Archive for 2020

The Salem Board of Aldermen held its regular meeting Monday at the City Hall Council Chambers. The board heard bids for the removal of the old roof at the city administrative offices and install new shingles. Bids were received from Ferranto Roofing, Wisdom Roofing and Woods Roofing. The board accepted the low bid from Woods Roofing for $10,380. The board reviewed the two bids received for fireworks for Independence Day. The first bid came from Fleetwood Pyrotechnics LLC and it was submitted on time for $12,524 which includes the fireworks and the discharging of them. A late bid came in from Washington Way Fireworks for $16,000. The board voted to go with Fleetwood Pyrotechnics, LLC with a 4-0 vote. City Administrator Ray Walden said the Missouri S&T student project management class continued to work on projects even after their classes were postponed. He said he expects their reports by the end of the week. Walden said WCA Waste Management will hold their spring cleanup the weeks of May 4th through the 8th and May 11th through the 15th. He said the April electric bills have been sent out and the city hopes to have the May bills sent out in a more timely manner. Walden also said that Salem businesses that qualified for SBA Emergency Disaster Loans, such as the Payroll Protection Program or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan that want to pay their utility bills with proceeds from those programs, should call the utility office at 729-4117. Walden asked the alderman to review the Records Management Policy and give feedback before the next meeting so that they can finalize the policy. Walden also brought samples of a new proposed City of Salem logo and colors for the alderman to review. He said communities like to use certain colors that attract people to the area and come up with something that can be used not only for the city, but the county and chamber as well. Walden said there are no dollars in this year’s budget to develop a logo but one needs to be done for the new website. Public Works Director Mark Nash presented a list of prioritized streets that would get the nova chip with the Park Street project being #1 at the top of the list. There is $200,000 in this year’s budget to work on the streets, but the alderman would like to get as many streets done as soon as possible during this slow time. Walden will work on a budget adjustment that would include next year’s budgeted amount for street work to be added to this year’s total for a better price on the paving product. The board approved Bill #3446 to enter into a one-year agreement with Wave Internet Technologies to allow them to use space on the water tower at Condray and Tower Streets for $100 per month. The board went on to approve by a 3-1 vote to purchase and install a RAW/WAS pump station for the waste water treatment facility. This was originally scheduled to be done in the second phase, but it had deteriorated to such a degree that it needs to be changed out soon or it will fail. Alderman James voted against it. The board also approved Resolution 7-2020 to do drainage improvements to the Salem City Park Little League fields for $23,500 by Donald Maggi, Inc. by a 3-1 vote. The money will come out of the Capital Improvement Sales Tax Fund. Alderman James again voted against the motion to approve. The board meeting was then adjourned.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of March. They issued three equipment repair orders, seven summonses to appear in court, 12 warning tickets, and eleven traffic tickets, plus they also served three fugitive warrants. The Salem Police investigated six traffic accidents, wrote three property damage reports, seven stealing reports, and a death report. The department investigated wto charges of driving while having a license revoked or suspended, one possession of a controlled substance report, 6 domestic violence reports, a report of endangering the welfare of a child, along with a report of a lost or stolen license plate and a report of the failure to obey a lawful order. The department was also dispatched for 61 animal calls, 32 ambulance assist calls, and performed 48 traffic stops for the month. The Salem Police Department received 936 calls for service during the month of March and had 75 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 7,549 miles during the month of March. There were seven males and 4 females arrested in March.

The National Park Service is soliciting applications for an agricultural permit for hay cutting covering one parcel in Ozark National Scenic Riverways within Shannon County, Missouri. The Special Use Permit will be awarded based on the following criteria. First, the ability to perform the work; secondly, interest in and knowledge of the agricultural permit program within the park; and also the payment of the required annual fee. Applicants will not be allowed to bid on parcels; only the application answers will be assessed. The field available is the Cedar Bluff Field, which is 52 acres. The effective date for the permit is estimated to be May 5th this year, and the expiration date of the permit will be December 31st of 2024. Completed applications must be received by Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Van Buren no later than 4:00 in the afternoon on April 28th. Completed applications can be either mailed or emailed. For more information about the agricultural SUP program or to receive an application packet, please visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/ozar/ or contact Kim Houf at (573) 944-9477.

