Archive for 2018

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Dent County Courthouse. Realtor Ralph Williams was in to deal with a real estate situation and the Commissioners completed the necessary paperwork. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that grading would be done and materials would be added to Dent County Roads 5150 and 5130, while grading only would be done on county roads 5440, 6020 and 6080. He went on to say that brush would be cut on county road 5220 and that he had a man at the Road and Bridge Department leveling the fill from the jail site excavation. Purcell reported that he attended the Tourism Tax Committee meeting on Monday where four reimbursements applications were submitted and approved. He encouraged potential applicants to call Bill Ard at 314-277-1444 to obtain proposal applications or to contact him. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley asked if some applications could be left at her office and Purcell said that he’d get her some. Purcell reminded potential applicants that the Tourism Tax can be used solely to promote tourism in Dent County. He also reported that he attended the South Central Missouri Community Action Agency meeting in Winona and the Agency’s fiscal year started October 1st so all programs are currently fully funded. Purcell reminded those that meet the income guidelines that funds are available for heating assistance, home weatherization and home repair. Anyone interested in obtaining more information should contact Sarah at 573-729-3500. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2050 and 2060, while brush would be cut on county road 3030. He said that pipes were going to be installed on county roads 3040 and 3190, plus materials would be added where those pipes were installed. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles wanted to remind everyone of the “ATV/UTV Ride For America” coming up Saturday and that Governor Mike Parson would be in Rolla today from Noon until 1:00 at Price Chopper to discuss Proposition D. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reminded everyone that absentee voting continues in her office through November 5th, that the last day to mail out an absentee ballot is Wednesday, October 31st, and that her office would be open Saturday, November 3rd from 8:00 until noon for absentee voting. She went on to say that sample ballots and plain language explanations of the amendments and propositions were also available. Curley said the Commissioners were approving bills for payment and that ATV/UTV permits were available in her office and at The Commons Friday evening. Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley had sent over the final copy of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program ordinance. The ordinance was assigned Ordinance Number 1018 and was approved 3-0. Bonnie Prigge and Anne Freund of MRPC and MoDOT District Engineer Preston Kramer were in to review Dent County and the City of Salem transportation needs and to establish priorities. Gary Brown and Bob Parsons, both of whom represent Dent County on the MRPC Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) were also in attendance. Salem City Administrator Ray Walden also serves on the TAC Committee, but was unable to attend due to a prior commitment. Twenty two projects were on the Dent County Transportation Needs list. Two were the bridges on Route F, which were removed since they were completed this year. Kramer reported improvements on Highway 68 from the Phelps County Line to Highway 19 in Salem have been approved for Fiscal Year 2020, and the bridge over Norman Creek on Route FF has been approved for replacement in Fiscal Year 2021. After extensive discussion, the following priorities were established. Number one priority is the bridge over Gladden Creek on Highway 19 South, followed by the installation of a bridge over Crooked Creek on Highway TT in the Sligo area, reducing safety concerns at the intersection of Highway 19 South and Roosevelt Street in Salem was prioritized 3rd, and replacement of the bridge over the West Fork of the Huzzah in Boss was listed 4th. The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday morning in the Courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

Attention all you runners, walkers and bikers in the Salem area! Do you think Salem needs more trails? Come discuss the proposed trail map for the future trails in the Salem Area on Tuesday evening, October 23rd from 5:30 until 6:30. Everyone will meet at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Healthy Dent County wants to get as much community input on where the trails should be located as possible. This meeting is open to the public. If you attend, you will be entered for a $50 gift card. For more information or if have any questions, please call Kelsey at 729-8163 or email her at kelsey@salemcommunitycenter.org.

