BY LUCIE KRISMAN
Eudora's new Casey's General Store will have its official closing on or before April 15, City Manager Barack Matite told the Eudora City Commission at its meeting Monday.
The new closing date is part of an amendment to the city's purchase agreement with Casey's that commissioners approved Monday. Matite said the amendment will allow time for the city to fulfill the infrastructure obligations necessary for the Nottingham site to operate.
Casey's will be the first commercial occupant of the Nottingham Center property. Public Works Director Branden Boyd said the redevelopment project is well underway, with infrastructure improvements beginning within the last couple of weeks and demolishment on the purchased 1504 Elm St. property set to occur in early 2021.
"They started stripping some top soil today and we've been working on that sanitary sewer since basically the day after Thanksgiving," Boyd said. "We won't tear the house down until after the new year, probably the first week we come back."
The commission also approved an ordinance adjusting the city code for fireworks. City management analyst Jeff Rhodes presented the changes to the city code, which were discussed during a work session at a previous meeting.
The ordinance establishes that fireworks can be sold and discharged starting at 10 a.m. from July 1 to July 4 and it adjusts the end time for fireworks sales from midnight to 11 p.m. on July 3 and July 4 and the end time for discharge of fireworks from midnight to 11:30 p.m. on July 3 and July 4.
The amended regulations for fireworks in the city also prohibits igniting or discharging fireworks into, under, or from any vehicle, on a public roadway or within 100 feet of any place where fireworks are sold or stored.
The city fireworks committee recommended the changes due to concerns surrounding how disruptive celebrations on July 4 were this year and wanting to minimize disruption from fireworks in 2021. City staff have been discussing possible changes to the city’s fireworks policy since July 13. Additional information about the changes can be found in the meeting packet from Nov. 23.
In other news, the City Commission approved a grant agreement for a new moderate-income housing project and a new patrol unit for the Police Department.
The grant agreement between the city and Kansas Housing Resources will provide $200,000 to build three new affordable homes in Eudora in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity as well as provide down payment assistance for two families to purchase homes in Eudora with the help of Tenants to Homeowners.
Both Matite and Mayor Tim Reazin also thanked city staff for their help in managing the city during COVID-19 and keeping spirits up in the city during the holidays.
“It’s been a trying year,” Matite said. “I think there’s only better days ahead of us.”
The City Commission will next meet Dec 28. Instructions on how to attend remotely will be posted to the city's website.
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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