City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, everyone ready? I call this meeting to order. For all those that care to, please stand for an opening prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve this community and for the trust our neighbors have placed in us. As this council begins its work, we ask for the clarity and courage to lead with the servant's heart. Help us to always be a city that strives for excellence and doing the right things at the right time for the right reason. May our discussion be filled with respect, our decisions guided by wisdom, and our actions always reflect our values. In your name we pray, amen.

of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

For this evening will be for National Safety Month. National Safety Month is definitely in partnership with what we've had going on here in Republic here in the last month and that awareness to safety and also as well as looking to the Fourth of July and safety in the Fourth of July. There's a prime example of safety on water and how to be more conscientious of what's going on around us, whether it's on the water, on the road, or on the Fourth of July. Safety is definitely something I know 4th of July is in July, but looking forward to July It's definitely something good to have just to have that further awareness on moving into the 4th of July So this evening we will have dodges for not getting with you beforehand. I just a little bit busy But if you'd like to come up to our podium and we'll read our proclamation and present it to you So our proclamation for National Safety Month Whereas a summer begins in Republic, our residents, city staff, and elected officials are all looking forward to a season of growth, outdoor activities, and community events. And whereas the month of June is National Safety Month, serving as a vital reminder that our personal well-being is connected to the well-being of those around us. And whereas safety is a team effort that relies on everyone, from our hardworking city staff maintaining our infrastructure, we must all stay alert and look out for one another. And whereas, the City of Republic, our City Council, and our dedicated city staff are committed to working together with our residents to keep our city a safe, secure, and welcoming place for all. Now therefore, I, Eric Franklin, Mayor of the City of Republic, Missouri, Dubai, do hereby declare the month of June as National Safety Month. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the city of Republic the 16th day of June, 2026. And so a proclamation for a reminder, we are one of the few cities that I know of that does still allow our citizens to shoot 4th of July fireworks. And so keeping safety in mind, I'm hoping that everyone in Republic keeps that in mind, is very respectful of our neighbors, and has safety in mind, both fire and personal safety. I hope everyone comes back with most all their toes and fingers. Our proclamation for National Safety Month, looking into June, looking into the summer and all of our activities. So just wanted to be conscientious of safety. Is there anything that you would like to share with us, sir?

I just want to say that workplace safety, in a nutshell, basically is at the end of the day, you get to go home back to your family.

Absolutely, absolutely. Yes, very, very wise words. And that's the number one goal for all of us is to get home safely to our families and everything that we do. So thank you very much. And we'd like to present this to you.

Thank you again. I appreciate you.

Okay, so we've got our safety proclamation and we'll move on to our next proclamation, item number two on our agenda for this evening. And item number two is United States of America's 250th birthday. This evening I have asked our members from our local VFW post 4593 to come and accept this on behalf of the citizens. Would you all like to come forward to the podium as we read this? or one of you or all of you, however you would like to do it. No pressure. So first off, thank you so much for being here this evening. And this weekend I had a chance to go down and have breakfast with I think just about everyone that's here right now. And so it was a great time for me just spending that time with you and recognizing what the VFW is doing here in Republic. But as we prepare for this proclamation, and we celebrate America's 250th birthday, we look back at a long journey of courage and growth. The story of our country is best seen right here in our very own hometown of Republic, Missouri. From the early pioneers who traveled across our plains to the busy days of the railroad and Route 66, our town has always been a proud part of the American story. And today, being joined by the veterans of foreign wars, these brave men and women who have served in our military under extreme circumstances that, under my opinion, would completely understand the sacrifice that it takes us to keep free and understands what we have here in Republic and how important it is to protect those freedoms and what we have. So thank you again for being here this evening. And at this time, I'm going to go ahead and read our proclamation. celebrating 250 years of America and our hometown history. Whereas on July 4th, 2026, our country is celebrating its 250th birthday, a huge milestone called the semi-quincentennial, to look back at our past and dream big for America's future. And whereas the story of Republic, Missouri is a perfect picture of how America grew up, with our dedicated citizens and our open land that made Republic a natural pathway for people, trains, and cars. Whereas, between 1776 and the 1830s, when the early United States was still small and sitting near the Atlantic Ocean, Republic's smooth prairie land skipped over the rough hills of the Ozarks, making a safe hallway for the very first pioneers traveling out west. And whereas, between the 1830s and 1860s, Republic was right in the middle of American history when the famous Old Wire Road was built leading up to the Battle of Wilson's Creek in 1861, which was the first Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River. Whereas, Between the 1870s and 1920s, Republic grew fast because of the Frisco Railroad laying its tracks straight through our beautiful town, leading to Republic becoming an official city in 1871 and helping our local farmers ship apples, tomatoes, and grain all over the country. Whereas, between the 1920s and 1950s, when Americans started driving cars everywhere, the famous Route 66 highway was built right along the edge of our town, bringing travelers from all over the nation and the world to stop in Republic's gas stations and diners. And whereas from the 1960s all the way to this year of 2026, Republic has been a community of traditions, a place of growth, and a history of people who understand the value in our community. Now therefore, I, Eric Franklin, Mayor of the City of Republic, Missouri, proudly join in the celebration of the United States of America's 250th birthday. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of the city of Republic the 16th day of June, 2026." So very thankful for all the contributions of everyone in Republic that leading up to our 250th birthday and this historic moment, I'm very thankful to have the VFW here to accept this on behalf of our citizens. So once again, thank you for being here and thank you to all of the citizens in Republic that have contributed to this 250th birthday. And hopefully we have a long prosperous future together.

