Archive for 2024

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse without First District Commissioner Wes Mobray who had a prior commitment. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART tax receipts for July and reported the county received $83,066.63 which is up $3,926.70 from the 2023 July amount,  and is up $22,316.44 year-to-date. Rick Emory was at the meeting from Dent County Road 5130 and wanted to make sure the new “no truck” signs are not going to affect local log trucks or other local truck traffic from using the county roads. The commission said the local truck traffic on the roads will be permitted. He also said he had a culvert problem he talked with Commissioner Mobray about where after rains, ponding occurs. He was checking on the progress and Road Supervisor Jason Akins, who was in attendance for Mobray, said they have not gotten to that yet. In the road report, Akins said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 4160, 5600 and 6460; while brush would be cut on county roads 5020, 5030 and 5105. Akins did say new cutting edges were being installed on Grader #39. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said grading was being done on Dent County Road 2050 while rock was being added on county roads 2070 and 2120. Polk also stated workers would be checking out county roads 3180 where a truck supposedly got stuck to check for damage. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said the commission is still working on Senate Bill 190 as it was modified by Senate Bill 756 and will not go into effect until August 28th. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said today is the first day of “no excuse” absentee voting and this will continue until August 5th. She said Wednesday is the last day to mail out an absentee ballot, and sample ballots are available for free in her office. Curley said that her office and the treasurer balanced on all accounts for the month of June. The road and bridge department took phone fuel bids with Phil-Mart the lowest bidder at $2.85 a gallon. Albert Schneider attended the meeting and asked for the weeds to cut on Dent County Road 4020 where they are extremely high and drivers cannot see oncoming traffic around a curve. Commissioner Polk said he would get that on the list of work to be done. Sheriff Bob Wells and Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt attended the meeting to discuss the FEMA requirements for the county. Marfitt said both the county and city need to have an Emergency Management Director and he doesn’t believe the city has had one since Allen Kimrey. Marfitt is currently going through the old emergency management plan which was from 2012 and needed to know how the county was going to coordinate the needed changes with the city. Commissioner Larson said he would talk with City Administrator Sally Burbridge and/or Mayor Greg Parker to see how they want to handle this situation. The commission then heard from Susan Cunningham from SDR, Inc. about the 911 mapping and improved services and the new requirements from the state. Field work is currently going on and is expected to be completed by the end of July. The new requirements from the state. Field work is currently going on and is expected to be completed by the end of July. The new requirements will be used for addressing as well as 9-1-1 calls and extensive training by the assessor will be needed. Cunningham stated though it is unknown how the state will provide the training, she asked the commission to contact Scott Cason, NG911 coordinator, to set up a meeting with the state GIS, and if Dent County would need monthly or quarterly reports. Cunningham also said the state has not yet figured out where they will get the financial support for this project. Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer turned over the real estate and personal property totals for 2024 tax books to the collector and county clerk. For this year 2024, there were no appeals with the Board of Equalization on the assessed values. It was also announced the next commissioner meeting will be Monday, the 29th, at the courthouse.

The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District is accepting grant applications for the 2025 grant round, beginning July 1st. Grant nonprofit organizations, citizens and other interested parties to reduce the amount of waste being landfilled through waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting. The district’s list of targeted materials is based on the state-targeted materials list. In addition, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District has identified multiple priority project areas to address specific considered.  Potential projects can focus on district priorities for education, end-market development for recycled materials, waste reduction and reuse, hard to recycle items such as carpet and mattresses, food waste reduction or composting, construction and demolition waste, and special events/business/multi-family dwelling recycling. Some $125,000 is available for grants this round. A more detailed list of priorities and targeted materials is included in the grant application and available at www.ozarkrivers.org. Last year, Ozark Rivers awarded $160,244.26 to fund or partially fund nine projects throughout the seven-county district. A grant application workshop is scheduled from 10:00 in the morning to noon on July 24th at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) office at #4 Industrial Drive in St. James. This workshop will also be offered in-person and via Zoom, and those interested in participating must register with Jill Hollowell, MRPC environmental specialist by calling 573-265-2993. This workshop ensures that potential grantees know application requirements and understand the benefits and obligations, should they receive reimbursement funding for their projects. The grant dollars awarded by Ozark Rivers comes through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and represents a portion of the landfill tipping fees collected state-wide. The grant application is available online at www.ozarkrivers.org. For more information, contact Hollowell at 573-265-2993.

