Storage buildings may be on Ash Grove horizon if variance granted

Local dentist Dr. Tanner Rust asked the Ash Grove Board of Aldermen at their May 6 meeting for a variance on city code so that he might build a storage business on the south and east side of Eagle Stop on Highway 160.
Rust asked that the requirement of asphalt be dropped, as asphalt makes the proposition likely undoable.
The board informed Rust that the matter would have to go before the Ash Grove Planning and Zoning Board first, for their recommendation. Although no decision was given to Rust, alderman Jerry Kane did say that the area has such a slope that asphalt might make flooding an issue, and that it might be in the best interest of the city to grant the variance.
The proposed site is 3 acres total and would have an entryway off Maple Lane on the west side of the property, just north of Beck’s Auto.
In the early moments of the meeting, aldermen Bill Wagner and Pat Hurley  were sworn in to their positions by City Clerk Melissa Mau, as a result of the April 2 election. Both were incumbents to their seats.
Alderman Troy Watts was named President of the Board as voted on by his fellow aldermen.
The board also had an unexpected group of visitors for the meeting, the Greene County Commission—Bob Dixon, Harold Bengsch and John Russell—and four staff members from the Greene County office.
The group attended in an effort to better connect with Greene County municipalities, an action they’ve taken in years past.
In other action during the meeting, the board voted 4-0 to:
- Reimburse Mike and Carrie Long $252.50 for a city water issue where the city was at fault.
- Appoint Dan Downing to the Ash Grove Planning and Zoning Board.
- Contract with Cintas for uniforms.
- Enter into an agreement with SOCS, Simplified Online Communication System.