A section of the long-vacant Hawthorn School property on Central Avenue between Francis Street and Blanche Street may soon be the site of a new business.
The only piece of new business on the Carthage City Council’s agenda on Tuesday is the rezoning of the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Francis Street from E, “second dwelling” to D, “local business” as requested by Casey’s Marketing Co.
The minutes of the City Council’s Public Works Committee mentions that Public Works Director Zeb Carney informed members of that committee last Tuesday that the construction of a Casey’s General Store convenience store would go before the Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation Committee on Feb. 17.
The minutes of that meeting showed that Carney presented the maps and plans for a Casey’s Convenience Store on the northeast corner of Central and Francis.
JoAnne Dyar and Teresa Lee, with Casey’s Marketing out of Iowa, told the Planning board that MoDOT has approved the driveways for the store.
The Planning board’s minutes show that Board member Betty Kinnison voiced concern about another store in that area selling liquor but Dyar and Lee said liquor sales from Casey’s stores was a small percentage of their sales and that food was the largest seller from inside the store.
The Planning board voted to recommend the rezoning.
In other business, the council will give final consideration to a proposal to allow a person from outside the city limits but who is still a customer of Carthage Water and Electric Plant to be on the Carthage Tree Board.
The Tree Board monitors trees in the parks and public right-of-ways in the city and was created to satisfy the requirements to become a “Tree City USA,” as designated by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
City Parks Director Alan Bull has said he’s had trouble finding people willing to serve on the board. He said a few people who live just outside the city have expressed an interest in serving but current ordinance prohibits people who live outside the city limits from serving.
The board is authorized to have five members. The ordinance change would allow one of those to be someone who lives within five miles of the city limits.