Congratulations to a number of Salem FFA Members for their exemplary speaking skills at the Area 13 Fall Speaking Contest. Brenden Smith placed 1st in the Missouri Pet Breeders speech area, Eli Westerman captured 2nd in the Missouri Cattleman’s Speech area, Kolson Seay placed 3rd in the Teach Ag Speech area and Taylor Smith was a participant in the Missouri Quarter Horse speech area. Smith, Westerman and Seay will all be competing in the District contest to be held in November.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas introduced Cindy Fry and Amy Thompson who gave the board an update on the Surgical, Acute Care and Outpatient Care departments. They described several updates regarding the way the staff interacts with patients and doctors as well as showing pictures of new equipment as well as updates on patient furniture and room improvements. Other planned patient room updates include new HVAC, flooring, lighting and window upgrades. In the summary of operations for the month of September, the hospital had 111 inpatient admissions with 304 inpatient census days. There were 2,093 outpatient registrations, 1,936 cardiopulmonary procedures, 9,924 lab tests, 1,258 radiology procedures, 647 rehabilitation treatments, 30 surgeries, 258 home health visits and 788 emergency room visits. The hospital showed a gain from operations of $63,475 and revenues over expenses after taxes of $65,995. Cash decreased for the month by $309,763. Debbie Hines gave the Chief of Nursing report and stated the hospital received a four star rating for calendar year 2017 in the Patient Engagement Quality Report. She is working with Healthy Dent County and other community leaders to create the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment. The Long Term Care Department was recently monitored by the State of Missouri and received an excellent rating, with only one tag for oxygen storage procedures. The Hospital Auxiliary will be having Shoe Roads Production shoe sale at the hospital library on October 23rd. Chief Operating Officer Chris Strickland reported the Hospital Foundation will be holding their “Dancing with the Salem Stars” on January 26th at the Salem High School Gym. They will be contacting the community to help sponsor the fundraiser. The foundation is still waiting on the federal government so that they can file for state tax exemption. The hospital participated in numerous community sponsorships and events like the Rose Holland Trout Derby and Oak Hill R-1 Career Day. He also said the hospital will give 25 free mammograms to uninsured women 40 years of age and older this Friday. Women can call the hospital at 729-6626 to sign up for that free mammogram. They need to ask for Julie Malone. A DEA Drug Takeback Day will be held, in coordination with the Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition on October 27th from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon at the Riverways Federal Credit Union parking lot. Citizens can bring their unused medications on this day to be disposed of properly. The board reviewed the patient satisfaction survey results for the Emergency Department and SMDH Family Medicine. The board approved the budgeted purchase of a treadmill for the Rehab Department at a cost of $4,823 from Performance Health. The board then went into closed session.

Fall color is still just starting to show in the Ozark Region. Most of the forest and woodland canopy still retains the green hues of summer, mixed with some drab color changes resulting from drought. The fall color show has not yet become impressive, but there are some tree and shrub species are showing some color. Some hickories and sycamores are starting to turn yellow and brown. Black walnuts are turning yellow and dropping leaves as well as their large, green-husked nuts. Some reds are appearing in the understory and midstory as flowering dogwood and winged sumac are starting to turn. Roadsides are lit up with the yellows and golds of goldenrods. Other tree species seemed to be mottled and discolored,likely a result of summer drought conditions. Fall color seems somewhat late, and temperatures have been unusually high, with summer conditions persisting into October. There is a very good chance that more fall color may appear by this weekend through the middle of next week as the weather becomes cooler. Remember, the color of fall will be the most prevalent around streams, creeks and rivers.

An accident happened in Phelps County Wednesday morning at 8:25 on Highway 8 about a mile south of St. James. According to the highway patrol report, 23-year old Natalie Manning of Salem was driving a 2015 Jeep Compass eastbound when she fell asleep causing the Jeep to go off the right side of the roadway where it struck a culvert and crossed a private driveway. The Jeep’s front struck the ground and the vehicle overturned. Manning suffered moderate injuries and was taken to the Phelps County Regional Medical Center by ambulance. Manning was wearing a seat restraint and the Jeep was totaled. It was removed by Spurgeon’s Towing of St. James.