Even in these trying times, the Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance crews continue their work to make state roadways safer for those who travel. One way motorists can help is by exercising their responsibility to keep Missouri highways free of litter. According to Natalie Roark, the state highway maintenance director, every cigarette butt, food wrapper, soda can and plastic bag thrown out of a moving vehicle creates ugly debris, detracts from the safety and beauty of Missouri’s roadsides and adds to the workload of maintenance employees who are already operating under challenging conditions. Last year, MoDOT spent $6.4 million to remove litter from more than 385,000 acres of roadsides along 34,000 state highway miles. With the department’s annual “NoMOreTrash Bash” canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, MoDOT is seeking even more help in keeping Missouri highways free from litter. Some ways you can help include not littering by keeping a bag for trash in your car or truck and disposing of it properly. Also, secure your load to make sure nothing blows out or off of your vehicle into the roadway. In addition to creating litter, unsecured loads can be a safety hazard to the vehicles behind you. Every effort by the public to help eliminate or by cleaning up litter helps offset MoDOT’s trash removal costs and allows the department to put more money back into maintaining Missouri’s roads and bridges.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was not in attendance so Commissioner Gary Larson was named as the acting Presiding Commissioner for the meeting. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that Fabick has replaced the grader that was down with a bad transmission with a loaner to serve the Bunker area. He said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 5590 and 6470 while only grading would be done on county road 4080. Purcell indicated brush would be cut on county roads 6220 and 6230. He went on to say the grader blades on grader #38 were being changed out before it was leaving the shop. District 2 Commissioner Larson reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 3030, 3040, 3165, 4300 and 4330 while materials would be added and grading would be done on Dent County Road 2160. He said brush would be cut on county road 2120. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said absentee voting for the June 2nd Municipal election continues and you need to call her office and they can bring the ballot out to your vehicle. Her office number is 729-4144. She also said that you must be registered to vote by July 8th to vote in the August 4th primary that will be held for state and county government offices. You will have to pick a particular party in that election. At the last meeting, Sheriff Bob Wells brought in bids for a computer system for the jail offices and the winning bid went to Adorama from New York for $11,638.14. He also received bids on the trash service for different locations in the county that included the Road and Bridge Department, the courthouse, the sheriff’s department and the new jail. The board approved the package price from Family Trash Service for $411.50 per month. Wells also brought in an application for the Missouri Department of Public Safety LESO Program which would give them access to surplus property and Commissioner Skiles signed the application. Wells also discussed a new sign in front of the jail and recommended the commission go with the quote from Action Graphics. Wells went on to talk with the commissioners about the concrete pad/carport fence at the end of the storage buildings. He said he would get back with the commissioners with a quote at a later date. 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.

Out of an abundance of caution and in response to the extension of the statewide “Stay Home Missouri” Order, Missouri State Parks is extending temporary closures of campgrounds, park-run lodging, offices and visitor centers and extending the suspension of special events and programming through May 3rd. This suspension includes Missouri State Parks special events, including both on- and off-site programming, third party events, group reservations and guided tours. Missouri State Park visitor centers, offices, campgrounds and lodging will remain closed through May 3. Most state parks and state historic sites will remain open for day-use, with the exception of temporary closures at five state parks to address overcrowding and concerns regarding public safety. State park temporary closures in the immediate area through May 3rd includes the temporary closure of Elephant Rocks State Park. Gates to individual parking lots may close at all state parks when the lot is near capacity. For questions regarding state park or historic site campground or park-run lodging, please call the Reservation Call Center at 1-877-422-6766. The call center is open daily from 7:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night. For an existing reservation with concessionaire lodging in the immediate area, call Echo Bluff State Park at 844-322-3246 or Montauk State Park at 573-548-2434.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their April meetin this evening in the hospital library beginning at 6:00. After approval of the agenda and minutes of the March 17th regular meeting, Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will report on the summary of the operations for the month of March, a Home Health report and hospital auxiliary report followed by the Chief of Nursing Report for the month by Debbie Hines. A report on the hospital foundation, plus the marketing and community perception report will be given by Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards. In old business the Board will review the FY’21 Finance Committee Report, receive a COVIC-19 update, plus be updated on the Hospital Expansion and Renovation. New business will include the Board Director Swear-in postponement until June 16th, 2020. Due to COVIC-19 social distancing guidelines the April meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will be held by telephone/video conference. The meeting is open to the public. For information to access the meeting, please email kbrown@smdh.net or call (573) 729-5917, extension 4005.

This week is Work Zone Awareness week and the Missouri Department of Transportation is using this week as a nation-wide reminder of the potential dangers of driving through work zones. Although traffic levels are currently lighter than normal, department officials and local law enforcement are seeing a corresponding increase in speeds. In addition, much of the existing work will remain in place through the remainder of the year, after many of the stay-at-home restrictions have been lifted. MoDOT St. Louis District Engineer Tom Blair says that work zones can change rapidly from day to day, as crews work on the many construction projects needed to keep Missouri roadways operational for years to come. In addition, they have many maintenance teams out repairing potholes, picking up trash and many other tasks to keep our roads safe for travel, as well as movement of goods and supplies. They ask that drivers slow down and pay attention as they see our crews out there; move over if they can to give a little extra room, buckle up and put down cell phones and other distractions. So far this year, 10 MoDOT employees have been struck. All of those crashes have been into truck mounted attenuators, vehicles that protect MoDOT employees by helping catch and stop vehicles that may be heading into a work zone. Across the state, 18 Missourians died in crashes in work zones in 2019.

