As 2008 draws to a close, all around the world people are looking back at what happened this past year while gazing toward the marching in of 2009. In St. Robert the story is no different. 2008 has been a year of great changes for the city and though the coming year looks to be a little less active, the focus is still the same — finding ways to make this a better community to live, work and grow a family in. St. Robert City Administrator Norman Herren said several important things have happened during the course of the past 12 months, including some major projects that will have an impact on the area for years to come. To him, the most significant project was the completion of the new sewer pump station No. 6. Three years in the making, the pump station cost about $3 million to build, and the facility's construction lends itself to uniqueness. “The station itself is all underground,” Herren explained, sharing that only a control room and an external power generator for emergency use is housed outside, and above ground, of the facility. “This actually served two purposes for us,” Herren said. “The first was that we were becoming overloaded with the old pump station No. 6. “Number two, this gives us a new pump station to service the east side of town.” A second project that carries with it the potential for further commercial development in the city happened as part of the North Town Transportation District. Another $3 million project, the district worked to expand Carson Boulevard and McKinnon Street. “What this will do for the city is add more space for commercial development,” Herren said, noting that what makes this project unique is that the city and transportation district are working together to make it a reality. A third project in 2008 dealt with an ongoing initiative to maintain city water towers. Well No. 2 was in need of replacement or serious repair, and St. Robert voted to have a restoration company come in and address the tower’s needs. The move saved about $900,000 because replacement of the tower would have hit the $1 million range. Restoration only cost about $115,000. And keeping in mind future growth, the city took some preemptive steps by having chlorination pipes and supporting systems put in place. “At some point in the future, it will be necessary to chlorinate the water,” Herren said. “Every time we go inside a tower to repair it, we had them go in and add the plumbing for chlorination.” Though the day for using that system hasn’t arrived yet, by doing the work now, the city is saving money and preparing for what’s to come. Herren emphasized that chlorinated water would not be in running water supplies, and added that it has to sit for awhile as part of the process. LOOKING AHEAD St. Robert’s infrastructure also made the list of significant projects to happen in 2009. More specifically, the sewer system has received some attention. “A lot of the infrastructure is getting older,” Herren said. “One of the thing would be sewer lines.” The treatment facility has a capability to treat 1 million gallons a day. Currently, the facility treats about 600,000 gallons on a normal day. But regulations mean the city has to be aware of how much product is being placed in the treatment facility, and an influx in infiltration rain means they have to be cautious. Herren said the main challenge now is a heavy rainfall, like the one seen this past weekend, means additional water being introduced to the system, which can make it difficult to not exceed the current facility’s capacity. Starting in the new year, the city will “plan and have goals to reduce the amount of infiltration that goes into the system,” Herren said. To accomplish that, St. Robert has purchased a machine with a video camera on tracks. The camera has the capability of going directly into the sewer lines through a man hole. Controlled remotely, it can travel the lengths of the city, and a moveable head videos everything it sees. “With this camera we’re going to see what kind of condition our infrastructure is in,” Herren said. The camera will allow crews to pinpoint exactly where a crack or an obstruction might be, resulting in fewer instances of tearing up property in search of a problem. “It will eventually save us thousands of dollars in repairs,” Herren said. In addition, another purchase will allow the department to patch pipes from the inside. “This should save us, in the long run, a tremendous amount of money without having to tear property up,” he said. The city has plans to start at the front gate of Fort Leonard Wood and work its way down Missouri Avenue to the new pump station No. 6 and eventually expanded into other chunks of the city. The project will be one that goes on for years, but it will allow the city to upgrade its sewer lines without having to replace each one of them. Parks and recreation will also look forward to new equipment and several upgrades. Herren noted that the Chamber of Commerce did a survey which revealed that many residents wanted more places to host family activities. To help meet the need, the city is adding several things to its park system and improving others. “We should start here in a the next few weeks with building a fishing pond,” he said. New walking trail have also been identified in the area and Bosa Park will see some new playground equipment that has already been purchased and just needs to be installed. Included in next year’s plans is a new sewer pump station which will eliminate three older pump stations. The replacement will use gravity to bring materials to the facility, and it will allow the city to service some undeveloped property on the west side of Missouri Ave. Streets will also receive some attention, although it will be mainly focused on repairs and maintenance instead of the tearing up and replacing that was widespread in 2008. “Our main focus for next year is to upgrade our street system,” Herren said. Approximately $400,000 is set a aide for asphalt overlay and patch work. Adding to the coming work is the addition of three new hotels in the area. Two are already under construction, and a third hotel has had plans approved, but hasn’t begun the construction process yet. Two grants will also provide some funds to the city for infrastructure improvements. The first, a $500,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) will provide lighting along Missouri Ave. “There’s very little street lights on Missouri Ave. from Fort Leonard Wood to I-44,” Herren said. Though construction won’t begin until 2010, engineering plans will start this year. MoDOT will pay for half of the project, about $250,000, while St. Robert will cover the remaining $250,000 expense. The second grant will provide money for the construction of sidewalks on St. Robert Blvd. from the Highway Y intersection to a new section of street near Security Bank. Construction completed since 2001 has included sidewalks, but construction before that year did not, Herren noted. That approximate $480,000 project will be shared equally by MoDOT and the North Town Transportation District, with the city overseeing and supervising the engineering. “We are focusing on the future,” Herren said. “We have really made a lot of strides in our park system, and I think that will be a main focus in the years to come.” Additional plans for parks and recreation include a volleyball sand court, a horseshoe pit and added green space, which will provide many uses. A new community room facility will also get underway as the next major municipal center project, although it won’t be done until the municipal court project is completed. The city also hopes to find a permanent location for driver’s testing and to continue to reduce lift stations around the area.