Archive for 2024

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the courthouse. In public comments, David Meinell from Dent County Road 6600 gave a history on how the road came to be and that it was built to be 30-feet wide with 3 to 1 slope on each side. He said right now the road is passable with some bad spots and District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said the district is a long way from being finished with that road. They installed an additional new culvert pipe, and Mr. Meinell was concerned the FEMA personnel would not approve that, opting instead for a concrete vault, but Commissioner Mobray said the entire commission met with FEMA personnel Wednesday as well as Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt. Mobray said they had no problem with what the county did to that road. Denver Ellis from Dent County Road 2300 brought in some water well application papers from the Department of Natural Resources on the new water well approved last Tuesday night by the City of Salem. Ellis said they had requested from the city an impact study on how this well would affect county residents in the area, but they have not received it yet after numerous requests. Ellis was asking the commission if they could follow up on this to find out how it would have an effect on the water supply for county residents on Dent County Road 2240 and surrounding areas. Commissioner Gary Larson said the commission would investigate it. Emergency Management Director Marfitt said the counties in the region exceeding the 11 million dollars of damage which is the federal threshold for being declared a disaster area, while in Dent County alone the road damages are being estimated over six million dollars after an initial estimate of 4.6 million dollars. Marfitt said Montauk State Park sustained about eight million dollars in damages, but that is under a different category than the counties with it being a state park. In the road report, Commissioner Mobray said rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 5110 while only grading would be done on county roads 5115, 5460 and 6080. Rock will also be added to county road 6050. Mobray said from their meeting Wednesday with FEMA, the county would be reimbursed in two phases for their work. Phase 1 is to get the roads back open and passable. Once that is complete, the county will begin Phase 2 which is to put the roads back into their original condition prior to the disaster. The county would be reimbursed for that when the project is complete. Mobray also said there would be no FEMA assistance on Private Lane 601 in Dent County about three miles west of Highway 119 as they did not meet the required damage threshold. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 4283. Commissioner Larson had nothing to report except that the commission would not be meeting Monday due to the MAC Conference, and there would also be no meeting on Thanksgiving Day. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the first day to sign up for the Municipal Election in April will be December 10th at the office of the entity you are seeking election. She also said the courthouse would be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Dent County Extension personnel were in attendance to discuss their budget for 2025. First, they wanted to present to the commission work done in the community. Livestock Specialist Eric Meusch wanted to remind farmers who suffered damage to their farm road, fences or buildings due to the flooding, or suffered a loss of livestock, to get in touch with their FSA office. He also said two Dent County residents will be part of a five-year experimental grassland study using bio-char. Community Development Specialist Ray Walden said Dent County is part of a Missouri S&T grant on rural infrastructure, and they are working on a multi-state grant effort on housing. They reported there were 38 more 4-H participants in 2024 over 2023 and the extension is still looking for a youth associate leader. Besides the county, the extension is funded by a couple of additional sources totaling about $13,000. They did ask for an increase over last year’s budget due to the increase in minimum wages. The next commissioner meeting will be Monday, December 2nd at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of October. The department responded to 14 accidents during the month. Officers responded to 23 alarms sounding and addressed 31 animal calls, investigated six assaults or fights, three burglaries, performed 9 well-being checks and 19 area checks in October. Police investigated 14 domestic disputes, 10 verbal and one physical disturbances, conducted 61 follow-up investigations, and provided 24 escorts. They investigated 5 harassment reports, 4 nuisance violations, two parking complaint calls, 4 intoxicated pedestrian report, one intoxicated driver, 7 shoplifting reports and offered assistance to two motorists. The Salem Police wrote 6 property damage reports, made 4 stealing reports, wrote five trespassing reports and responded to four traffic complaints. Officers responded to two reports of suicidal persons, 17 suspicious circumstance calls, two suspicious person calls, and 7 suspicious vehicle calls. Officers attempted to serve five warrants and conducted 62 traffic stops during the month. The police responded to a total of 548 incidents in October with the average response time to calls being two minutes. The average time spent on the scene was 25 minutes and 35 seconds.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors regular meeting will be this evening at 7:00 in the hospital library. The meeting is open to the public and can be attended electronically or by telephone. If you would like to attend through these methods contact the SMDH administration office at 573-729-6626 ext. 4005. After roll call the board review the minutes from the October and November board meetings. The CEO will give his report. Then the hospital report to include summary of operations and statistics, 340 B program, CNO report, human resources update, and quality information. Then the Chief of Staff report, before old business. Next will be new business to include medical staff bylaw review and hospital policies for review.

The Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Jay Nixon Backcountry conceptual development plan meeting originally scheduled for November 9th, will now be held on Saturday, December 7th at 9:00 in the morning. The guided hikes being held in conjunction with the meeting, including the overnight trip to Jay Nixon Backcountry, are also postponed due to flooded trails. Representatives from Missouri State Parks invite the public to attend rescheduled informational meetings for both the Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Jay Nixon Backcountry on Saturday, December 7th. The public is invited to share comments and ask questions about the facilities and their operations. These informational meetings are being held in conjunction with the two parks’ conceptual development planning open house. The open house will be held at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. In the event of inclement weather, the open house may be moved, but an update will be provided prior to the date. As the long-range plan for the park is updated, the public is encouraged to come learn more about the planning process, ask questions and provide input regarding future park use and development. A 30-day comment period will begin December 7th with a survey available online at mostateparks.com/CDP. A guided hike to Mina Sauk Falls will be available for those attending and will begin at 10:30 December 7th and it is a strenuous 3.5-mile hike. Input from the public is important to Missouri State Parks. The meetings will inform the public on the current status and future plans for the park or historic site and offer visitors the opportunity to comment on the facilities.

The Creative Arts Center in Salem will hold a class on designing your own Pet Bowl on Saturday, November 23rd from 10:00 in the morning until 12:00 noon with Danielle Norris. Come and customize your very own non-spill ceramic made for smaller dogs and cats. Students will paint them and seal them for pet use! This class is perfect for all ages! Children must have an adult present to assist. The cost of the class is $15 and all supplies are included. There must be ten people sign up to hold the class and it will be limited to 30 participants. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.

Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows deer hunters in Missouri harvested 68,312 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season November 16th and 17th. Of the 68,312 deer harvested, 42,283 were antlered bucks, 5,105 were button bucks, and 20,924 were does. The top harvest counties for opening weekend were Franklin with 1,627 deer harvested, Texas with 1,305, and Pike with 1,161. Last year, hunters checked 90,253 deer during opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer season. Top counties in our area include Dent County with 760 deer harvested, Reynolds County reported that 632 deer were taken, Crawford County hunters nabbed 1,006 deer, Phelps County hunters took 664 deer, Shannon County hunters harvested 571 deer and Iron County saw 506 deer taken. This year’s harvest opening weekend total was lower than last year which is being attributed to the opening of November portion a week later than last year, which is almost two weeks after the peak of the rut in Missouri, this year’s abundant acorn crop, and warm temperatures. Deer hunting continues in Missouri with the firearm season through Tuesday, November 26th followed by the CWD portion November 27th through December 1st in open counties. The Late Youth portion runs November 29th to December 1st followed by the Late Antlerless portion starting December 7th and lasting until the 15th in open counties. The Alternative Methods portion of the hunting season will be from December 28th through January 7th, 2025. The archery deer season reopens Wednesday, November 27 and runs through January 15th, 2025. Get more information on Missouri deer hunting from MDC’s 2024 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov. 

As winter approaches Missourians should consider these winter weather preparedness tips. Be sure to create a family emergency plan and emergency kit. Emergency supplies should include bottled water, canned and dry foods, battery-powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, manual can opener and a first-aid kit. When power outages are possible, charge cell phones and other devices in advance so you are able to communicate if power is lost. Assemble a vehicle winter emergency kit. Include a blanket, radio/spare batteries, snacks/energy bars, jumper cables, flares and a shovel/sand or shingles for tire traction. Avoid driving when conditions could deteriorate. Postpone travel if possible. If driving is absolutely necessary, keep your gas tank more than half full and your cell phone charged. Save emergency numbers for fast dialing. Check road conditions in advance on the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traveler Map at traveler.modot.org/map/. Allow extra time, expect delays, reduce speed and increase following distance. If your vehicle breaks down or slides off the road, stay in the vehicle and call for help. Make sure alternate heat and power sources such as fireplaces, woodstoves, kerosene heaters and generators function properly. These sources can be dangerous and must be regularly maintained and operated. Keep the correct fuel for each source on hand in a safe location. Proper ventilation is essential. Properly install carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home. Only operate generators outdoors. Remember space heaters are potentially deadly when misused. Space heaters account for approximately one-third of home heating fires and 80 percent of home heating fire deaths. Supplemental heating sources like these should be turned off when leaving a room or going to bed. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from heating equipment. For more winter weather preparedness tips, including safe driving techniques and avoiding injury while shoveling, please visit mo.gov/winter-weather-safety/.

The Creative Arts Center in Salem will hold a Coldworking Fused Glass Holiday Ornament/Gift Tag Workshop on tomorrow, from 5:30 until 8:30 in the evening with Jennifer Curry. In this workshop, the student will learn how to use several cold working tools used to shape fused glass for either returning their fused project back to the kiln for a fire-polishing, or shaping it for final hand-polishing. The art of coldworking gives the artist an added dimension to the glass kiln working skill. The class is open to students 12-years of age and older. The cost of the class is $50 and all supplies are included. There must be two people sign up to hold the class and it will be limited to five. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse for their regular meeting. Newly elected commissioners Keith Green and Jimmy Williams were in attendance as were Dr Alan West and Dr. Alan Muelenberg from Private Lane 601 in Dent County about three miles west of Highway 119. They were in attendance to ask if the county could provide some professional assistance in helping to repair their private lane with the use of graders to widen the lane, adding some rock or even some engineering suggestions. They said they have the lane “passable” at this time but, but it may not be good enough for emergency personnel such as ambulance to use the lane. Both District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray and District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk said that since their lane is private, the county can’t really do anything as indicated in the state statutes. They can’t use public tax dollars on a private lane even though it feeds multiple properties, it is not a county road listed with MoDOT.. The lane is maintained by the property owners on that lane on a “cost share basis” and they would have to find a private contractor to make the repairs they need. If they wanted to make it into a county road, Commissioner Mobray said it would cost over a million dollars to have the road engineered and then properly built to the county specs. Polk and Mobray both told them to contact Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt as there may be some FEMA assistance available for the needed work on the road, but they would have to have plenty of documentation on the road such as before and after pictures which Dr. West said he had. In the road report, Mobray said some riprap was going to be added to Dent County Road 6300 while speed limit signs were going to be installed on Dent County Road 6490. In District 2, Polk said crews would be cleaning out debris from low-water bridges. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he attended the MRPC meeting as well as the Phelps County PHA meeting last Thursday in St. James. Dent County Clerk said the county needed to put out bids for new election equipment as the county’s equipment now is ten years old. Bids would be due in her office by 10:00 on December 9th and will be opened that morning. All the specs are available in the county clerk’s office. Curley said the next election will be the Municipal Election on April 8th and filing will start for the City of Salem, school boards, hospital board, fire district board, health center board, water district board s an others on December 10th. Filings will be held at the individual offices of the those public entities. The next meeting will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department will be testing the storm sirens tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning. If there is inclement weather in the area that day the test will be postponed to the following Wednesday, the 27th.

Airport Board President Tyler Naramore has called for a meeting of the Board this evening at 6:00 at the Old City Hall Auditorium at 202 North Washington. Agenda items includes the approval of the minutes of the October 15th meeting,  the board hearing an update on the airport and projects, hearing an update on the CIP, plus any other business as well as public comments. The meeting tonight is open to the public.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Salem will hold the Christmas Parade of Lights in Salem on Saturday, December 7th starting at 6:00 with this year’s theme: “Have Your Elf a Merry Little Christmas.”  The parade will run from the corner of South Grand and Franklin at the SBU Campus, traveling east to MacArthur, then going north to 4th Street before going heading east to the Dent County Courthouse square. Entry forms are now available at the office of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce at 1136 South Main in Salem. Forms need to be returned by December 2nd to the chamber office. You can mail them, fax them at 573-729-6741 or e-mail them at chamber@salemmo.com, or drop them off in person. A full list of the parade rules are available at the chamber office. If you have any questions, call 573-729-6900.

The Missouri Department of Transportation reminds motorists to be prepared for the sudden appearance of wild animals on Missouri roadways throughout the fall months. Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Deer Biologist Jason Isabelle says that deer increase their movements during the breeding season, which began in October and peaks in mid-November and because of this, motorists should be especially cautious when driving this time of year. In 2023, Missouri drivers experienced 3,591 crashes involving deer resulting in four fatalities and 420 people being injured. One deer strike occurred approximately every 2 hours and 30 minutes in the state. Staying on guard after a close call or when you see a single deer, as there are likely more. Never swerve to avoid animals in the road, as it can cause loss of vehicle control, resulting in serious injury or death. According to Missouri Law, an individual who has struck and killed a deer with their vehicle may claim the deer carcass if written authorization to possess the deer is granted by an MDC agent. The Wildlife Disposition Form is free, but MDC must issue the permit.