Mayor Kathy Rose told the Riverside board of aldermen at the Tuesday, May 5 meeting that she’d been on the phone all day recently talking with the Platte County Health Department, the Platte County Commission and businesses to obtain and coordinate the guidelines about getting businesses prepared for reopening.
“I am very pleased at how concerned everyone is and their commitment for doing what is best not only in the best interest of their employees but for their customers too, because at the end of the day it’s about confidence for people to come out and utilize our facilities,” Rose said. “Slow and easy at this point is good.”
Barricades from the city fitness court, the playground and the skate park in Riverside have been removed. Aldermen stressed social distancing, sanitation and hand washing for those who use these facilities.
During the shutdown, aldermen said there was still a lot of building and business going on. Lots were selling, permits were issued on a regular basis not only for new developments but also for remodeling since people were home-bound and their businesses shut down so they decided it was a good time to do home improvements.
“Everybody wants to get back to some kind of normal, whatever that is,” Rose said. “It’s an active time of the year and that’s good. We have to keep moving forward and make sure that communication is solid. We are all in this together.”
The mayor announced a proclamation for Law Enforcement Officer Week and Police Week, both in May, and honored officers who play a critical role in safeguarding the public’s rights and freedoms.
She said it was important for citizens of Riverside to know the challenges of the police department and the necessity for joint partnerships to maintain law and order. She also said it is important to express gratitude for the service, sacrifices and commitment law enforcement members make.
A request by NorthPoint Development to approve a final development plan for land, was discussed, centering on parking intensive use of land to create about 700 parking stalls.
Two representatives from NorthPoint were at the meeting. The mayor asked for more information on the project before a vote was taken. She asked about traffic patterns and the number of vehicles coming and going at different times of the day.
The NorthPoint reps said the company has completed the traffic study and they will share it with the aldermen. They were told that the 700 spots would not all be filled at the same time and they would be for people who worked at the facility.
Rose wanted more information such as how many people will be working in the building and what the peak rate of vehicles per hour would be. She was told there would be approximately 1,400 vehicles in and out of the facility from 7 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and there would be waves of traffic movement throughout the day. There will be approximately 60 staging areas locations at the facility.
The board will have a second reading on the bill at the next meeting after getting more information on the project.
Aldermen believe this will be their last Zoom meeting and the next meeting will be back in the board chambers with social distancing in place. Markers indicating six feet distances have been put in city facilities as a reminder to encourage physical separation. There will be enhanced sanitation and disinfectant availability.
Staff members have come back to work at city hall. Under health department guidance the six feet separation will be appropriate, but if people want to wear masks — such as staff members who come into direct contact with the public and are more exposed than others in the building — masks will be provided for them.
The proposed budget presentation will take place at the next meeting.