The Salem and Dent County 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction was held this past Saturday at The Commons that raised an unofficial total of $313,500.37 through animal bids and another $13,200 in ribbon bids for a total of $326,700.37. This figure also includes resales. Auctioneers Roger Schafer and Brady Hagler auctioned off three pens of market chickens for $1,246.50, eight pens of market rabbits for $1,721.02, eight cured meats brought in $2,848.65, 19 market goats sold for $15,396.20, 15 market lambs fetched $16,261.25, 56 market hog sales raised $105,020.50, the 37 market steers raised $171,006.25. The top ten buyers at the auction this year were the Bank of Salem, Curt’s Mobile Homes, County Fuels, Interstate Regional Stockyards, Phil-Mart, Town and Country Bank, Farm Bureau-Willie Strader, Agent; Rushing Construction, Roberts-Judson Lumber Company and  Steelman Abstract and Title Company. The Salem FFA Chapter and all the Dent County 4-H Clubs thank everyone who attended the auction this year for their generosity and support. If you missed this year’s auction you can go back and watch it on either the KSMO YouTube page or Facebook page.

The Salem R-80 School District held its regular board meeting on Thursday. Shortly after the meeting began, it was noted by Superintendent Dr. Nathan Wills that the district plans to begin live streaming their regular board meetings in August. The board then moved to the Superintendent’s report, headed by Dr. Wills, He stated he has started to receive scores from last school year’s Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) and End of Course Exam (EOC), and they “look promising”. The materials for the greenhouse have been delivered and construction is anticipated to proceed as scheduled, with the building to be completed by mid to late August. The building principals then gave several updates on how they are getting ready for the start of a new year. The “New Tiger Training” will be held on August 13th & 14th. The first day will be a walk through on what to expect on the first day of school, and the second day will be a rundown of how to use the various technologies provided by the school. The middle school is planning to implement policy changes regarding students’ personal devices. These policy changes will be announced via the Salem R-80 Facebook page in the coming weeks. The district has implemented online registration this year for returning students through Infinite Campus that began Monday, July 8th and ended Sunday, July 21st. Online registration for new students is now going on through the parent portal. Walk-in registration for new students will be held on Friday, August 2nd from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM at the high school library. If you have questions about registration, contact kara.constance@salemr80.org or check out the Salem R-80 Facebook Page for more information. In new business, the bids for the roof repairs were compared by the board and in a 6-0 unanimous vote, the board chose the bid from SRI Constructors. The board unanimously approved the 2024-2025 meal prices and also approved the bid to provide fiber to the Tin Gym with Advanced Telephone LLC by a 6-0 vote. A motion was made to consider the Progressive Ozark Bank Season Pass debit card, which the board passed in a 6-0 vote. The board set the Tax Rate Hearing before the regular board meeting on August 15th at 5:15 to be followed by the regular board meeting. The board then went into closed session where they unanimously approved the salaries of Mary Hinkle and Brian Andrews, and extending the contract of Carmen Vaughn by five days. Also in closed session, the board made a motion to approve Tammy Herpich as a teacher pending a background check, hiring John Smith, approved Brandon Schloemer as a middle school football volunteer, and Lonnie Lee as the Assistant Track Coach. Dr. Wills also notified the board of internal moves of upper elementary school registered nurse Jody Parker, aide Christine Smith at William Lynch Elementary and bus driver Terry Nash. The board also discussed real estate issues before ending closed session and adjourning the meeting.

An accident happened in Dent County at 5:50 Friday evening on Highway 32 about a mile west of Route MM. According to the highway patrol report, a 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 driven eastbound by 25-year-old Brandon Clark of Viburnum, was traveling too fast for a curve and went off the right side of the roadway and overturned. Clark suffered minor injuries and was evaluated at the scene by the Salem Ambulance crew. The Chevy Silverado was totaled and removed from the scene by Blackie’s Towing. Clark was not wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

All this week the City of Salem, in partnership with the Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA), will conduct smoke testing on the main sewer trunk line. The testing will cover an arc from the southern part of town to the Wastewater Treatment Plant on the north along Salem’s eastern edge. This maintenance procedure involves introducing non-toxic smoke into the sewer system to identify leaks or improper connections, ensuring efficient system operation. While the testing primarily focuses on the main trunk line, residents may notice smoke emerging from sewer drains or related fixtures. Officials emphasize this is normal and does not indicate a fire or hazard. For more information, contact the City of Salem Public Works Department at 573-729-4811, ext 110.

