City Engineer Travis Hernandez approached the Owensville Board of Aldermen at the city meeting Monday with two change order requests and a Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Commission update.

Both changes received approval, a public hearing was set and a workshop scheduled.

The first change order relates to the Rock Island Trail.

In the last city meeting, the board approved extending the Rock Island Trail to Kuhne Road. They also agreed to entertain extending the project to Highway Y, once more details were provided.

With signage for the trail covered by Missouri State Parks thereby reducing the cost of the project, Hernandez sought to determine how much it would cost for the extension.

“After some back and forth with the contractor in MoDOT, it seems that we can get out to Highway Y for an addition to the contract of $22,540.30,” he told the board.

This would make the contract with KJ Unnerstall worth $508,500.

With the $500,000 grant, a $125,000 commitment of city budgeted funds, and 80-20 grant to local funding terms, the additional funds required from the city would be less than $4,000.

Ward 2 Alderman Denise Bohl made a motion to approve the change, Ward 1 Alderman and Board President Cathy Lahmeyer seconded the motion and it received unanimous support.

The second change order promised savings through the Springfield Road project.

Since the city had to accept the project alternates, tonnage was pulled out of the asphalt final quantities, leaving the city owed a deduction.

“Some of that got eaten up by an additional concrete swale,” Hernandez shared. “I instructed the contractor to add towards where the sharp corner meets Lakeside’s parking lot to try to keep gravel off of that, and then also we had found some soft soils that we had to over-dig and lay down geogrid fabric and some large oversized stone to address that.”

Despite the additions, the city received a net deduction of $23,562.98, bringing the final contract amount to $277,490.59.

“We’re saving a lot of money on those grants,” Hernandez said. “They’re giving us 100-percent state funds, so that’s the taxpayers in Missouri. Hopefully (the money goes) back to the general fund.”

The motion to accept this change was made by Ward 2 Alderman Matthew Kramme, seconded by Ward 1 Alderman Dan Breeden and passed with all in favor.

The public hearing, scheduled for Dec. 2, will focus on rezoning of R1 lots in the Hambro Subdivision and a portion of Aufderheide Subdivision lots to R1A, which allows for smaller lot widths. It will also address R1 side-yard setback requirements, with the discussion currently leaning towards seven-and-a-half foot setbacks.

The final item discussed during the city engineer’s report at the meeting was the need for a workshop to discuss zoning of property along the Rock Island Trail.

“If you notice on the zoning map, it’s currently white without any colorization, and thus is not represented by the zoning district,” Hernandez explained.

The P&Z Commission suggested a workshop be held with the Board of Aldermen.

P&Z Commission Board Chairman Tom Lahmeyer “asked if we could just do a general meeting with a workshop and get it all hammered out and then bring it back to the Board,” Mayor Kevin McFadden advised.

A workshop is planned Thursday at 6 p.m., prior to the Board of Adjustment meeting.

Discussed in the workshop will be creation of a new zoning district for the Rock Island Trail, as well as two additional land uses — distilleries/breweries and indoor ranges — which are currently not listed in the land use table.