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Florissant OKs Law On Prohibiting Graffiti, Alters Trash Service Bill
BY CAROL ARNETT
The Florissant City Council passed a bill prohibiting graffiti and authorizing a portion of the fines collected from the perpetrators to go to any person turning them in.
Councilwoman Karen McKay said the bill was partially in response to recent incidents in the city in which the perpetrators were apprehended. “We need new tools for the police department,” she said. “This will help the police department.”
Council President Tom Schneider thanked McKay for research she had done on the bill.
Councilman Andrew Podleski thanked Police Chief Karabbas and the police department for their quick work in the recent incident. He said the perpetrators were teenagers angry that they were asked not to skateboard on private property.
“The chief said they were just knuckleheads,” Podleski said.
Podleski said the new ordinance should help.
“They’ll brag to their friends and their friends will tell.”
Half of all fines collected will go to the person who tells the police about the crime.
“This doesn’t happen often,” Podleski said, “but this gives police another tool.”
Mayor Robert Lowery said it was “three young kids” who drew the graffiti. “They’re the same ones who have been messing with the waterfalls,” he said.
In other matters, the council held a public hearing regarding a request by REK Properties and Klink Orthodontics to put a monument sign at the orthodontics office at 1470 New Florissant Road. This is near the intersection of New Florissant Road and Interstate 270. The office is in a house on the east side of New Florissant Road.
Nathan Kling spoke for Kling properties. He said the sign is currently on the house but new patients sometimes have a hard time seeing it, and drive past before they realize it. The council passed approved the sign.
In other matters, the council reconsidered their vote on Dec. 8, 2008, on the bill providing a single trash hauler for the city, in order to make a few changes They introduced a substitute contract that had minor changes, according to Councilman Tim Lee. Lee said after the meeting that residents would get a letter from Meridian Waste, as well as information from the city, before the new single hauler starts on March 29. Meridian will be the only hauler in the city, and will pick up recycle items as well as trash.
The council held a public hearing regarding a request by REK Properties and Klink Orthodontics to put a monument sign at the orthodontics office at 1470 New Florissant Road. This is near the intersection of New Florissant Road and Interstate 270. The office is in a house on the east side of New Florissant Road. Nathan Kling spoke for Kling properties. The sign is currently on the house, he said, but new patients sometimes have a hard time seeing it, and drive past before they realize it. No one spoke in opposition and the council passed an ordinance approving the sign.
Lowery also said that a new grocery store was going into the former Save-a-Lot site on New Florissant Road. The store is part of the ALPS chain, and Lowery said more information would be coming soon.
