Richardson said last month the property became expendable when Perryville sold its water and sewer department to Danville. The building had been used to that point as a storage and maintenance facility for the water department.
Resident having problems with storm runoff from Mr. Miser
In unrelated problems, the council heard Smith Street resident Georgeanne Edwards talk about two concerns: storm runoff and vandalism.
She said her property has fallen victim to flooding problems due to what she called runoff water from the Mr. Miser convenience store parking lot, and plans by the owners of that facility for more construction have her worried.
Edwards brought pictures of flooding in her back yard to the council members, and said she had become even more concerned after her research revealed she may be the unwilling recipient of gasoline and antifreeze spills.
"When it rains, the water pours off their parking lot and down an alley right into my yard, and there is nowhere else for it to drain," she said. "I'm asking if there is any assistance you can give me with this problem," she said.
City attorney Bill Stevens addressed Edwards' concerns by offering her his view of potential remedies, prefacing his remarks by saying he also does private work for Mr. Miser. Stevens said the city would be hard-pressed to impose drainage solutions in that area because it could involve directing the runoff to the Chaplin River, and recent environmental restrictions against that procedure could mean the city would be handcuffed.
Landowner can take civil action
He advised Edwards that legal precedent exists for one landowner to take civil action against another landowner with regard to runoff.
"There is a long history in our law of property owners not being allowed to let their runoff affect other property owners," he said. "There is also the issue of clean water restraints. If the runoff is getting into the river or the sewer system, then the environmental agencies might be an avenue to pursue."
Stevens said since the water and sewer system is owned by the city of Danville, that city's regulatory agencies would be responsible for determining if the runoff is infiltrating the sewer system as well as undertaking possible remedial action.
With regard to a "spike" in vandalism in Perryville recently, Richardson told Edwards that the council is in the process of examining the city's budget now that the water system has been sold, and is looking for a way to add a second police officer.
