Archive for 2017

The Salem Park Board met Thursday night at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. Parks and Recreation Director Tye Lydon reported that last year, 85 boys and girls signed up for youth basketball for the 2016-17 season. As of meeting time on Thursday, 77 children had been registered. Late registration will run through November 30th. Participants will be charged an additional $10/participant. Lydon updated the board on the inventory of baseball and softball equipment and supplies. Lydon stated Don Smith fixed the jugs machines saving the Park Board about $3,000 to $5,000 for a new machine. Lydon then proposed a special opening ceremonies event for all the kids that participate in the baseball/softball leagues. He proposed switching our shirt sponsors from one major sponsor to having different business sponsor the teams. At the City Fields, a Park and Recreation Board member would announce every child and the team they are on. The team would then hold the banner of the sponsor representing their team to get team pictures taken with a representative of the business in the team photo if they want. The board liked the idea and Lydon will finalize the plans. Lydon updated the board on the improvements at the park including new LED lights in the bathrooms, in the concessions stand, the two rentable pavilions along with new GFCI fixtures. Lydon showed the board pictures taken with his drone of the Alice Lou Craig Municipal Pool that showed a lot of the work that had been done. He also explained that Westport Pools had removed some of the piping in the pump and filter room as they were redoing the pool drainage area. The Park Board reviewed color options for the amenities that are being added to the pool and made suggestions that will be presented to Westport Pools. The board discussed the proposed work to be done on the bath house and how the pool and bathhouse would be financed. City Administrator Ray Walden was in attendance and discussed the Certificates of Participation that would have to be secured to pay for the work at the pool. Park Board President Stan Podorski discussed the impacts of each possible scenario on future projects on the Park and Recreation Budget from this financing. With all the information presented, the board approved to recommend to the Board of Aldermen to finance the work on the pool and pool house with funds received from the Certificates of Participation for 1.7 million dollars and be paid back over a 25-year period. The meeting was then adjourned.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is holding an online public meeting to share information about an upcoming project that will replace two bridges on Dent County Route F –MoDOT is seeking input from the public about this project online at: www.modot.org/central. At the webpage, area residents can find out information and make comments about the project. The online public meeting will run now through December 1st. The Dry Fork Creek bridge is located approximately one mile north of Route E and the Holt Creek bridge is located approximately a mile south of Highway 32. Construction is scheduled to take place between mid-March and mid-August of 2018. During construction Route F will be closed at each bridge location. The Holt Creek bridge will be constructed first, followed by the bridge over Dry Fork Creek. Construction will not begin on the Dry Fork Creek bridge until the Holt Creek bridge is completed. Signed detours will direct traffic to alternate routes around each closure. The roadway will be closed to traffic from Highway 32 to Route E near the location of each bridge during construction. The total project cost is an estimated $871,000. If you would like more information or to comment on the project, please contact Transportation Project Manager Danica Stovall-Taylor at (573) 526-8099.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports for Monday, November 13th. The first report deputies responded to was in the 4000 block of Dent County Road 2050 for a report of a burglary. It was reported that a residence had been broken into and drawers and cabinets had been gone through. This report is still under investigation. Later that day, deputies responded to the 45000 block of Highway 72 for a report of property damage. Deputies met with the property owner and were shown the inside of a rental property that had been damaged, including several fists sized holes in the wall and doors ripped off the wall. The property owner valued the damage at $4,650. Charges are being sought on the renter. If you have any information regarding any investigation, call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education met Thursday night for their regular meeting. Superintendent John McCulloch allowed the building principals to report on the parent-teachers conferences and they all said they went very well. Assistant Superintendent John Smith gave the report on the Annual Performance Report and Salem scored a 98.6% which is the highest in the SCA Conference and the highest ever at Salem. That is up from the 97.1% score set year. This is the second straight year Salem has led the SCA Conference with their APR score. Keith McCarty from RTI in Rolla was in attendance to present an award to Salem High School junior Scilar Gibbs, a student at RTI in the Health Science Academy. Gibbs created a logo for the Health Organization Student Association (better known as HOSA) that was entered in a statewide contest. It was voted on and received over 50% of the votes and was chosen to represent the logo for the state of Missouri. The logo will be on the state pins, t-shirts and banners. It will also be utilized to represent Missouri in the national contest. The building principals all gave their building reports before High School Principal Marty Anderson discussed with the school board about creating a Construction Trades Program at the Salem High School. The program would be funded from donations, state grants and fundraising projects and would not receive money from the school general revenue funds. This would be relevant technical training that would be done on existing community housing projects that are determined by an advisory committee for students to learn and perfect their skills. This could also create post-secondary pipelines for the student. Anderson said the program startup costs would $25,000 for tools that can be increased to $100,000 as the school could apply for a grant for another $75,000, $30,000 for a truck and trailer, and $55,000 for a teacher and their benefits. The total set up costs comes to $115,000. Anderson said he is looking for six students the first year. This program would not change the contract with RTI, but those construction students currently at RTI would move to the Salem campus allowing students interested in other courses to take their place. Anderson reported there has already been a gift of $150,000 for the first year with other commitments for three to five years from other sources. Donations could also be made to the program where scholarships could be established in people’s name. The school board approved the program pending all needed funding was secured. The board approved the audit report for the last school year from Matt James that showed the schools finances in good shape. The board also approved board of education candidate filing dates of December 12th through January 16th. The board approved policy update 2017C and accepted the resignation of the ECSE director, Stephanie Floyd at the end of the 2017-2018 school year. The board went into closed session where they discussed student discipline issues before adjourning.

