Archive for 2023

Excessive heat this week could mean the City of Salem electric utility might set a new peak from today through Friday, August 25th. There is no specific action required at this time, but things could change quickly. The city is asking that all electric utility customers conserve or reduce your electrical usage as much as reasonably possible. The Missouri Public Utility Alliance, the City of Salem’s electrical supplier, is not seeing huge price increases or reliability concerns at this time. A peak warning means there is a chance that a new peak could be set for City of Salem electric customers. Although there are no electric market supply and demand issues right now, setting a new peak does have consequences. Setting a new peak demand would have cost impacts on the cost to the city to purchase power and that would be reflected on your utility bill moving forward. For tips and ideas on how to conserve electricity and reduce your monthly utility bill check out the “Summer Home Efficiency Tips from MPUA” available on the City’s website at www.salemmo.com. The City appreciates everyone’s understanding and assistance in keeping electric usage as low as possible during this time of excessive heat. For questions about your bill or usage call the Utility Office at 729-4117.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse Monday morning. Salem City Administrator Sally Burbridge talked with the county commission about the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board Meeting Wednesday at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. She was asking if the commission would consider re-appointing Dean Jones to the board for another five-year term and the commission approved her request. Burbridge said the board is still missing a person representing a tax entity. The meeting Wednesday is open to the public. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said rock would be added and grading finished on Dent County Road 5170. He said rock would also be added and grading done on county road 5070 while only grading would be done on county roads 2450 and 5530. He stated brush would be cut on Dent County Roads 6370 and 6400, while rock will be added to county road 5460. Mobray went on to report some low hanging limbs on Dent County Roads 2460 and 5040 will be trimmed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk indicated that rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 2120 and 2130. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson attended the Tourism Tax Commission meeting Monday night and plans to attend the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board meeting on Wednesday. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported on the Missouri Association of Counties Board of Directors meeting she attended last week where she was updated on legislative issues and more. Corky Stack from AES attended the meeting and said Trim Lights accepted the $45,000 county offer and will move forward with ordering the material for the Christmas Lights to be installed. Stack brought with him the samples of color of the metal tracking as well as paint samples to match the brick. He said the man from St. James who can powder coat the metal strips has reduced his price to no more than $1,200 but would probably be under $1,000. Since none of the track samples provided by Stack were close to the color of the brick, the commission agreed to have the metal strips powder coated for the additional cost. He will have the change order ready by Thursday for the lights and powder coating. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Memorial Hospital will hold their tax rate hearing at 5:45 this evening at the hospital library. The assessed valuation from real estate and personal property in the hospital district is $288,866,898, down from $291,942,497 in 2022. The current tax rate for the district is 24 cents per $100 assessed valuation and that is what the hospital will be asking for again this year. If approved, taxes would account for approximately $683,854. Following the hearing, the board will hold their regular meeting at 6:00 in the hospital library. Interim Administrator Jason Edwards will give his report before the board hears the summary of operations for the month of July as well as statistics. They will also hear about the 340B program, hear the Chief Nursing Officer report, hear a Human Resources update and hear about the hospital foundation. The board will discuss marketing and community relations before talking about the state and matching fund update for a capital improvement, a strategic planning update, the capital budget review and revisit the COVID Vaccination policy. In new business, the board will have to make new appointments to the finance committee and also change the bank account signatures. The board may then vote to go into closed session. The Salem Memorial Hospital Tax Rate Hearing and Board of Directors meeting are open to the public.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will have a tax rate hearing as part of their regular meeting to be held tonight at the City Hall Council Chambers beginning at 6:00. The tax rate for the current year is 67.46 cents per $100 assessed valuation and the city is expected to raise that to the maximum allowed by the state of 67.50 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The board will hear requests from officer Chris Robbins from another ‘trunk or Treat” in downtown Salem on Halloween, and from Dottie Steelman to close off streets for the Opening Night Tiger Parade this Friday night. The board will discuss new requests for services outside the city limits and City Treasurer Stacey Houston will give the financial reports. The board will re-appoint Dean Jones to the Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board before reviewing the sanitation service bid from WCA and discuss a Preventive Maintenance Agreement with Vandivanter Engineering for lift stations and pumps. A number of bills will be read for the first time before four bills will be read for the second time to create ordinances on a conflict of interest disclosure, allowing the subdivision of 1506 South MacArthur, allowing the subdivision of 501 North Washington, and allowing the rezoning of 903 West Scenic Rivers Blvd be changed from Residential R-1 to Commercial C-1. After report from the city officials, the board will go into closed session for contracts and possible litigation. The hearing and meeting are open to the public.

