Sunset Hills welcomes three new aldermen to the eight-member board this week following April elections. The incoming aldermen are new to public service, but they are all longtime residents of Sunset Hills.
Christine Lieber of Ward 2, Randy Epperson of Ward 3 and Fred Daues of Ward 4 were sworn in during a virtual Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, April 27. The trio took over the positions of, respectively, former Aldermen Steve Bersche, Nathan Lipe and Mark Colombo.
Voters had competitive races in all the city’s wards besides Ward 1.
In Ward 2, Lieber defeated Southwest Area Chamber of Commerce board President Marie Davis 58.42 percent to 41.58 percent; in Ward 3, Epperson defeated local business owner Andrew Tolch 56.1 percent to 43.9 percent; while in Ward 4, Daues overcame Bruce Studer 75.14 percent to 24.86 percent.
Missouri American Water has agreed to make changes to its new water tower in Sunset Hills, but city officials disagree over whether they have the power to make those legally binding on the utility.
Mayor Pat Fribis broke a 4-4 tie in January to grant Missouri American a conditional-use permit for a new larger tower at 11832 Sappington Barracks Road, directly north of the existing tower.
The new tower will be 105 feet tall with an 82-foot diameter and hold 1.5 million gallons, compared to the current tower at 95 feet with a 60-foot diameter that holds 250,000 gallons.
The taller elevated tank will be the largest tower of its kind in St. Louis County and serve more of South County than the current tower, roughly 110,000 residents south of Interstate 44, west of the River des Peres and northwest of Interstate 55. The location in Sunset Hills is key, the company says, due to its proximity to the South Water Treatment Plant at 12710 Maurer Drive.
Sunset Hills voters will weigh use tax, three competitive April races callnewspapers.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from callnewspapers.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Marie Davis and Christine Lieber are vying to replace Sunset Hills Ward 2 Alderman Steve Bersche in the upcoming election April 6.
Davis, 73, 9405 Parklind Drive, is an entrepreneur who has been working with nonprofit companies. She spent 20 years as executive director for the JDRF Foundation and is a volunteer for several businesses.
Davis attended the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University to study business management for nonprofit organizations. For nine years, she was an adjunct professor in the University of Missouri and St. Louis Community College systems teaching entrepreneurship and other business courses.
She is the board president of the Southwest Area Chamber of Commerce, board secretary for the Sunset Hills Conservation Foundation and board member for the Mary Culver Home for Visually Impaired Women.
Missouri American Water will construct a new, larger water tower on Sappington Barracks Road in Sunset Hills after Mayor Pat Fribis broke a tie for a conditional-use permit over fears of a lawsuit, despite the objections of neighbors.
The new larger tower will help provide water for South County south of Interstate 44 to the River des Peres and northwest of Interstate 55.
Fribis broke the tie for the tower after the Board of Aldermen deadlocked 4-4 in a special meeting Jan. 26. Ward 1 Aldermen Ann McMunn and Joe Stewart, Ward 3 Alderman Cathy Friedmann and Ward 2 Alderman Casey Wong voted against the CUP, while Ward 2 Alderman Steve Bersche, Ward 3 Alderman Nathan Lipe and Ward 4 Aldermen Thompson Price and Mark Colombo voted for it. Fribis called for the meeting after aldermen rejected the CUP in a 4-3 vote earlier this month.