There has been a recent development in Downtown Trenton. Trenton Mayor Jackie Soptic says she is “really proud” of the downtown.
She reports she worked with the Trenton Downtown Improvement Association for years and encouraged it to join the Missouri Main Street Connection. She wanted the association to start development according to the program’s principles and guidelines.
The Trenton Downtown Improvement Association has had a relationship with Missouri Main Street for a few years now. Soptic says it is yielding results.
Mayor Soptic acknowledges Trenton has had some challenges through the years.
There are always challenges, and people have to take them one at a time and try to work through them as best they can. She believes the city can overcome or solve almost any challenge or problem that comes its way.
Soptic sees the city’s biggest challenges as a mindset and thinking the city can.
Trenton has had “bad hits” over the years that have caused things to change for the worse. However, she notes other towns have also had challenges.
Soptic says the city has an opportunity through federal funds to get 90% of the cost paid for a hangar project at the Trenton Municipal Airport.
The city went out for bid to build a four, six, or eight-bay hangar, and the city council voted June 24th to build a six-bay hangar. A bid from Nail Excavating of Bethany was accepted at $815,651.
The vote was six in favor and one opposed. Calvin Brown cast the no vote.
The bid and contract with Nail Excavating is subject to review and approval by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The city’s cost would be $112,660.
Soptic says she did not know as much about the airport before becoming mayor as she does now. She comments she has heard a lot of talk about the airport. She wants to get rid of the misconception that it is a hobby airport and that it is just for people who like to fly planes and need a place to park them.
She received a call from Airport Manager Wes Barone a few weeks ago, and he said the Kansas City International Airport called him. KCI asked what was going on in Trenton and that Trenton’s airport had three jets on the ground.
Trenton’s airport gets used a lot, and that day it was extra busy, which got the attention of KCI.
Prior to the city council’s vote on the hangar project, the mayor said she hoped the council would feel it was a good investment of tax money.
An Industrial Park Task Force has been created for Trenton. Trenton Mayor Jackie Soptic explains the group’s purpose is to provide the city council with at least three recommendations regarding what the city should do with land it owns that is currently not being used to its full potential.
Soptic appointed Duane Urich, Marvin Humphreys, Scott Wilson, Scott Sharp, Chris Hoffman, and Lauren Dannar to the task force.
The group met once to go over what its tasks were. Soptic says a second meeting has not yet been called.
Two plots of 40 acres of land are not all suitable for development.
The biggest hurdle for more than 20 years has been getting water and sewer infrastructure to the property.
The Trenton City Council recently officially adopted a wage scale.
Trenton Mayor Jackie Soptic said on June 24th that, out of necessity, the city had to address different departments to elevate wages to attract employees.
The targeted efforts to increase wages in departments to stabilize them proved that people “really do work for money,” and public service is “a great thing to do.” She said people have to be paid a living wage and a competitive wage.
What does the adoption of the wage schedule do?
Throughout the process of creating the wage scale, the city tried to be “very transparent” and have department heads share information with their employees, answer questions, make revisions, and be responsive.
Some employees, particularly Utility Department staff and city hall, “really resisted” the adoption of the wage schedule.
The Trenton City Council adopted an infill housing program a few months ago.
Mayor Soptic explains the program.
Soptic says if the city can get people investing and building, then it would be more apt to “aggressively acquire” property if the city thought it could turn around the property and give it to a developer for a house to be built.
There has been some movement, but she would like to “take it to the next level.”
Those interested should call the Trenton City Hall and ask for Building Inspector Wes Barone or City Administrator Ron Urton to get information on specific addresses or lot sizes.