All right, perfect.

Thank you.

Okay, moving on to citizens participation. This is an opportunity for citizens to speak directly to council on matters that are not listed on tonight's agenda. Do we have anyone here this evening that would like to participate in citizens participation? Seeing that there is none, we will close citizens participation at this time. was uh... are you here for an agenda item yeah i'll call you up with one more at the agenda item no problem no problem sure no problem so just just to make sure to no one else that wanted to speak tonight and i'll make sure i've got you chief so no problem so at this time we will close citizens participation and move on to our consent agenda I welcome the council to ask any questions or comments about items number three or four on our agenda. If there are no questions or comments, I need a motion and a second for approval of the consent agenda. Got a motion by Mr. Harder and a second by Mr. Campbell. All those in favor? Aye. All of those opposed? Are there any abstentions? Motion carries six zero zero. Moving on to board commission and committee schedule. We have a board of adjustment meeting July the 2nd, 2026 that was canceled. We have a planning and zoning meeting on July the 13th, 2026. We have a city council meeting on July the 21st, 2026. And we have a city council meeting on August 4th, 2026. As far as old business and tabled items, we have nothing on our agenda for this evening. So I'm going to move on to new business and first reading of ordinances, item number five. I need a motion and a second for the first reading of Bill 26-20 by title only, please. Got a motion by Mr. Harder and a second by Mr. Shaw. All of those in favor? Aye. All of those opposed? there any abstentions motion carries six zero zero laura will read the ordinance by title please

an ordinance of the city council authorizing it.

There is a revised version of Bill 26-20. The revision is non-substantive and conforms to the ordinance language to the agreement by clarifying the city's obligations regarding the Orr Street crossing closure. And so I believe everyone has that in front of them. So looking at that and looking at the original one, we will need a motion and a second to substitute this revised version that's in front of you of Bill 26-20 for the version swapped for the version that was in the original packet.

Who is my motion?

Motion from Dan. Council Member Harder. Any abstentions? motion carries six zero zero and we've got miss haynes here to give us an overview this evening

Thank you. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Karen Haynes, Community and Development Director. The BUILDS Department is requesting authorization for execution of a program agreement with MoDOT for the closure of the at-grade crossing at Orr Street associated with the MM Realignment Project, which is currently under construction. You'll see an exhibit on the screen regarding that exact location. The agreement formalizes the responsibilities of MoDOT, the City of Republic, and BNSF Railway Relating to the at-grade closure the agreement specifies the city shall vacate areas within The rails go directly to moda for the project cost The closure was a decision by modot and bnsf to improve safety in and along the mm corridor Staff is recommending approval and requesting a double reading of the ordinance this evening Thank you.

Miss Haynes. Does City Council have any questions? Mr. Harder

Yes, so I talked a little earlier and thank you for the information, but just for Chief Compton, what's that going to do for fire response times in that area?

