Five-year
Goals:
1.
Continue current key projects.
2.
Improve financial capacity
through monitoring revenue sources, strengthening electricity
provider role, and exploring revenue diversification.
3.
Expand planning including a new
comprehensive plan and closer linkages with regional
transportation planning.
4.
Apply technological advances to city
services and facilities.
5.
Accelerate development in selected areas
including Downtown Kirkwood, Southeast Kirkwood, and Manchester
Corridor and draft, approve, and implement an urban design plan
for Downtown Kirkwood.
6.
Augment services by exploring new options
for sanitation services, improving convenience, supplying
services to other jurisdictions, exploring cooperative ventures,
achieving modern fire houses, and updating the water
infrastructure.
7.
Enhance the quality of life through a 150th
Anniversary celebration, deepening historical appreciation,
enabling greater pedestrian and cycling usage, and strengthening
property values
Action
Plans:
(September
2000 - March 2002)
1.
Current Projects
The
City of Kirkwood is currently implementing action plans to
develop Meacham Park, update its fire houses and equipment, and
improve its water infrastructure.
The
Meacham Park initiative is investing up to four million dollars
for home rehabilitation, infrastructure improvements,
landscaping, and development incentives to make the neighborhood
more viable and sustainable.
The
firefighting proposal has been developed and will be submitted
to the voters on November 7, 2000.
If approved, it will enable building three new fire
stations to replace the existing units as well as updating
various firefighting equipment.
A
professional study of the water treatment plant and distribution
system is underway and will be completed by October 2000.
Its findings will help the City assess which option
(extensive rehabilitation of the existing treatment plant,
eliminating the current plant and purchasing water wholesale, or
privatization) should be selected.
2. Financial
Capacity: Monitoring Revenue Sources
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Review current sources of revenue.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
Inventory all revenue sources.
Form committee to evaluate them.
Committee will include a City Council member, a Finance
Committee member, the Director of Finance, a Kirkwood Chamber
of Commerce Board member, a Special Business District Board
member who conducts business within the City, a Park Board
member, and two City department heads appointed by the Chief
Administrative Officer.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Director of Finance.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
March 2002. Intermediate
steps include an inventory of revenues prepared by the Finance
Department, a cost analysis of all fee services by the
appropriate department heads, preparation and consideration of
fee increases for services where costs exceed revenues, and
preparation and consideration of new fees for services.
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
A report including recommendations for action
prepared and submitted to the City Council.
3.
Financial Capacity: Revenue Diversification
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Diversify revenue sources.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
Form a committee similar to the Revenue Evaluation Committee.
It will be
charged with examining potential new sources of revenue as well
as ways of increasing current revenue sources.
As it explores options, this committee will consult
periodically with the City Council Finance Committee.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Director of Finance.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
March 2002.
The key intermediate step is a staff study on all
potential revenue sources.
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
A report including recommendations prepared and submitted to the
City Council.
4.
Planning: Comprehensive Plan
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Develop a comprehensive plan.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
Create a Comprehensive Plan Committee including staff members
appointed by the Chief Administrative Officer, a City Council
member, a Park Board member, a Planning and Zoning Commission
member, a Kirkwood Chamber of Commerce Board member, a Special
Business District Board member who conducts business within the
City, the Chief Administrative Officer or the Assistant Chief
Administrative Officer, and four citizens at large.
This group will consult with the Park Board and the City
Council on the overall project outline, would help qualify
consulting firms, and draft a request for proposal.
Once a consulting firm is selected, the committee would
work with it during the plan preparation.
Throughout the process, there will be extensive citizen
participation.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Chief Administrative Officer or his designee.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
No earlier than November 2002 and no later than
April 2003. Key
intermediate points are creating Comprehensive Plan Committee
(September 2000), consulting with Park Board and City Council
about project outline (October 2000), surveying other
communities about comprehensive plans and consultants (October
2000), drafting request for proposal (November 2000),
distributing request for qualifications (November 2000), council
approval of request for proposal (December 2000), distribute
request for proposal to qualified consultants (January 2001),
and recommend consultant to City Council (March-April 2001).
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
Comprehensive plan developed and approved by City Council.
5.
Planning: Develop
Urban Design Guidelines
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Provide the City Council and city commissions with guidelines
for evaluating downtown redevelopment proposals by drafting,
approving and implementing a Downtown Urban Design Plan as
recommended in the Downtown Vision Plan and advocated by members
of the Special Business District (SBD) Advisory Commission.