An accident occurred Saturday afternoon at 12:29 on Dent County Road 6190 about 3½ miles south of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2007 Ford F-150 driven by 23-year old Jesus Frausto of Salem, failed to negotiate a curve and traveled off the right side of the roadway. The Ford struck a tree and came to rest. Frausto suffered minor injuries and was transported to Salem Memorial Hospital by Salem Ambulance. Frausto was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Ford was totaled and towed from scene by Whitakers Towing of Salem.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report both District One and District Two said they are operating short men on their crews due to vacations. District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell reported that grading would be done and materials would be added to Dent County Roads 6410 and 6420, while grading only would be done on county road 6110 and 2400. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that grading would be done and materials would be added to Dent County Road 4030, plus brush would be cut on county road 2020. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported that at last Thursday’s MRPC meeting Angela Rolufs, from Missouri Science and Technology, and Pete Karnowski, of Burns and McDonald, presented information about the wood waste study they are conducting on behalf of the Missouri Forest Products Association. The study is looking at possible uses of surplus sawdust, with the foremost use being conversion to natural gas for electricity generation. They presented information and a map noting that Dent County had the most surplus sawdust in South Central Missouri. They pointed out that South Central and South East Missouri’s surplus sawdust piles are actually limiting the expansion of milling operations. They also noted that Fort Leonard Wood, DOE Run mining, and municipalities are potential users of the electricity. Skiles also reminded Dent County residents of the comment period for the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Roads and Trails Management Plan, which closes December 15th. There are three options, and they propose the closing of some roads and trails. Interested citizens can go online to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/OZAR_RT to view the proposed plan options. Detailed maps can also be viewed at the Salem Public Library. Skiles noted that there will be no Commissioners meeting next week due to the Commissioners and several office holders attending the Missouri Association of Counties Conference on Monday and the Thanksgiving Holiday Thursday. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that bills were being approved for payment and that her office would be receiving an Election Efficiency Grant for $2,645.16 from the State of Missouri as part of the Help America Vote Act. The grant is to be used for election equipment maintenance and election activities. FEMA representative Amanda Narey was in to assist the Commissioners in closing the process on the two grants from last springs flood damage in District One and District Two. Curt Faigle was by to visit about the 100 Acre Wood Rally next spring. Due to the Missouri Association of Counties Conference and the Thanksgiving Holidays the next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday, November 27th at the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

An accident happened at 6:35 Wednesday morning on Route F about six miles southwest of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 2011 Peterbilt 379 driven southbound by 74-year old Delbert Boester of Ashley, Illinois, traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a tree and then overturned. The Peterbilt came to rest on its right side. Boester suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Salem Memorial District Hospital by a Dent County Sheriff’s Deputy. Boester was wearing a seat restraint at time of the accident. The vehicle was removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing of Salem.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors received their audit report from the BKD CPA’s and Advisors Tuesday night at their regular board meeting. The auditors reported the hospital had an increase in their cash and investment position of 1.9 million dollars from the last fiscal year while the hospital’s net position increased by $859,500 or 10%. This past fiscal year, the hospital had an operating income of $308,417. The hospital’s operating margin went from -4.5% in 2015-2016 fiscal year to 1.5% in the 2016-2017 fiscal year and they have 94 days operating cash on hand which is outstanding for a critical access hospital. They credit these numbers to the very good collection policy from the Accounting Department and the increase in rates from last fiscal year that were necessary to provide the cash flow. The auditors did report that with increase in income, the Medicare Supplemental Charge for the hospital for this past fiscal year will be near one million dollars and that will be shown as a liability on the balance sheet. They also reported that hospital received $63,000 from the Electronic Health Records Incentive Program they have been in for the least few years. The auditors said additional compensation payments may be needed to be made to Medicare and Medicaid once they have been computed by those governments using the rates they develop. The auditors said there was a significant amount of journal entries and reconciliations that took place during the year as a weakness although they did qualify many of those as a timing issue. The standard segregation of duties and internal controls was also mentioned, but that can’t be helped with smaller hospitals as they just don’t have the financial capabilities to hire that many people. Overall, the Salem Hospital was above the average in all the categories for US Critical Access Hospital and Missouri Critical Access Hospitals in and was in solid financial condition.