Okay, it's my understanding that closure will not occur until the new road is open. If that is correct and they hold true to their word, there will be no. Do you have any idea what delay you may be looking at? We would probably look about three to four minutes delay, time we go down through the roundabout, over the bridge, and then turn and come back up in there. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Council Member Harder. Did we have another question? Council Member Updike.

The closure will not occur until the completion of Project D. So the construction of the overpass, an associated stoplight, and roundabout at Farm Road 160 will be completed prior to the closure. Correct. They will have to travel down Ore Street to Commercial Street and then to Stone Leg to...

because I think it's going to impact Republic PD, Burgoyne PD, and federal enforcement agencies for that area. I think we need a federal hold and then a more logical conversation than just the different . I think . OK.

Are there any other questions that you have in particular Mr. Updike that would help for understanding on that? From, okay, we'll have, we have Mr. Kilburn here this evening for a speaker as well. Any other questions for Ms. Haynes from City Council?

Mr. Mayor?

Mr. Campbell?

Karen, on the other, is it two road crossings?

There are two closures.

Okay, okay, I misspoke there and that is the way I understood it. So this is, This is acting for all three of them or because I know this is part of the process of double M, correct?

Correct. This is a part of the project and this is really just our part in the project what which will be to install temporary barricades Until such time as Modoc can come in and install the permanent barricades for the full closure So then so it's my understanding that

I mean this was this has been our agreement for some time that the closures will happen on these 3 at grade crossings crack tonight is just or as it is now which we've all been wanting this this had to happen this is part of the agreement maybe years ago.

Yes and we've had several agreements related to this particular project in which we've engaged with MoDOT. The public also had an opportunity to address the actual closures at the very beginning of this project and it is a project that we've been actively working with MoDOT on for about four to five years.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Campbell. And Ms. Haynes, was this covered in our workshop that we had? I know we had a workshop about trains. I can't remember if that was this year or last year, but we had a workshop. Was that this year?

Yes, because this closure had already been decided for this project.

Okay.

But we did actively speak with everyone Prior to construction starting at the public open house for this project back in I believe it was like March or April This year the one that we had here in the chamber with modot and all the representatives and that's kind of what I could remember Discussing it down through there, too.

I was just trying to remember the different times that we had discussed this in the past that Any other questions for miss Haines, mr. Gerke

And so the $200,000, that would basically be, if the city occurred cost, it'd be a reimbursement of that cost, correct?

The $200,000 is actually a pass-through directly from BNSF to the city, and we are passing that through.

The rec center at a MoDOT event And I'm thinking 2 or 3 years ago and that these at grade crossings would be in effect to to move double M forward.

Yes, OK, all 3 of them did have to close in order to excel the actual realignment project forward.

Thanks for the clarification. Thanks, Mayor.

Absolutely, Mr. Campbell. And just for clarification, Ms. Haynes, does this also have to do anything with having the train siding with where they had had enough, that this gave them enough room to be able to have a train siding where they had side-by-side tracks? No, it has nothing to do with that. Okay. Well, I apologize for getting anyone off track that I didn't get that comment. So say in favor or against on my card. Mr. James Kilburn, would you like to come forward? And if I remember correctly, you're the Brookline fire chief, right? Yes. Okay.

Fire chief of Brookline.

Fire chief of Brookline. So I got that correct. So welcome. Welcome to our city council chamber.

Thank you. And for the record, my name is James Kilburn, fire chief of Brookline Fire District. I just want to say on record that the fire district opposes the closure of Rebel Crossing. I mean, that's probably a natural. I mean, I would assume you guys all understand that. However, we also see, well, I mean, we see the fact that there's some concession and we should be able to maintain, albeit slower, response times. I think that's a given. But We have concern on the bill 2620 on the night's agenda because specifically the timing of the closure and I believe you already answered that for me. So with that said is what you know if that's for sure the thing That's closing after the fact, after the improvements are done with the MM corridor. We can live with that. I mean, it doesn't mean that we love it. It doesn't mean that we like it, but we can live with that. And that was, frankly, that's why I was here tonight. I just wanted to make sure that none of that had changed. And as you can imagine, we're serving 12, 13,000 people as well. So we need to be good stewards of that.

Absolutely.

But with that, the thing that concerns me is I don't specifically see that. Albeit, I've had to look at this quickly. You know what I mean? I don't specifically see that that's the case in the documents tonight.

