Archive for 2019

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated that due to the temperatures being below freezing, no grading would be done. He did say a man was in the Bunker area opening up tail ditches. He also said the work crews would be preparing the trucks with snow equipment and checking the spreaders in anticipation of the winter storm. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said materials were going to be added to Dent County Roads 2210 and 2183 where patch grading was going to be done. He also said brush would be cut on county road 2210. Larson said the men would be preparing a truck that had been repaired for the anticipated winter storm. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated he attended the MRPC Board meeting where they presented their federal priorities to the US Congressman or their representatives. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reiterated that her office continues to work on the 2019 county budget. Curt Faigle from the 100-Acre Wood Rally was in to give a list of the county roads and the locations they would be using this year for the timed segments of the rally. He said that his team would be back in the area in about six weeks to be in contact with landowners in the race areas that may be affected. He did say there would be a Rally Race on February 2nd in Shannon County as kind of a warm up for the 100 Acre Wood Rally and act as a training exercise for some of their volunteers. Cody Roberts, a private land conservationist from the Missouri Department of Conservation was in attendance to discuss the upcoming “Stop the Weed Invasion” public meeting that will be held Tuesday, January 15th at the Salem Community Center @ The Armory. This meeting will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 and it is free and open to everyone. He said virtually every property in Dent County has some sort of invasive species on it and meeting will provide basic information about problem weed plants, discuss cost-share programs to help private landowners fight the invasive species, and talk about the Scenic Rivers Invasive Species Partnership that covers nine counties including Dent County. This partnership includes local, state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, private landowners and other stakeholders that have an interest in controlling or trying to eradicate the invasive species. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $50,473 in grant funding to the Meramec Regional Council of Governments to conduct a wastewater partnership feasibility study in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties.
The project will calculate time and expenses related to the operation of wastewater systems in the study area and evaluate the potential cost effectiveness of a multi-community partnership that shares a regional operator of multiple facilities. The study’s objective is to determine whether cost savings and improved stability can be achieved by sharing operational responsibilities among several communities rather than each community hiring and training its own part-time staff. A shared regional operator may benefit small, rural communities by reducing expenses and eliminating staff turnover. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 7 has provided funding for this project under Section 604b of the Clean Water Act. The Department of Natural Resources will administer the grant funds. The department is committed to supporting formation of water and wastewater system partnerships and to working closely with Missouri communities to improve water quality. For more information, contact the department’s Water Protection Program at fac@dnr.mo.gov or 573-751-1300.

The Salem Police Department released the following reports for December 27th, 2018 through January 2nd, 2019. On Wednesday the 27th at about 2:51 in the afternoon, an officer was contacted at the Salem Police Department in reference to the fraudulent use of a credit card. The investigation of the report revealed that a person or persons unknown used the credit card of another to make unauthorized purchases valued at $161.93. The report is under investigation. That night at approximately 11:20, a vehicle was stopped for a traffic violation. The investigation of the stop led to the arrest of a 44-year old male of Eldon, Missouri on an active arrest warrant from Miller County. The suspect was taken into custody on the warrant and incarcerated pending extradition. Then on Sunday morning the 31st at approximately 8:34, an officer was dispatched to Wal-Mart in reference to a shoplifter. That investigation led to the arrest of a 29-year old male of Salem for stealing merchandise valued at $69.76. The suspect was issued a summons to appear in court and released. That same night at approximately 6:10, an officer was dispatched to the Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health Center at Third and Grand in reference to an assault. The investigation of the report revealed a 50-year old male of Cuba, Missouri had assaulted a 38-year old female of St. Clair. Further investigation led to the arrest of the suspect who was issued a summons to appear in court and released. Later that night at approximately 10:11, an officer was dispatched to the Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health Center at Third and Grand in reference to an assault. This investigation revealed a 30-year old female of Springfield had assaulted a 30-year old male of Salem. Further investigation led to the arrest of the suspect who was issued a summons to appear in court and released. On Wednesday, January 2nd, at about 4:06 in the afternoon, an officer was at a residence in the 700 block of West Glendale conducting a joint investigation with the Division of Family Services regarding a hotline call. During the investigation, a 24-year old male of Salem was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. The suspect was taken into custody for possession of drug paraphernalia and issued a summons to appear in court before being released. Please contact the Salem Police Department at 573-729-4242 if you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation.

An accident happened Tuesday afternoon at 1:40 in Phelps County on eastbound I-44 at the 184.2 mile marker in Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, a 2006 Kawasaki EX250, driven by 49-year old Timothy Rable of Rolla, traveled off the left side of the roadway where it impacted the ground ejecting Rable who had become distracted. The report stated that Rable suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Phelps Health by Phelps County Ambulance. According to the report, Rable was wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Kawasaki sustained minor damage and was removed from the scene by C & C Towing.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met Tuesday evening at the Dent County Fire House. After the approval of the consent agenda, the bills for the month of December were reviewed and approved, and the budget was reviewed. The budget showed a general revenue balance at the end of December of $84,564.60. All other accounts balanced and are on track with previous years. In the calendar review, it was announced that on February 7th, the Dent County Fire District will be hosting the state training class. The monthly reimbursement report was presented for December and it showed a total of 14 calls for the month. In December, there were three structure fire calls, one car fire, three first responder calls, four vehicle accident calls, one mutual aide and two training calls. There has been 14 calls year to date with the average cost per call being $142.32. In old business, it was announced the furnace installation is in process and the old furnaces and fans have been removed. The building project is ready to move forward but, due to the government shutdown, is on hold until the USDA returns to work. In new business, engine 83 has problems with the dash cluster affecting the blinkers, some lights, gauges and other items. This is a safety issue and needs to be dealt with by Freightliner as it is a known issue. The board agreed to take Engine 83 out of service for repairs. The next meeting date was set for Tuesday, February 5th at 6:00 at the Dent County Fire House. The meeting was then adjourned.