Archive for 2017

The Salem Board of Aldermen met for their regular meeting Monday night at the City Hall Council Chambers. In the hearing of persons, Freddie Whitaker was in attendance to ask for the closing of 4th Street from Highway 19 to Jackson Street on June 16th from 8:00 in the morning until midnight for the Moonlight Madness. Whitaker said he hopes to be able to get Darryl Worley for the show next year. The board approved his request. After the consent agenda, City Administrator Ray Walden said the old middle school consultants selection committee has narrowed down the search to a couple of firms. Walden hopes to have their recommendation at the next meeting. The utility bills just sent out in August have the new utility water and sewer rates. If a resident would like to inquire about getting a second water meter for irrigation purposes only, they would not have to pay the sewer charges. Interested residents can call Water and Sewer Superintendent Jack Emory for more information at 729-3061. The Salem Community Center@The Armory had a total of 4,329 participants during the month of July. Walden also reported the solid waste contract comes due this month and he expects to have bids at the next meeting. He also said if anyone still has limbs or debris from the storms that has not been picked up by the city, please call the administration office at 729-4811. The board approved bill #3337 that created a contract for the sale of property from the City of Salem to MFA Cooperative Association, and approved Bill #3338 amending the 2016 City of Salem fiscal year budget to allow adjustments to the account for the fireworks fund and also to bring the Park and Recreation Department fund balance up to date when the board of alderman did not budget any funds the year sales tax began being collected. The board went on to approve Bill #3339 repealing Ordinance #3300 concerning compensatory time off, vacation and holiday pay; and also approved Resolution #4-2017 which adopts a new policy on fund raising, donations and sponsorships for the City of Salem. The board approved the bid from Scenic Rivers Industries to replace 17 picnic tables in the city parks, repair 13 other picnic tables all with pressure treated wood and replace the wood on the teetor totters at the Carol Midyett Park for a total of $3,290. They also approved the nomination of Greg Sanders to the Park and Recreation Board to replace David Wells who resigned. The meeting was then adjourned.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Office released some reports. On July 25th, deputies responded to Dent County Road 3273 for the report of property damage. The victim reported that their mailbox was damaged and spray painted. This report is still under investigation. On Saturday, August 5th, deputies noticed a vehicle parked near the front doors of Mount Herman Church and made contact with the driver. When the door was opened, smoke rose from the vehicle. After a short investigation, a 20-year old Salem man was arrested for possession of marijuana, fingerprinted, and released on a summons to appear in court. On Sunday, August 6th, deputies and troopers from the highway patrol recovered a vehicle that was reported stolen from Crawford County. The vehicle was located on Dent County Road 3260. If you have any information about any investigations, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Office at 729-3241.

The City of Salem Park and Recreation Board will be meeting this evening at 7:00 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory in Room B. At the meeting, the board will receive a report from Parks and Recreation Director Tye Lydon about current work and future work being done at the City Park and Al Brown Fields. This includes the new concrete work around the concession stand between the ball fields, the planned steps and handicapped ramps at Al Brown Field, the new trashcans for the larger pavilions that have been purchased with more to come, an update on the construction start for the All-Inclusive Playground and new layout, and the work the Scenic Rivers Industries has done on the old wooden bleachers at Al Brown, the painting of the old Al Brown Concession Stand and storage area as well as other work scheduled for them. He will give an update on the splash pad grant and discuss the neighboring swimming pool visits with his findings. Lydon will also discuss the signups for the Flag Football Program and he would like to begin an adult Co-Ed Volleyball League. He also will talk about some new “Thank You” signs that are to be erected where improvements are being made in the parks. The board will receive a copy of the new fundraising city policy and there will be an update on the soccer field project. Any other business will then be discussed before the meeting is adjourned. The City of Salem Park and Recreation Board of Directors will be meeting Wednesday evening at 7:00 at the Salem Community Center@the Armory and the meeting is open to the public.

The Missouri Department of Transportation reports Route AC in Dent and Reynolds Counties will be closed while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement milling repairs. The section of road is located from Highway 32 in Dent County to the end of state maintenance in Reynolds County. Weather permitting, the work will take place Thursday, August 10th through Tuesday, August 15th from 7:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon daily. Then, MoDOT announced that Route J in Reynolds County will be closed while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement milling repairs on that road. The section of road is located from Route KK to Highway 49. Again weather permitting, the work on Route J will take place Tuesday, August 15th through Thursday, August 17th from 7:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon daily. These work zones will be OPEN TO LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY and will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area. For additional information, contact MoDOT’s Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).