But... Having that guarantee that that will not be closed until the project is complete, that's kind of your concern?

Absolutely. So, but, you know, with that... we we can live with that but okay we we have a guarantee is in other words that i mean when we see the project at fruition we see the uh frankly can we make sure that flow is working not only for us but for republic's fire department as well i mean emergency services in general um Can we have even a period of time that we can make sure that that's working before it's closed? I mean, the other idea that's come across my mind, and we've approached MoDOT with this, and the railroad with that matter, of some sort of exclusive crossing just for emergency services. I know that's probably beyond what you all have control over, and I understand that. We we still have to maintain some communication with the railroad in trying to. Here something out there if that makes sense. Absolutely.

So yeah, I just want to come in and thank you for coming in speaking, but I just want to reiterate what Karen Haynes are community development director said that this you know the city's involvement here is about the the temporary closure the the temporary the structure that will go in place and then the financial pass-through so it's you know we're talking about guarantees that's not something that's fully within our control although it is the understanding as chief compton said that the project will be finished prior to that happening so i do want to just point that out that our our involvement our abilities here are you know limited to what they are

Absolutely and I actually do understand that obviously that pushes that even more so on to a motor and the railroads. Frankly, I mean they're search was at that point but do we do you have anything that holds them to that agreement.

Well, I would just say that we've the communication in the partnership with them is really strong and we have no reason to believe that. They wouldn't hold up with what if communicated and how the so we're confident in that partnership.

And as Mister Campbell pointed out. Several that would do probably 3 years ago at this point there was a meeting at the rec center regarding this and We've ever you know, since that point the district has been I guess assured multiple times by the project management that that'd be the case and from what I can remember in some of those discussions to and speaking with everyone from ODOT and everyone else that was something that they were and I had the feeling and the impression that that was something they were going to honor as well and

I know if they did not honor that, that they would definitely have some phone calls from several people, and I think they're very aware of that as well. Mr. Updike, did you have any particular questions for Chief? Okay. So, Chief, thank you so much for being here this evening, and thank you for speaking with us.

My pleasure. Thank you all for listening to me.

Absolutely. Okay before we move on the City Council have any further questions for miss Haynes or anyone staff that we need to work out before moving forward. And as Ms. Haynes had mentioned before, pursuant to 3.10F of the charter, staff is requesting a second reading of this ordinance during tonight's meeting. And so at this point, I need a motion and a second to approve the second reading of Bill 26-20 as substituted to be held during tonight's meeting. Got a motion and a second. So who is my motion so a motion by mr. Harder mr. Campbell second by mr. Harder We've got a motion and a second all of those in favor all of those opposed Are there any abstentions? Motion carries 6-0-0. Moving on to item number six. I need a motion and a second for the first reading of Bill 26-21 by title only, please. Motion. Second. Second.

Which second was first?

So we have a motion by Shaw and Gary is our second. So all of those in favor? All of those opposed? Are there any abstentions? Motion carries 6-0-0. Laura will read the ordinance by title please.

An ordinance of the City Council approving an amendment to the zoning classification of approximately 5.25 acres located at 2125 East Hamilton Street from Oak Court Plan Development District, PDD, to Morrill Assisted Living Plan Development District, PDD, and approving a development plan.

Thank you, Laura. And we've got Mr. Tabor here this evening to give us an overview.

