse comply with the separation. Svec said the infiltration of storm water into the sanitary sewers has a financial impact on its operation. He added that if there is an overflow problem, CMU could be fined. Svec said he also had concerns about certain actions that may have been required as a special condition of receiving funding to help pay for the storm water separation system years ago. He expressed concerns about how other entities would react if the county courthouse would become exempt from separating the storm water from the sanitary sewers.

County Commissioners Eva Danner, Ken Lauhoff and Todd Rodenberg told council members they would have strong concerns about putting in a separation system. The courthouse, they said, has an eight-inch pipe which is 12 to 14 feet below the basement floor and the storm water and sewer drains are in the courthouse walls and go down to that pipe. The commissioners said that the county had addressed this issue many times in the last 15 years and that plumbers who looked at the facility and the possibility of installing a separation system would not provide a solution.

"Everyone we have talked to said it is cost prohibitive," Lauhoff said. The commissioners said the courthouse was built with both systems combined so that the storm water could help flush out the sanitary sewers. "In the 96 years of the courthouse's existence, there has not been one sewer problem," Lauhoff said, noting that creating a separation could produce unforeseen problems. "Are we willing to risk the unknown," he questioned. "This would be a waste of taxpayers' money."

The commissioners also stated that the runoff from the courthouse would be equivalent to the runoff of three houses. "If our system is so delicate that we can't handle three more new homes, I think there is a problem," Danner said. Danner also stated that the courthouse is the centerpiece of Chillicothe and Livingston County. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. She feared that in addition to unforeseen problems, installation of separate drainage would negatively impact the building's aesthetics.

Father Tom Hermes, priest of St. Columban Catholic Church and principal of Bishop Hogan School, said that he was attending the meeting because of what happened when the school installed the necessary pipes for the storm water separation. What was installed, he said, was the only thing that the roofing contractors could come up with the meet the city's requirement. "It looks trashy," he told council members. He continued to say that problems are erupting now that the water is draining near the building. "In my opinion, this ordinance should not be passed," he told council members. He went on to state that the school would not complain of the city wants to issue a waiver exempting the county from this ordinance.

Mayor Chuck Haney presided over Monday night's council meeting. Council members present were Sid Cornell, Darrel Rinehart Jr., Tom Douglas, and Paul Howard. In other business, the council members:

• Heard an update about the rural fire contract;
• Were introduced to Dusty Jordan, who was recently promoted to the position of engineer/paramedic in the Chillicothe Department of Emergency Services;
• Approved an ordinance regarding the contracts with Michael Booth, emergency management co-assistant director.