An accident happened on Highway 137 about four miles south of Licking Saturday night at 10:34 that left five people with injuries. According to the highway patrol report, a 2012 Mazda MZ2 driven southbound by 61-year-old Deanna Moon of Raymondville, traveled off the right side of the roadway. Moon overcorrected and the Mazda crossed over the center line and struck a 2009 Honda Motorcycle head-on being operated by 41-year-old Larry Krewson of Licking. Krewson suffered serious injuries and was taken by Air-Evac to the University Hospital in Columbia. Moon and three juvenile children from Raymondville including two females age 10 and 12, and a male age 11, all suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Texas County Memorial Hospital by the Texas County Ambulamce. Everyone in the Mazda was wearing a safety device at the time of the accident. The Honda was totaled while the Mazda sustained extensive damages. Both were removed from the scene by Jay’s Automotive.

An accident happened Friday afternoon at 12:40 in Shannon County on Highway 106 about five miles east of Eminence. According to the highway patrol report, a 2003 Harley Davidson Motorcycle driven eastbound by 48-year old Westley Blackwell of Ellington, ran off the right side of the roadway and went about 30 feet down the embankment before coming to rest in some thick brush. Blackwell was ejected and came to rest nearby with serious injuries. Shannon County First Responders and the Eminence Area Volunteer Fire Department personnel treated Blackwell at the scene. A “Stokes litter”, which is a backboard inside a metal mesh basket, was used to lift him up to the roadside, which took a lot of hard work by volunteers from several agencies. A Mercy Life Line helicopter landed on the roadway and Blackwell was was transported by air to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The highway patrol was assisted on the scene by Mercy EMS, the Shannon County First Responders, the Eminence Area Volunteer Fire Department, the Shannon County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Blackwell was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The motorcycle was removed from the scene by Baker’s Towing of Birch Tree.

An accident happened Saturday afternoon just after 1:12 in Phelps County on Highway 72 about four miles south of Rolla. According to the highway patrol report, the accident occurred as a 2007 Ford F-250 being driven southbound by 46-year-old Linda Ketzler of Salem, and a 2021 Ford F-150 driven southbound by 71-year-old Barbara Hamilton of Rolla, were both stopped in traffic. At that time, a 2008 Chevy Tahoe being driven by 18-year-old Levi Stoner of Salem, struck the backside of the Ketzler 2007 Ford F-250 causing it to strike the 2021 Ford F-150 driven by Hamilton. Linda Ketzler suffered minor injuries and was taken to Phelps Health for treatment; while a passenger in the Ford F-250, 26-year-old Codie Ketzler of Salem, also suffered minor injuries but chose to seek her own treatment. The Tahoe and the F-250 were totaled in the accident. The Tahoe was removed from the scene by Whitaker’s Towing while the Ford F-250 was removed by American Muffler and Towing. The F-150 sustained moderate damage but was driven from the scene. Seat restraints were worn by everyone in the accident.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education met Thursday evening at the R-80 board room. After holding the tax rate hearing where the board approved the same rate as last year: $2.75 tax rate and $0.45 for debt service, Dr. Lynne Reed discussed the survey results from the community engagement survey where they received 100 responses. She said the school is going through the punch list on the ‘Tin Gym” project and it is all but complete. Assistant Superintendent Nathan Wills discussed “Tiger Training” for the new teachers which was over two days to acclimate new instructors to the district. The building principals all gave their reports. Dr. Herman Blau said Kindergarten enrollment was at 114 students and three para-professional positions have now been filled. Upper Elementary Principal Brenden Piatt said enrollment was at 334 students with 30 new students to the district, while Middle School Principal Rachel Green said there 246 students enrolled that included 44 new students. High School Principal Jody Heavin said 650 students are enrolled which is up from the 580 students from last year. Athletic Director Clay Moody said work on the baseball field will begin this week and the school may have to cancel home track meets this year due to issues with the inside lane. IT Director Brian Andrews discussed RFP’s for a new camera security that will be paid for by a $120,000 grant. Instead of having the company reps present the proposals, Andrews was asked to summarize the proposals for the board. He discussed the Digital Watchdog RFP as was well two RFP’s on the Motorola Vigilant system. The board agreed to go with the Vigilant system Thursday night, but there was some concern Friday that the board did not get enough information on the systems with just a summary. After a special board meeting Friday, the board rescinded that motion for approval and will hear more information about all the systems at the September meeting. The board approved the preliminary 2022-23 Annual Secretary of the Board Report, approved the Conflict of Interest ordinance, approved the formal Letter of Engagement with Gilmore Bell for bond financial guidance, and approved the Construction Trades contract with some amendments. The declaration of surplus property was postponed until September and the board had the first reading of the MSBA Policy update. Missouri passed a new law where schools must test their drinking water at fountains and cooking stations for lead, so the board approved a service contract with “Get the Lead Out, LLC.” This must be done by December to see what, if any, action needs to be done. The board made no decision on the “Gift of Life” organ donation program, and postponed a decision on the CACFP contract until the next meeting. The board did approved the Discovery School contract for two students to go to Rolla. In closed session, the board approved a three-year contract with Dr. Nathan Wills for him to become the new superintendent starting with the 2024-25 year. They also approved to amend the food service manager salary schedule and they approved authorizing an offer on real estate property. The district approved four volunteers to help coach football. They include Jimmy Decker for high school football, Phillip Mercer for freshman football, and Nick Gover and Jerry Creek for middle school football. The meeting was then adjourned.