Good evening. Chris Tabor, principal planner. The 5.25 acre property at 2125 East Hamilton is undeveloped and is owned by the applicant. It is currently zoned as part of the Oak Court PDD, which designates the use of the land as commercial. The applicant would like to build a memory care assisted living facility. If approved, the PDD would limit the use of the property to the specific residential care use and be built to the specifications in the applicant's development plan. The development plan includes 80 bedrooms over five separate buildings at 16 bedrooms per unit and includes an amenity center. This is a density of approximately 15.25 dwelling units per acre. The setback for the plan matched those of the R3 multifamily residential district, which are a setback of 15 feet on the front, the back, and the sides. The site is surrounded by a range of uses across developed and undeveloped properties to the north, is General Commercial C2. To the east is the Oak Court Plan Development District PDD. This area of the PDD allows for duplexes and multifamily residential uses. To the south, again, is the Oak Court Plan Development District PDD. And this area of the PDD allows for multifamily residential and commercial uses. These parcels are undeveloped. To the west, is General Commercial C2 and Medium Density Single Family Residential, R1M. The R1M portion referenced is undeveloped and exists as part of a split zoned parcel that also includes C2. And a portion of the reference General Commercial C2 zoned property is occupied by a single family home currently. The site is served by existing city water and sanitary sewer mains. Existing water, lift stations, and wastewater treatment plant facility have sufficient capacity to serve the proposed development. The project consists of only private circulation and will utilize the existing shared access along Oakwood Avenue while also creating two new access points on East Hamilton Street. No additional access will be granted off of Oakwood Avenue, and no new access will be permitted off of Farm Road 174. Stormwater from the site will go to the existing basin in Oak Court, which was built to accommodate this subject site. There are no sinkholes or floodplains on this site. Staff considers the proposed zoning map amendment to be generally consistent with the goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan, generally consistent with the trend of development in the vicinity of the site, generally compatible with surrounding land uses, and able to be adequately served by municipal utilities. Specifically, the proposed development can be adequately served by the water system, sanitary sewer services, and our transportation network. Staff is recommending approval of this application.

Thank you, Mr. Tabor. Do we have any questions, comments, concerns from City Council? Mr. Harder?

And, Chris, this is just a clarification question. The setbacks for commercial and residential are different, correct?

Yes, the setbacks are different for, yes. Okay, thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Harder. Do we have any additional? Mr. Gerke?

Is it single level, two levels, or is it just one level? I believe they're two-level buildings. Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gerke. Do we have any additional questions from City Council?

Okay.

Seeing that there are none, please remember to get with staff before the next meeting if you do have any questions. New business and second reading of ordinances. Item number, Sloan Lee, please. Motion. Motion, Council Member Harder. Second. Second, Council Member Wilson. All those in favor?

Aye.

All those opposed? Are there any abstentions? Motion carries 6-0-0. Laura, read the ordinance by title, please.

An ordinance of the City Council authorizing execution of an agreement with Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission and BNSF Railway Company for a rail crossing closure at Orr Street.

Thank you, Laura. Does City Council have any questions, comments, discussion before moving forward? Okay, seeing that there is none, we will move to final passage. I now need a motion and a second for final passage of Bill 26-20 as such. We will now take a roll call vote on our computers. So motion fails five, one to zero. Is that correct?

No, that's only if. That was just on the second.

So this is a pass, okay. My error, this motion passes five to one to zero. So at this time we'll move on to reports from staff. Mr. Harris.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone. So first off, I'd like to thank the members of the VFW for joining us this evening and for accepting the proclamation recognizing America's 250th birthday. It's quite the historic milestone and also a fun word, semi-quincentennial. Try to say that 250 times fast. But it's a great opportunity for us to reflect on the freedoms, sacrifices, and shared values that shaped our nation and our community. I also want to take a moment to thank many city employees who helped make the ribbon cutting of the loop at J.R.R. Martin a success last week. Projects like this require a lot of coordination and hard work from many departments. And so I appreciate the professionalism and dedication and teamwork that finally brought this amenity to life. And so super excited about the farmer's market. So as I said at my remarks at that ribbon cutting, that's kind of the best part of the job is getting to celebrate moments like that. So I'd also like to remind everyone that city offices will be closed on June 19th in observance of Juneteenth. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and serves as an important reminder of the ongoing pursuit of freedom, equality, and opportunity. It's another meaningful chance to reflect on our nation's history and the resilience of those who helped shape it. June is also National Safety Month. A lot going on in June. Tonight's proclamation highlights the importance of creating a culture of safety both at work and throughout our community. So I want to take a second to specifically recognize public works, streets, utilities, parks, and all the field staff who are working daily around traffic in construction zones. I've been a part of construction for most of my career, and I know even as a driver I'll get frustrated with delays and detours, but just imagine being on the other side trying to do a job in the heat while cars are whizzing past at 60 miles an hour. So I just encourage everyone to slow down, stay alert, exercise extra caution whenever we're going through those because we have a few of those work zones here in our town. Also, beginning June 22nd through June 26th, residents may notice crews throughout the community conducting field inspections, and so we're partnering with Cole and Associates on the city's ADA self-evaluation, so they'll be evaluating sidewalks, curb ramps, intersections within our public right-of-ways. So this is the first step in updating our city's ADA transition plan. And of course, the purpose of that is to help ensure that all of our public infrastructure remains accessible for all residents. I also want to encourage everyone to join us at Havablast on June 26th. I'm told that in the last two years we've been over 20,000 in terms of participants, and so because it's the semi-quincentennial, I expect that we'll have record numbers this year. So I'm optimistic and excited for that to be my first time ever being there in the mix of everything. Also, Republic Animal Control is currently offering reduced adoption fees through the end of June, and so now's the time if you've been considering adopting a pet. I also want to briefly share that we continue to advance our organizational communication strategy, and so later this year we'll see several enhancements designed to improve how we communicate, city projects, services, accomplishments, and different community information. Our goal is to provide consistent, transparent, and accessible communication, continuing to build trust and strengthen connections with the community. So these efforts are directly part of our mission of being aggressively progressive through processes, relationships, and trust. looking ahead city offices will be closed July 3rd of course for Independence Day and then lastly I'll just mention that July is National Parks and Recreation Month so given the recent opening of the loop and many recreational opportunities that are currently available this summer throughout our community it's fitting that we would recognize them and the important role that parks and recs plays in our community