You can spend a cool autumn evening at the Bonebreak Center of Nature & History on Monday night starting at 7:00 and see the Moon, Mars and Saturn at this Sky Watch viewing event. The Dent County Astronomers will provide telescopes and give you a tour of the night sky. You’ll see constellations like Hercules, Cygnus and Aquila, plus you can see the detail on the Moon, Saturn’s rings and Mars’ red colors. For more information about this event, call 729-3400 or E-mail them at bonebrakecenter@embarqmail.com. The event will be postponed for inclement weather.

The Salem Board of Aldermen held its regular meeting Monday evening at the City Hall Council Chambers. After the consent agenda was approved, Public Works Director Mark Nash gave his report that included work performed by the Constructions Crew, Street Department, Electric Department, and the Water and Sewer Department from August 17th to October 1st. City Administrator Ray Walden told the alderman he is updating the work priority list to bring back to them for their review. He wanted to thank the volunteers from the Church of the Latter Day Saints for their volunteer work around town at the city hall auditorium, old middle school cafeteria and gym and other locations around town. Walden said work would continue in the old City Hall Auditorium as bids will go out for a new ceiling in the auditorium now that the roof has been repaired. He said a “reserved” chair campaign to purchase seats in the auditorium showed some interest during the alumni weekend and that committee will look into that further. Walden also said the MRPC approved a resolution of support for Proposition D that would affect roads in the state of Missouri as well as in the City of Salem. Walden asked voters to research the proposition so they could make an informed decision. The Board approved Bill #3402 to authorize the mayor to execute a supplemental agreement for the project TAP-9901 between the City of Salem and the Missouri Department of Transportation for the new ADA sidewalk/ trail from the Salem R-80 Administrative Building to the Community Center and City Park. The board also approved Bill #3403 to execute a change order to an agreement between the City of Salem, and Smith and Edwards Construction for the Waste Water Treatment Facility Phase 1 improvements from $570,500 to $583,689 due to some modifications requested by the city. The board approved a new trailer court license be granted to Central Mo Investments who purchased the Layman Mobile Home Trailer Court after the trailer court is re-inspected. Layman Mobile Home Trailer Court passed the inspection before the June 30th deadline for the current fiscal year. The board also approved the purchase of a commercial portable power/pressure washer from Northern Tool for $3,799.99 which has a two-year warranty. The meeting was then adjourned.

The Missouri Community Betterment Awards were presented Monday night in Columbia as 19 communities, 9 youth groups and 10 community leaders were honored at this year’s conference. Buffalo won the Gene Speichinger Community of the Year award. This award recognizes the outstanding community among the 19 communities entered in this year’s Awards program. The City of Salem came in third place in Category Four. The Steelville Youth Group took 1st Place in Category 2 and took home J.C. Smith Youth Group of the Year Award. The Salem Youth Group received a Certificate of Merit in Category Four. Congratulations to all the winners and to those individuals and communities who competed.

The Missouri Department of Insurance is encouraging consumers who are eligible for Medicare to review their plan options and costs during this year’s open enrollment. The open enrollment period, which runs now through December 7th, presents Missourians with the opportunity to change their Part D drug coverage or Medicare Advantage plans. To help consumers choose a plan that best meets their needs, the department offers free assistance to Missourians who are eligible for Medicare and their caregivers through the department’s CLAIM program. CLAIM can also help Missourians on a limited income determine whether they qualify for a Low-Income Subsidy and/or Medicare Savings Programs to offset the cost of their prescription drugs. Missourians can ask questions by phone or arrange one-on-one counseling by calling 1-800-390-3330 or visiting missouriclaim.org. The website also offers a list of free open enrollment events that CLAIM is hosting throughout Missouri.

There will be an Art Party this Friday night at the Creative Arts Center. Bring yourself, your bestie, or a hot date and paint a matching (or complementary) picture. You can paint a fun scene and put your own special creative spin to it, then take it home. The cost is $25 per single, and all supplies are included-acrylic paints, aprons, brushes, canvas and easels. Led by artist Danielle Norris, this event for adults does NOT require any talent or previous experience, just a happy spirit and willingness to try. Bring your own personal style, your favorite beverage and Danielle will lead you through the process. Reservations are required and can be made by calling or texting 573-247-0279.