Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Belvedere-area residents raise safety, traffic and solar-access concerns during Boone County public comment
Summary
Multiple residents addressed the board during public comment about a recent shooting near a neighborhood pool, truck traffic, and opposition to public access roads tied to a proposed solar facility adjacent to subdivisions.
Several Boone County residents used the public-comment period to press safety concerns about gunfire in residential areas and to object to proposals that would permit public access through neighborhoods as part of a proposed solar project.
Linda Vanderweit of 500 Knoll Road told the board she has lived near the county line for 44 years and described growing concern about truck traffic and nearby development. “I'm just, hearing about the solar fields that are going in right now... I do think if this the solar fields come in and the traffic is going to be outrageous,” Vanderweit said.
Libby Radakowski, who said she lives in Beaverview Subdivision near Swan Hills, reported that on Aug. 30 a man was shot while sitting at a pool during a birthday party and that neighbors heard gunfire for hours that day. “A man was shot while sitting by a pool surrounded by several children at a birthday party,” Radakowski said, describing police activity and a sheriff's investigation that led to seized firearms.
Mary Yovet, a Beaverview resident of 49 years, told the board she was inside her home during the incident and later learned the bullet's trajectory crossed multiple properties to strike the person at the pool. She urged the board to consider community options and offered to serve on a local group that would craft ideas to reduce shooting risks and improve safety for children and grandchildren who visit.
Shannon Gibbons of 205 Willow Drive said she opposes any plan that would create public access through her neighborhood as part of the solar project and asked the county to block such access.
Board members did not take action during the public-comment period but acknowledged the concerns and heard requests to review statutes and safety measures. Multiple residents asked the county to examine existing rules and consider community-based solutions; one resident volunteered to participate in local planning.
