Ash Grove Chief of Police Davis to retire, old fire station receives new life

The retirement of Ash Grove Police Chief John Davis was indirectly announced at the regularly scheduled board of aldermen meeting March 17.
 
Among other announcements, the city provided information on a slew of changes to the local park, some of which have already been completed. Changes will be coming for the city’s former fire station, as well, as Mayor Caleb Smith announced they will begin work on the building with the goal of it being the future city police department.
 
Also during the meeting, the board approved the purchase of a retirement gift for Davis, who had made no public announcement that he planned to step away. Smith stated that the cost of this gift will be around $1,000 and will be purchased through local businesses.
 
City Park upgrades
The board also discussed extensive work on the city park in an effort to update the recreation areas that had fallen into disrepair.
 
The city purchased two basketball goals in the amount of $5,126, which they plan to use for a new court where one of the tennis courts currently stands. The remaining court will be made available for pickleball while the pad where the current basketball court stands will be repurposed, either for pickleball or another endeavor. The city also purchased nets for the pickleball courts in the amount of $726, after delivery and installation.
 
The city also announced that the carriage house received new drywall and paint in order to accommodate the bikers that often use it as a rest stop. This cost $1,600. It was also stated that the volleyball court was to be revamped with sand and fence installation. The carriage house work has already been completed, according to City Clerk Melissa Mau.
 
Fire station to police station
The board also announced that they will begin undertaking work on the old fire station, on North Piper Road, with the goal of retrofitting the building to serve as the police station. As of now, the city has hired SL Design at a price of $2,337 to revamp the floorplan of the building and deliver a rendering. They have also contracted Chris Garber to complete the internal demolition work needed to ready the building for its new occupants.
 
 
In other business
- The board approved multiple new street lights for use at the tennis courts, South Turk Avenue and Murray Street, Northview Terrace, Creekside Meadows and the bridge on Maple Lane.
- The board also set a study session to discuss how the recent changes to the state minimum wage will impact the budget, specifically from pool staff wages, which are no longer exempt.