Guidelines will include site specific recommendations
about building height and massing; land use; the architectural
vocabulary of the traditional Kirkwood look; and historic
preservation- whether existing structures should be preserved or
whether a site should be available for new construction.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
The City Council, working
with a steering committee, which should include a City Council
member, a citizen member not associated with downtown commerce,
a representative of the SBD Advisory Commission, Landmarks
Commission, Architectural Review Board, and city staff as
appointed by the chief administrative officer will
oversee the development of the guidelines. The
steering committee shall prepare a request for proposal,
interview potential planning and design firms and formulate a
recommendation to the City Council on the firm best suited to
conduct such work.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Chief Administrative Officer or his designee.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
Fall, 2001.
E.
What Will Signify Completion?
Publication of the final plan document and its formal adoption
by the City Council.
6.
Technology: Adopt Three Innovations
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Adopt three technological innovations.
B.
How
Will It Be Accomplished?
Staff will investigate the feasibility of selected innovations. Initial possibilities include accepting credit card payments
on-line, using full-size utility bills, and moving toward a
paperless office.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Director of MIS.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
On-line payments will be assessed and a decision made by January
2001. Full-size utility bills will be assessed and a decision made
by September 2003. The
first step toward a paperless office, a document imaging system,
will be assessed and a decision made by December 2001.
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
Recommendations on each innovation made to the City Council.
7.
Development: Downtown and Southeast Kirkwood
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Focused developments in Downtown Kirkwood and Southeast Kirkwood
identified, negotiated, and implemented.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
The City Council, working with professional staff and other
stakeholders, will identify, negotiate, and implement selected
projects in the two areas.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
City Council.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
March 2002.
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
Signed contracts for each development.
8.
Services: Sanitation
A.
What Is To Be Done?
Explore disposal options for sanitation services since current
landfill might close.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
A transfer station feasibility study is underway.
It is examining potential sites in Kirkwood, the
possibility of using existing sites outside Kirkwood, the option
of a joint operation with either a private or public entity for
building a site outside Kirkwood, and using other landfills.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Public Works Director.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
January 2001.
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
Study completed and recommendations made to City Council.
9.
Services: Improve Convenience
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Improve convenience of selected city services.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
Appoint an administrative team including the Finance Director,
the Parks and Recreation Director, the City Clerk, the Public
Works Director, and the Public Information Officer.
This team will review current services and explore
possible improvements such as on-line applications, extended
hours, and enhanced customer awareness.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Public Information Officer.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
April 2001.
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
Report with recommendations submitted to the City Council.
10.
Quality of Life: 150th Anniversary Celebration
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Develop a community-wide celebration of the 150th anniversary of
Kirkwood’s founding.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
Create a 150th Anniversary Committee with representatives from
all major organizations and agencies in the community including
schools, city functions, churches, service clubs, Chamber of
Commerce, Special Business District, and others.
This committee will plan and coordinate a year-long
series of events and activities.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
The Mayor, his appointees, the Parks and Recreation Director,
and the Public Information Officer.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
The celebration will occur throughout 2003.
Key intermediate steps are appointing a steering
committee (November 2001) and developing a schedule of events
and activities (September 2002).
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
The
development of the year-long schedule and then the celebration
itself.
11.
Quality of Life: National Register Designation
A.
What Is To Be
Done?
Have the original square mile of the City of Kirkwood listed on
the National Register.
B.
How Will It Be
Accomplished?
Using the 1989 National Register nomination as a starting point
and with the assistance of St. Louis University students from
the Urban Planning and Real Estate Program, the affected
properties will be surveyed and additional historical research
will be conducted. Grant
funds will be sought from the State of Missouri to hire
consultants.
C.
Who Will Be
Responsible For Accomplishing It?
Director of Community Development.
D.
When Will It Be
Accomplished?
No later than December 2002.
Key intermediate steps are application for state grant
funds (September 2000), St. Louis University student study
completed (January 2001), and consultant study funded by grant
completed (May 2002).
E.
What Will Signify
Completion?
The City of Kirkwood is listed on the National Register of
Historical Places.
12.
Quality of Life: Walking and Cycling
A.
What Is To Be Done?
Make Kirkwood more friendly for walkers and cyclists.
