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MoDOT warns of TAP grant risk; Osage Beach approves appraisals to secure Highway 42 sidewalk project
Summary
Missouri Department of Transportation told city staff the Highway 42 TAP grant was at risk because needed right-of-way had not been acquired. The board authorized staff to obtain appraisals for property needed to finish the project; aldermen debated the citycost share and project scope.
City staff told the Board of Aldermen on July 17 that the Highway 42 Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant is at risk because the city has not obtained required right-of-way from some property owners. MoDOT representatives notified staff the project may be in jeopardy unless the city secures easements or otherwise resolves outstanding property interests.
City Administrator Devon Lake asked the board to authorize appraisals for the needed parcels so staff can make fair-market-value offers to property owners. Lake said the appraisals are inexpensive (staff estimated roughly $2,000) and recommended moving forward so the city can assess the financial commitment required to obtain the right-of-way. If appraisals show acquisition costs are prohibitive, staff said the city could decide to forgo the grant, but that withdrawing might require repaying some reimbursements already received (engineering reimbursements of about $71,000 were cited in the staff memo) and could affect future TAP funding prospects.
Aldermen debated the projectscope and cost. Some aldermen said they had not supported committing significant city funds to a sidewalk project and questioned whether sidewalks serving the high school and park are worth the estimated local match of several hundred thousand dollars. Other board members stressed the safety rationale: staff and several aldermen said students and other residents currently walk portions of Highway 42 and the project scored highly in grant review because of school-safety considerations.
After discussion, the board approved a motion directing staff to move forward with necessary appraisals to acquire right-of-way for the Highway 42 TAP grant project. Staff will return with appraisal results and proposed acquisition costs for a future board decision on whether to complete the project and accept associated local costs.
