Confusion and dissent continued to delay the decision-making process for the Cooperative District of the city of Leeds-General Board at its Tuesday, May 6 meeting.Members of the board discussed at length the need to fund construction of a water tank, water and sewer lines and an alternative water line route to the Bass Pro site.
While a new million-gallon water tank has been constructed in the area, the tank cannot currently be connected to the Bass Pro site due to delays in other projects.
The line from the tank would be a 24-inch pipe and would eventually be used for residential developments in the area as well.
Joe Lee, mayor of Moody, expressed concern that the cooperative district is expected to pay for infrastructure that will benefit not only Bass Pro Shops, which is in the district, but the residential developments that will not be included in the district.
“We need to hire an engineer who can determine how much of that water will be needed for Bass Pro and pay only that,” he said. “I don’t feel like we should have to pay for residential lines we are not profiting from. Our only responsibility is to supply water to the cooperative district.”
Lee Barnes, the member of the board representing the Leeds Water Works Board, said there was no way the water works board would agree to running a line that would only supply water to Bass Pro and that the board was strictly following the engineer’s drawing from Frank Spencer.
“An engineer has already done his calculations and I don’t see any other route,” Barnes said. “A six-inch pipe would supply the water to Bass Pro just fine, but to supply the back flow and the pressure needed to put out fires it requires a 24-inch pipe.”
St. Clair County Commission Chairman and Board Chairman Stan Batemon seemed to agree with Lee when he questioned the need for a million-gallon tank and 24-inch pipes to supply one facility, saying he had never seen a case of needing a 24-inch line to furnish one facility.
Batemon said he could see that the board owed the water works board for whatever pressure and volume it takes to open Bass Pro, but said the board is not responsible for any projects going beyond the commercial development of the district.
Since the water must be connected to Bass Pro by sometime this summer for fire protection, the board is considering having an alternate water supply for now as details to run the water along Rex Lake Road are finalized.
The water would be temporarily provided from Scott City and Bass Pro has “reluctantly approved” the measure, along with plans to have a temporary turn lane and traffic signal at the Hwy. 78 and Rex Lake Road intersection to aid traffic, according to Batemon.
This will mean an additional bond grant must be used to pay for the alternate water supply, but in the long run may save money because the board would have had to tie the line in to Bass Pro eventually.
Barnes said the terms for the grant of $1.6 million have changed somewhat, making the grant amount only $500,000 and the amount the district will have to match $1.1 million as opposed to the $800,000 grant and $800,000 match originally agreed upon.
Councilman Cary Kennedy said Leeds was prepared to pay its portion of whatever costs it would take to have Bass Pro open with the proper water and fire protection.
“This temporary arrangement is draining water supplies from our citizens and draining volume off of the current tank,” he said. “If we owe anything, we should pay it.”
The main issue keeping Rex Lake Road projects from completion is an environmental assessment.
Until the assessment can be satisfied for the area, the district will not have fire protection for Bass Pro Shops.
The board would face either a delay in the opening of Bass Pro or a fine and possible litigation for not holding up its end of the contract with the retail chain.
As discussion began on whether to request sources and documents regarding the Bass Pro Shops bond closing, Kennedy said there was concern that Bill Weathington, attorney for the cooperative district board as well as St. Clair County and Moody, had a conflict of interest and Barnes said he thought Weathington should consider resigning.
“I don’t think you can wear three hats and represent three clients with the same amount of vigor,” Barnes said.
Batemon responded to the statement saying perhaps Barnes should consider resigning from the cooperative district board because of the conflict of interest with his position on the Leeds Water Works Board.
At the end of the meeting, Weathington and Barnes responded to the resignation suggestions in opposing answers.
Weathington said he had not realized until the meeting that there was the possibility for conflict and had stayed on in the position of cooperative district board attorney in hopes of mending some fences and building cooperation in the group. He said he would remove himself from the middle of the issue and his last act as attorney for the board would be to send out the notice for the next meeting. He said the board could begin looking for someone to hire if they wished.
Barnes accepted his resignation, but Lee protested despite Weathington’s assurance that the board did not need to take any action.
“The timing is not right to relieve the attorney who wrote these documents and knows them backward and forward of his position,” Lee said. “I am not for his resignation, I am not accepting it.”
Barnes also responded to Batemon’s suggestion that he resign from the board.
“I’ll resign when I get ready and I’m not ready,” he said. “I respect your opinion. But I respect my opinion more.”
The board also expressed confusion over the proposed Grand River project in Leeds, which Kennedy said is not in the district.
Confusion may have arisen due to previous discussions at Commercial Development Authority and Leeds City Council meetings in which members asked whether Moody and St. Clair had been informed of the project because they, like several members of the cooperative district board, believed the project to be in the district.
The board is also concerned about locating an account that contains revenues from the district.
The account is supposed to be with Regions Bank, per a contract the board signed, however no board member or attorney present at the meeting seemed sure of the location of the account.