uh we'll provide a fuller recognition of parks and rec in our july council meeting that concludes my report excellent thank you mr harris do we have anything from city council to report okay saying that there's none we'll move on to the mayor uh i had a whole lot of stuff written down when i ran out of ink so i'm going to kind of wing it here a little bit with my memory which isn't always the greatest at the end of the day it's better at the beginning but uh yeah going back to last weekend i started off my saturday I went down to VFW, and here they're starting a new breakfast. They're doing a lot of work down there at the VFW. And anyone that's a veteran or wants to explore membership within the VFW, it is a special fraternity of veterans, and so there are requirements on joining the VFW. At that same time, they are doing a lot of great things down there, and they're really trying to make an effort on being involved in our community. They've made a recent donation there to our new library to make sure that our food pantry was accessible to residents here in Republic. And so when I was putting this together with our 250th, I tried to think of who in Republic really understands that sacrifice and everything that it takes to maintain these freedoms. And it's the veterans at the VFW, in my opinion, and really have a firsthand look and understand that sacrifice that it takes, whether it's health or whether it's on a number of different levels and whether they're family or anyone else. And the interesting thing I learned while I was down there at the VFW was how much ownership and how much of involvement there has been in people in Republic from even when their spouse has passed on, there's still an effort to come down at the VFW and see that special fraternity of veterans that always, it's always good for us to have people to talk to and people to be around. And so in having that breakfast or having that the second Saturday of every month, you don't have to be a veteran to go down there and have breakfast with them. And so you can go down there, you can make a donation, have breakfast with these veterans on that second Saturday every month. This last breakfast was pancakes and sausage. And so we had pancakes, sausage. They got some drinks and stuff down there. But it's just a great time to come down there and spend some time with them because they would love to talk with all of us. Thank you very much for them being here this evening. The other thing I wanted to mention, as soon as I walked out of, well, actually it was on the way to that breakfast, I got to see a lot of the volunteers that were out with the Rotary this weekend in that Republic Day of Service. And I've got to tell you what, as being mayor, if you're driving through a city and you see so many different people volunteering at the Senior Center over at the The historic society, there's some trail maintenance and a lot of other things going on, but driving through Republic, even though I had to work a partial day on Saturday, seeing that really made my day and it really picked up my spirits the rest of the day, seeing how many different people in Republic really take ownership. I know they're there, it's just that was such a huge display and such a powerful display, especially with all those people that were there at the historic society giving their Saturday to make sure that that was a space that looked a little better than it did before. Please be safe on the 4th of July. Echo the sentiment that Colton had said before about being safe. The safety is a team effort from all of us. So whether it's, especially in these traffic areas where we've got a lot of people that are working, I want everyone to be able to go to the home to their family, whether they're fixing the road or whether they're driving the road. And so I just ask residents to be a little bit more aware. And I also ask residents to please be responsible on the 4th of July. If you're going to shoot off fireworks, please clean up your mess. I know that's something that some of my neighbors need help with too, and so sometimes I help them out. But just make sure that we can take care of that opportunity so that we can see those sorts of opportunities in Republic. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers that are out there. I know that's coming up. We won't get to see you before the next meeting. Just an important part of everyone's life is having that father figure. So if you have them out there, celebrate them, remember them, whatever you need with your father. Just thankful for all the fathers that are out there, whether they're our father or whether they're a father figure in someone's life. It was a great evening at the Loop. Colton had touched a little bit on that. Yeah, it was so exciting. I love those types of events where everyone gets to come out. You had mentioned being more accessible with our ADA plan and the update on that. And when you go out there to the Loop, you should see how much more accessible this