The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

The Osage Beach Elementary School that is currently under construction on Nichols Rd. in Osage Beach has raised concerns about the deterioration of the road and potential dangers that may surface. The city is seeking ways to head off any problems with the road before the school opens in 2015. (Reporter photo by Dale Johnson)

 

 

Published August 13, 2014

Options weighed for ‘deteriorating’ Nichols Road

 

By Jeff Thompson
OSAGE BEACH - City officials are leaning toward the creation of a new connecting road to help relieve potential problems with Nichols Road.

The Board of Aldermen discussed options for the Nichols dilemma at its regular meeting last Thursday night.

Public Director Nick Edelman presented five options to the board in response to an earlier discussion the aldermen had at its May 15 meeting.

At that time Alderman Steve Kahrs said portions of Nichols Road had deteriorated to be point of being dangerous and needed to be addressed, especially since Nichols is the site of the new Osage Beach Elementary School scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2015.

“There is no bigger priority than Nichols Road,” Kahrs had said. “There’s no need to wait until the school is done to wait for a problem to occur.”

The aldermen quickly focused on the fifth option, the creation of a connecting road between Nichols and Three Seasons Road.

According to Edelman, approximately 25 percent of the children that will attend the new school live off State Route KK and Three Seasons Road.

“These children could be brought to school through the proposed Three Seasons-Nichols Road connector to reduce traffic load if traffic volumes are a concern on Nichols Road,” Edelman said in a report to the board

The connecting two-lane road project would initially cost approximately $3.5 million and take a minimum of 24 months to complete, according to Edelman’s report.

However, he noted that the land needed for the project would be donated to the city, reducing the project to approximately $2.13 million.

The participation of the landowner would be critical to the project, Alderman John Olivarri said, while Edelman said that the Camdenton R-III School District might donate the easement in front of the new school.

In addition, the public works director pointed out that the city could install a water line along the proposed road that would connect the Three Seasons system to the Dude Ranch Road system and possibly a sewer line (although that would add to the cost of the overall project).

Funding for the project would come from separate city transportation, water and sewer budgets, Edelman said, and the water and sewer lines would add to the development probability of the land.

Alderman Kahrs wholeheartedly endorsed the connecting road option.

“I think it makes a lot of sense,” he said.

Alderman Kevin Rucker said Nichols Road should be a priority for the city.

“It’s number two on our big (road) project list,” Rucker said about Nichols Road, “but now it’s got a school on it.”

Both Aldermen Phyllis Marose and Tom Walker agreed.

“Obviously Nichols Road is a very, very important area,” Walker said, while Marose suggested adding a turn lane to the proposed connecting road.

Olivarri asked what would happen to the Nichols Road situation.

“If we work on the connector, do we need to do any work on Nichols?” Olivarri said.

Kahrs had pointed out at the May 15 meeting that portions of the road are “drifting” - a slow shifting of the base - and that the problem is getting worse.

In addition, a map created by the Public Works Department showing the proposed road noted that a curve on Nichols does not meet the city design guidelines for a 30 mile-per-hour road: fixing the curve was one of the five options and would cost approximately $98,000.

The Camdenton R-III School District held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Osage Beach Elementary School in November of 2013.

The new school is estimated to cost approximately $20 million and could handle up to 450 students, according to the school district.

Funding for the new school was achieved when voters approved a “no tax increase” bond issue in April of 2013.

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