City Council Decides to Leave Krekel Fence As Is

At last week's city council work session, council members debated about what to do with the fencing around the city-owned Krekel House.

The structure, which is the O'Fallon's oldest, was constructed in 1856. The city purchased the home in 2007 in order to restore it back to its original form.

Councilman Jim Pepper requested the discussion because of problems he was encountering with the fence interfering with sight distance at the intersection.

"When the Main Street pavement was overlaid, the crosswalk was shifted and made it more difficult to see traffic," said Public Works Director Steve Bender.

He offered three options: to leave it as it is, to move a portion of it out of the way, or to move the entire fence to the city-mandated 25 foot setback from the curb.

"That doesn't leave a lot of yard," he said.

Councilman Bill Gardner asked why there should be a a special project for this one location when the city had multiple locations with the same issue.

Pepper said that he wasn't pushing for 25 feet, that five feet would be sufficient for a sight line, and questioned the estimate for cost. "Two thousand dollars? C’mon—you just need a post hole digger."

Councilman John Haman suggested that the fence be replaced with low-growing bushes, which would also serve to draw more attention to the house itself.

Bender said that the landscaping could be looked at, and the council, with the exception of Pepper, voted to leave the fence alone.