park is now. As far as I'm able to walk, but if I was not able, there's a lot more area around there that's accessible. If it rains, we're not going to have to worry about mud and people not being able to come out there. It's just such a great space and I'm so happy to have that as a part for Republic moving forward. And I'm really excited to see how that works out with Have a Blast. So yeah, 20,000 people is a lot of people and I think Have a Blast is going to be one of those life-changing moments for Colton. We're happy to have you this year, especially for our 30th. And I know I'm going to be down there. I've got some family coming in as well. And so we like to make it just kind of become our event now. And so I really look forward to you being able to experience that and really feeling the community spirit that exists here in Republic. Because that, besides Pumpkin Days and those special events, that is really one of those things where the community comes together and there's a lot of great vibes going through that crowd. So looking forward to that and especially looking forward to seeing everyone there that can make it. The other thing I wanted to mention, just because our meeting is a little bit spread out, we have an OTO board meeting on July the 16th. So if anyone would like to attend that or the agenda, please let me know so that I can make arrangements. And we also have a Greene County Mayor's Association meeting coming up on July the 30th. And that could change. But if anyone is interested, let me know. And I'll keep you updated as to where our meeting will be in July. Last thing for me tonight. I spent a day today, it's another one of those days where the motions have run high for me. All the way from celebrating our 250th birthday to spending a day over with middle school students here in Republic. And so I got to spend a day with Dana Marshall's class of summer school students. And I got over there this morning and I pretty well spent all day over there. And I got some of the best questions I've had for a long time, some of the most serious questions I've had for a long time. But it was really another chance to see our future and to see all these kids that it's always such an inspiration to see them and see how they take self-responsibility and they take ownership and their learning leadership and all the great things that they're doing in the Republic School District, whether it's the teachers, the administration or the students themselves. And so in talking with them, I explained to them how I was having city council meeting this evening, and each class that came through, I asked them a couple questions. If you had something that you would like to improve in Republic, what would it be, and what's something you would like about Republic? And I told them I would share the results with you all tonight. Of course, none of them are voting age, so that was kind of one thing that we had to talk about. But in conclusion, all of the students, the middle school students, the small sampling that I got to take for the women's summer school, they love the Rush. Overwhelmingly, they love the Rush. And so, the Rush, our park system, and everything that we have, I did not hear one negative word, and overwhelmingly, across the board, they love our parks. Sports, they love to play sports. There was one ask for more places to play basketball, but dog park, that was the one ask that we don't currently have that the students thought that we needed here in Republic. As far as the bad stuff, you know, they really didn't have a lot of bad things to say. They just kind of reiterated the important things in the community, and that's keeping a handle on crime, of course, and they knew the importance of keeping crime and saying something when they see something. and also even on the social issues. It was really impressive to me on how connected middle schoolers are to some of the social issues that a lot of us deal with as an adult, and these are tiny sponges, and so I'm not going to share all of the answers, but it was great insight for me and kind of an understanding on where a lot of this stuff comes from, and a great chance for me to answer some questions and explain a few things to them. But the number one thing that was important to all of them is that we said we should respect police officers and respect their time. And so I thought that was very insightful, the fact that they knew sometimes that people will waste our time, and not to say that they waste our time, but it was another great chance for understanding on what our roles are, what the police department does, what the fire department does, what the mayor does and doesn't do. But yeah, a great time with Dana Marshall's class. And so a shout out to all those middle school students. I really enjoyed that day. And as promised, I made city council aware of their concerns. So thank you everyone for being here this evening. That is all I had for this evening. And for the meeting is adjourned. Thank you.