The Salem License Bureau located in the Crossroads Shopping Center is open for business again. They ask that you please use social distancing when waiting in line.

The State of Missouri has awarded $3 million in grants to help expand broadband internet access in Missouri. In a press release from Governor Mike Parson’s office, it says sixteen companies are getting the funding to offer high-speed service to more than 4,400 Missouri homes, businesses and farms. The latest Federal Communications Commission data shows nearly 600,000 rural Missourians lack access to broadband internet. According to Missouri Department of Economic Development Director Rob Dixon, it is crucial that Missourians have an opportunity to get connected during this time in which many citizens have been instructed to stay home. Reliable internet access is critical to meet needs for education, telemedicine, telecommuting, and overall quality of life. One of the recipients was the Steelville Telephone Exchange and they are to provide service to the Bixby area. They received $445,917 to do the project.

A fatal accident occurred on Friday afternoon at 2:48 in Crawford County on Highway 19 on Lindberg Road about four miles south of Cuba. According to the highway patrol report, a 2004 Western Star Tractor Trailer driven by 32-year old James Kramer of Park Hills, MO, was traveling southbound when he swerved to avoid striking an unidentified vehicle in front of him. The tractor trailer crossed the center line where the tractor trailer stuck a 2009 Chevrolet Express Van driven northbound by 52-year old Sergio Navarro from Cuba. A 2011 GMC Yukon also driven northbound by 40-year old Betty Counts of Steelville, swerved to the right to avoid hitting the Chevrolet Express Van. The Yukon crossed Lindberg Road and came to rest against an embankment. Navarro was pronounced dead at the scene by the Crawford County Deputy Coroner Darren Drake at 2:56 that afternoon and the body was transported by the coroner to Hutson Funeral Home in Cuba. Counts suffered moderate injuries and was transported to the Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan by North Crawford Ambulance. Two occupants of the Yukon, a 12-year old female and a 15-year old male, also suffered moderate injuries and were transported to the Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan by Steelville Ambulance. All injured parties were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident except Counts. The tractor trailer sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Big Boys Towing. The Chevrolet Express Van was totaled and removed from the scene by Chris and Sons Towing. The Yukon also sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Miles and Sons Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the Crawford County Sheriffs Department, North Crawford County Ambulance, the Steelville Ambulance, the Cuba Police Department and the Cuba Fire Department.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will be meeting tonight at 7:00 at the City Hall Auditorium at 202 North Washington. The board will hear bids on tearing off the old roof at the City Administration Building and installing new shingles, as well as bids on fireworks for the 2020 Independence Day Fireworks Display. After the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Walden about current city projects and a records management policy. The board will also hear feedback on the City of Salem branding color logos that were presented in an online video conference. In the introduction and reading of bills, the board will hear Bill #3446 which is an ordinance authorizing the mayor to act as a representative of the city to execute a tower lease agreement between the city and Wave Internet Technologies, LLC for the installation of a wireless broadband access point on the water tower at the corner of Tower and Condray Streets for one year. They will also hear Bill #3447 that allows the mayor to sign all the documents necessary to proceed with the purchase and installation of a RAS/WAS pump station and associated appurtenances. Finally, the board will hear Resolution #7-2020 that would authorize the mayor to sign a proposal between the City of Salem and Donald Maggi, Inc. for drainage improvements to be made at the Salem Little League Baseball Field at 1100 West Rolla Road. The meeting will then be adjourned. The meeting is open to the public and social distancing will be enforced. The meeting can also be live streamed on the KSMO radio website at www.ksmoradio.com.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education in closed session Thursday night hired Derek Freeman as the Head Track Coach along with Dylan Wyrick and Travis Sampson Assistant Track Coaches. They also employed Kristen Williams as the Middle School Volleyball Coach, Courtney Smith as the Middle School Cheerleading Coach, and Andy Felkerson as an assistant Boys basketball Coach and High School Math Teacher. Also in closed session, classified staff building lists were shared with the board and a personnel issue was discussed before they adjourned.

Salem R-80 High School Principal Marty Anderson reported at the Salem R-80 Board meeting Thursday night that Salem will utilize the 3rd Quarter Grades as of March 6th as the core of the 2nd Semester Grades. He said students completing extra credit homework will impact their established 3rd quarter grades, plus for each week of homework a student completes, they will receive an average daily grade of extra credit in a class of their choice. Anderson stated that if the school cannot arrange for students to physically turn in the homework packet handed out on the last day of school by May 1st, extra credit will be awarded automatically. He said the semester grades will be posted on May 15th and Senior Transcripts will be ready for post secondary requests.