The Dent County Fire Protection Board of Directors will hold a special meeting this evening at 6:00 at the Dent County Firehouse for the purpose of discussing insurance policies for the department. The meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Commission met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the courthouse. Road and Bridge Department grader operators Danny Wethy, Steve Lundy, Travis Turner and Norman Bell were in attendance. Also in attendance was Second District Commissioner Candidate Denver Ellis. During public comments Second District Commissioner Gary Polk confronted Ellis about comments he alleged Ellis had made during his interview with Stan Stevens on KSMO Radio. Ellis denied Polk’s accusations and shared his viewpoint of the comments he’d made. Polk reviewed the hours and years of grader operation experience for each man, plus commented about the training they had received. Turner explained how they pull ditches, crown the roads and grade them. He also explained the modern technology in the graders, the grading processes, and how each road actually grades different each time the graders go over them. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson pointed out that the operators have gone to proper training. First District Commissioner Wes Mobray noted that budget limitations only allow so much that they road crews can do to the roadways. The four men were thanked for their attendance as they left the Commissioners’ Office. In the road report Mobray said that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5525, 6070, and 6255, while brush would be cut on county road 6180. Polk reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2050, 2060, 4270, and 4280, plus rock would be hauled to county road 2070. He also noted that 3/8-inch chips were being stockpiled for Chip and Seal patching, plus grader blades were being replaced on Grader #37. Larson reported that the Tourism Tax Committee meeting was moved to Tuesday night where two proposals were presented, and two reimbursement requests were approved. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said that bills were being approved for payment and that absentee voting continues. She encouraged voters to update their voter registration information ASAP and any questions should be directed to her office at (573) 729-4144. Curley also noted that electioneering is not allowed within 25 feet of the polls and voters will need a photo id. Mobray also reported that he and Collector Shannon Vankirk went to a Bunker City Alderman meeting to discuss SB190. The Commissioners voted 3-0 to set the 2024 Tax Rate Hearing for General Revenue, Road and Bridge, SB40, and the Senior Citizens Service Fund for August 22nd at 10:00. The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The St. James community is mourning the loss of a 31-year-old woman who was fatally struck by a vehicle while crossing an intersection with a juvenile at N. Jefferson and Highway B around 9 Wednesday night. The juvenile who sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Despite a swift emergency response from, the St. James Police Department, St. James Fire Department, St. James Ambulance District, Phelps County Sheriff’s Department, and Mercy Life Line Air Medical Services the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation into the accident is currently underway by the St. James Police Department and the Phelps County Coroner’s Office. The families affected are requesting privacy during this difficult time.

The Dent County 4-H and FFA Expo is going on now at the Commons. Today the Hog Show will begin at 7:00 this morning, followed by the Sheep and Goat Show. Later in the afternoon the Small Animal Show will start at 1:00. The Beef and Dairy Show will start at 2:00 then to cap off the day, a Buyer Supper will begin at 6:30 in the evening. Then tomorrow the 4-H FFA Market Sale will begin at 9:00 in the morning. KSMO Media will be on hand to live stream the event on their three streaming platforms, YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. KSMO Radio 1340 AM and 95.7 FM will broadcast the live audio.

The Creative Arts Center will have a Christmas in July Ceramics Paint Party on Friday July 26th from 6:00 in the evening till 8:00. Spend a relaxing few hours painting nostalgic Christmas keepsakes. They’ll have various sizes of ceramic Christmas trees available to glaze and fire, as well as other ceramic figurines, plates, bowls, cups, etc. What better way to bring the Christmas spirit into the heat of summer, than to paint some memorable pieces to pass down from generation to generation! The cost is $5 and will go towards the cost of your ceramic pieces. To register, go the SACBA website and find the Programs tab. Find the Creative Arts Center and click to register for the class.