Page 8A — TUESDAY, August 5, 2008
Neighborhood delayed
The debate over a new
north-central group is
postponed to Oct. 6.
By KOURTNEY GEERS
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Ninety minutes of debate about
a second proposed neighbor-
hood association in north-cen-
tral Columbia kicked off the City
Council meeting Monday night,
leading the council to postpone
its decision to the Oct. 6 meet-
ing.
The request was from the
North Central Columbia Busi-
ness District, which intends to
represent the business and com-
mercial interests in north-cen-
tral Columbia in the form of a
neighborhood association.
The item was on the agenda
for the July 21 meeting but was
tabled because of the district’s
request to amend its application
submitted to the council. The
change was to recognize it as a
neighborhood association rather
than a business district.
Phebe La Mar, an attorney rep- group in any other neighborhood Columbia Neighborhood Association want to
resenting many of the business- association who does not want to form their own neighborhood association,
es, said, “There are a number work with an existing organiza- which they would call a business district.
of things that a neighborhood
association is allowed to do that
a business organization is not
allowed to do.”
La Mar cited being able to be
included in the city’s budget,
which business organizations
are not allowed to do, as one of
the reasons for the requested
change.
The proposed neighborhood
association would overlap with
the North Central Columbia
Neighborhood Association —
causing debate.
This is not prohibited by the
city’s neighborhood organization
policy, yet some members of the
existing north-central neighbor-
hood association such as Linda
Rootes, its president, see this as
a problem.
In an e-mail dated Aug. 4, Roo-
tes said: “Recognition of this
organization as an alternative
neighborhood association would
open the door to any splinter
BREAKING AWAY
Business owners within the North Central
tion which has been recognized
by the city council. The develop-
ers would love the confusion and
chaos that would result from that
precedent.”
The root of the problem seems
to lie in the policies of the city, as
noted by Fourth Ward Council-
man Jerry Wade.
“I think we find ourselves in
this situation in that our lack of
focus and priority in our poli-
cies and definitions has created
a very difficult question of how
this issue can be resolved,” Wade
said.
It was proposed that the group
be considered to be a business
district, keeping in mind that the
council may give it more rights
in the future.
La Mar said that she couldn’t
speak for the entire North Cen-
tral Columbia Business District,
but would present the idea and
return with more information in Source: CITY OF COLUMBIA
October.
Columbia Missourian
MAP AREA Resource
system
70
63
BUSIN
ESS L
OOP 70
to be
T
explained
TREE
North Central
Columbia
TH S
Neighborhood
FAY ST.
Association
EIGH
WILKE
S BLV
D. The city is considering
an electronic
Boundaries of proposed Community Issues
North Central Columbia
Business District Management system.
ROG
ERS ST. By KOURTNEY GEERS
COLLEGE AVENUE
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
As mentioned by City Man-
PROVIDENCE ROAD
ager Bill Watkins in his budget
message last week, the city will
PARK AVENUE be moving forward with the
TENTH ST.
ASH ST.
recommendation to consider
funding an electronic Commu-
N nity Issues Management sys-
WALNUT ST.
1000 FEET tem, or CIM.
A meeting on this topic will
MISSOURIAN occur on Wednesday night,
where information about the
system will be presented by
leaders of CIM to leaders of
Columbia. Seventy-five of the
city’s leaders were invited, and
45 plan to attend.
Watkins said in his budget
speech that this system would
“greatly improve our ability to
put resources where they can
make the biggest impact.”
Steve Hollis, manager of com-
munity services, said that this
system has not been purchased
yet, but if it were, it would allow
groups to better manage data
and make policy decisions.
The CIM system was devel-
oped at MU from a project led by
Christopher Fulcher, co-direc-
tor of the Center for Applied
Research and Environmental
Systems, and has been used by
four other cities in the nation.
Watkins said in his budget mes-
sage that he wants Columbia to
be the fifth city equipped with
the system.
According to CIM’s Web site,
it is a wide-reaching, “web-
based system where organi-
zations use tools and data to
frame, manage and take action
on complex issues.”
It also facilitates conversa-
tions between members of the
community and organizations.
The system would be fund-
ed by an infrastructure grant
from the Missouri Foundation
for Health.
Watkins also noted that in this
process, the city would partner
with MU, the United Way and
“other key human service part-
ners.”
Shots fired
in robbery
attempt;
2 injured
Police report multiple
complaints about
early morning shots.
By DANIEL SHAR
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Two people were shot dur-
ing an attempted robbery early
Monday morning in northeast
Columbia, a Boone County
Sheriff’s Department news
release said.
A 31-year-old male was shot
in the abdomen and a 23-year-
old female was shot in the arm.
Both were taken to University
Hospital. The woman was listed
in stable condition while the
man was in critical condition,
according to the release.
“We haven’t been able to talk
to him (yet),” Capt. Gary Ger-
man said. “I think he’s going
to be a good source of informa-
tion.”
Deputies received multiple
complaints of shots fired around
1:47 a.m. in the 700 block of
Demaret Drive. German said
both victims were asleep when
two male suspects wearing ban-
danas over their faces forced
the apartment door open and
demanded money. The suspects
then took the two occupants of
the home outside at gunpoint, at
which point the victims tried to
escape. The suspects shot the
victims and fled the scene in an
unknown direction.
It is unclear at this time
whether both suspects were
armed.
“We’re kind of getting con-
flicting reports on that,” Ger-
man said.
Contact the Boone County
Sheriff’s Department at 875-
1111 or CrimeStoppers at 875-
TIPS with any information.