Summer’s End Kid’s Free Fishing will be held Saturday August 12th from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. Fishing tags are free for children ages 15 and under on this day only to fish in Montauk State Park. Kids must pick up a children’s free fishing tag at the lodge on Friday evening after 7 p.m. or anytime on Saturday. The tags are required for kids fishing on this day. Kids can fish anywhere inside the park, no designated fishing area will be set aside. Adults must have a daily trout tag to assist children fishing if they touch the pole in any way.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson had a previous commitment so Road Supervisor Sam Gorman filled in with the road report. Gorman said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2403, 2370, 3140, 4290 and 5240 while brush will be cut on county roads 5260 and 3280. Gorman reported that materials would be added to county roads 2370 and 3240. He stated grader #32 was having the grader blades changed and crews would be out checking roads from the weekend rains. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that some areas in his district reported receiving 3.6 inches of rain over the weekend, but there were no reports of any washouts. Purcell stated Dent County Road 6630 would have two trucks hauling materials to it before grading would be done. He went on to report grading would also be done on county roads 5080 and 6090 while one man would be going to Springfield to get a load of oil for the chip and seal repair. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the CCAM meeting he attended in Mexico, Missouri last week to plan the training for commissioners next February. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she balanced with the treasurer on all accounts for July, and she also balanced with the collector and assessor on the July monthly collections, abatements and add-ons. She did say she investigated the long-distance services offered by CenturyLink and Fidelity Communications, and recommended going with CenturyLink for all county offices with the exception of the Dent County Recorder. The Commissioners approved her recommendation. Democratic candidate for the 16th Missouri Senatorial District Ryan Dillon came in to introduce himself to the commissioner. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

An accident happened in Shannon County at 6:45 Sunday evening on Highway 19 about 15 miles north of Eminence. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Nissan Altima driven southbound on Highway 19 by 35-year old David Sechrest of Birch Tree, struck a 2007 Pontiac G6 driven northbound by 20-year old Taylor Gorman of Salem. Gorman suffered minor injuries and sought her own medical treatment. The Altima and the Pontiac G6 were both totaled and removed from the scene by Tyler’s Towing in Eminence. Everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

The Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA) Family Self-Sufficiency program will host a free Energy Savers Class Wednesday, August 9th. Participants actively look at their energy choices, energy use, and how to make the right choices when it comes to saving energy. The class will look at energy use for the kitchen, bathroom, laundry, cooling, heating and lighting as well as energy safety and kids and energy. The class will be held from 10:00 AM to noon at Phelps County PHA located at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James, with Christy Saylor, Missouri Ozarks Community Action (MOCA) county projects coordinator, presenting.
MRPC provides staffing to the Phelps County Public Housing Agency that provides rental assistance to over 750 low-income families in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps (outside the city limits of Rolla) and Washington counties. The PHA also offers the Family Self-Sufficiency Program where clients develop a goal-oriented, five-year plan that moves them toward self-sufficiency and independence from government programs. Workshops are offered at no cost to the participant. For more information or to RSVP, contact Savannah Vandegriffe at (573)265-4200 ext. 132. Free training classes are a part of MRPC and PHA’s efforts to help prepare families by making them aware of the resources available to assist with self-sufficiency. Each participant who attends will receive a $25 Wal-Mart gift card, as long as they meet income qualifications.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has issued a rabies alert for Dent County effective July 31st. A dog in Dent County had been exposed to a skunk in June and developed rabies and died. As a result of the dog testing for rabies, nine persons in the family received the complete anti-rabies series of shots while staff from the veterinary clinic received booster doses of the rabies vaccine. The rabies alert will be lifted after 90 days if rabies activity is not identified in any domestic animals or in a significant number of wild animals. Last year, a total of 25 rabid animals were detected including 17 bats, five skunks, one dog, one cat and one cow. This year statewide, there have been a total of ten rabid animals including seven bats, two dogs and a skunk. Two Missouri residents have died from rabies in the past eight years.

The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) welcomes Anthony Staley to the role of general manager for the Metals Division. He will oversee metal processing and recycling operations at both the Resource Recycling facility in Boss, Missouri, and the refinery, strip mill, and alloying and casting facility in Herculaneum, Missouri. Staley brings nearly 20 years of experience in operations and project management experience to Doe Run, including developing large-scale metal production facilities for a variety of primary products, and safety improvement and environmental management. Prior to joining Doe Run, Staley held global management positions at major national and international mining and metal production facilities. Staley has published multiple technical papers on a wide range of topics, including copper electrowinning – a cleaner metal processing technology, as well as zinc and aluminum processing. He is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines with a bachelor’s degree in chemical and petroleum-refining engineering, a master’s degree in business and economics, and a doctorate in physiochemical processing of metals. Additionally, Staley is a member of the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, and Mining & Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA). Doe Run’s Metals Division includes more than 300 employees, most of whom support the recycling of lead-based materials at Resource Recycling.