The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 5170 and 5520 while only grading would be done on county road 2460. He said brush would be cut on county road 6400 and rock would be added to county road 6250. Mobray also reported the county has received a grant through the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District that will allow for the pickup of old used tires from county trucks, as well as tires that have been collected from roadside ditches that were not properly disposed of by citizens. Mobray said the county has about 200 old tires at the Road and Bridge Department that will be removed. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2313, 2320, 2390 and 2403. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson discussed along with the electronic pickup for anything with a cord or battery that will be held on September 9th at 3rd and Grand here in Salem, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District will also be collecting tires for a small charge from 9:00 in the morning until noon. They will accept your old wore out passenger tires for $2.00 each, truck tires for $7.50 and tractor tires for $35 each. If you have any questions, please contact the MRPC at 265-2993 and ask for Jill Hollowell. Corky Stack from AES Engineering was in to speak with the commission about a change in the price for the Christmas Lights for the courthouse. Stack said he told the commission Monday the cost for the lighting system, tracking and installation would be $42,000 which the commission approved after a presentation. Stack said that figure was derived from a phone conversation held last Friday with Trim Lights where Stack provided some information and received a “ballpark” price. The owner had not yet discussed the project with Jared Barnard who was in town Monday for the presentation to the commission and to assess the project. After reviewing the building and assessing what the commission wanted, Stack said the price was increased to $49,800 because of additional wiring, tracking and transformers that would be needed, but he was able to negotiate that price down $3,000 because the crews would be able to use the scaffolding provided by the general contractor. He said the new cost would be $46,800, which is an increase of $4,800, and if the county wanted the edge tracking to match the brick color on the building, they would need to be powder coated at a cost of about $2,400 bring the cost to $49,200. The commission wanted to think about the change in price. Stack said he checked out another company who does this type of light replacement, but the reviews on their product are not very good. Stack also said he checked into the lightning protection for the courthouse that was requested by the commission and said the cost would be around $7,620. The commission approved the lightning protection be added to the project by a 3-0 vote. Stack also stated he still did not have the actual bid from the electrical contractor yet but expected it an any time. After Stack left to visit with the contractor, the commission discussed the change in the price on the lights. The current lighting system is no longer a viable option as the wires have deteriorated and the lights are harder to replace. The county has been spending anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 per year over the last few years making repairs to the lights that will not last, and felt the increase in price with the lifetime warranty on the lights and savings from not having to make repairs need to weigh in on the decision. The commission discussed the project further and approved by a 3-0 vote to offer Trim Lights $45,000 for the project, and they would look at the different colors of tracking offered by the company to see if the powder coating was actually necessary. Stack was called back into the meeting and was informed of the offer by the commission. He felt he could get Trim Lights to do the work for $45,000. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday at 9:00 at the courthouse and it is open to the public.

The Salem Police has released reports for the week of August 5th to August 11th where there were a total of 107 calls for service. Officers with the Salem Police Department conducted 12 traffic stops for various traffic violations with three resulting in a summons or arrest. Officers conducted two traffic accident investigations along with three informational reports. On Sunday, August 6th at approximately 3:00 in the morning, officers were dispatched to the 1300 block of Iron Mountain Road for a report of a domestic disturbance. It was reported that a male subject was intoxicated causing issues in the residence. After investigating the incident, the 38-year-old Salem man was placed on a 12-hour safe-keep. Later that same morning around 6:00, officers were dispatched to the 600 block of North Pershing for a report of a subject that appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. Officers investigated the situation and located the man. During a search of his person, the Salem Police located methamphetamine as well as methamphetamine paraphernalia. As a result of the search, a 44-year-old Salem man was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Later that Sunday afternoon at around 4:00, officers on patrol located a female subject who had an active capias warrant out of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. As a result, 23-year old Destiny Woods of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. At around 10:30 on the morning of Tuesday, August 8th, officers located a male subject who had a $500 cash only warrant for his arrest out of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office. As a result 40-year-old Herbert Bartlett of Salem, was arrested and incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. On Wednesday, August 9th near 11:30 in the morning, officers took a report of a shoplifting at Walmart. It was reported that approximately $40 of merchandise was stolen. That report is still under investigation. Please contact the Salem Police Department at (573) 729-4242 if you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation.