Archive for 2025

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning in the courthouse. In the road report District One Commissioner Keith Green said that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 6250, 6400, and 6670, plus rock would be added to those roads if needed. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that grading would be done on Dent County Roads 3360, 3370, 4270 and 4480, plus brush would be cut on county roads 4040 and 4330. He also noted that rock would be added to county roads 2405 and 4280. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said that he attended the Opioid Committee meeting last week where several applications received tentative approval and were forwarded to MRPC for review and to determine if they met the requirements. The applications will be returned to the committee for awarding of funds to those meeting the criteria. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the commissioners were approving bills for payment. At 10:00 representatives from Mike Keith Insurance were in to introduce themselves and let the commission know that they would like to be on the RFQ list if the commission puts it out for auto, property and liability insurance RFQ’s this fall. At 11:00 the commission held a conference call with Courtney Wagmen from LJ Hart & Company to discuss jail bonds and funding. David Messenger was in and inquired about the commission’s procedures for transferring a railroad right-of-way back to a landowner. He also asked about load limits for chip-and-seal roads. The commissioners clarified that low-water crossings have weight limits and that chip-and-seal rads can typically withstand 5 to 10 tons, depending on the materials used. Then at noon they had a conference call with MAC Attorney Travis Elliott to discuss an SB 190 ordinance and its application process. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the Dent County Courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

Thursday evening at the Judicial Building, the Dent Count Opioid Settlement Committee met to discuss applications for funding from the opioid settlement monies being received by the county. The committee prioritized that funds will be used to treat or serve those in Dent County first, and that applications have no minimums or maximums. Deputy Rick Letchworth led the committee discussion which was focused on the nine applications received for funding. The fund currently has $325,609.22. The board heard about Parted Waters who requested funding for residential housing, the Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition who requested funding to expand their “Too Good for Drugs” classroom instruction to include 7th through 9th graders as well as create a mentoring program, and the Dent County Health Center who submitted three applications to provide additional meeting space in the community, provide transportation for mostly non-medical needs in the community, and wanting to create a review board for reports on opioid abuse or overdose. The board also heard about two applications from the Salem Memorial Hospital with the first concentrating on three Lucas Devices for chest compression and the creation of harm prevention kits, with the other application being the purchase of a new ambulance; an application from the Dent County Sheriff’s Office for two Lucas devices, a new TruNarc analyzer and compensation for officers being taken off the road to work narcotics; and the last request was from Four Rivers Community Health Center. The total amount of the applications for funding came to $1,068,368.85. Letchworth said the committee will discuss the applications and submit their recommendations to the MRPC. Once he gets them back from the MRPC, he will present them to the Dent County Commission for their approval to be funded. He said the process should take about a week or so.

The Creative Arts Center will hold group Crafting every Sunday through February 23rd from 2:00 until 6:00 with Nicole Curtis. If you need a place to spread your crafts out or don’t like to do crafting alone, bring your supplies to the Creative Arts Center and hang out, spending time with other crafty people. You do have to have all your own supplies and only the front room and bathrooms will be available. The class is open to all those 16 years of age and older with a suggestion donation of $5.00 that goes towards utilities. No children without an adult please. On Thursday night, from 5:00 until 8:00, students can learn to make Chunky Knit Blanket with Danielle Kissir. This is a beginner’s class and is fun for all ages, open to those 10 years of age and older. Crochet or knitting experience is not required. The cost of the class is $75 with yarn and supplies included. To sign up, go to the SACBA website, click on “Programs” link and then on the Creative Arts Center.

Thursday evening at the Judicial Building, the Dent Count Opioid Settlement Committee met to discuss applications for funding from the opioid settlement monies being received by the county. The committee prioritized that funds will be used to treat or serve those in Dent County first, and that applications have no minimums or maximums. Deputy Rick Letchworth led the committee discussion which was focused on the nine applications received for funding. The fund currently has $325,609.22. The board heard about Parted Waters who requested funding for residential housing, the Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition who requested funding to expand their “Too Good for Drugs” classroom instruction to include 7th through 9th graders as well as create a mentoring program, and the Dent County Health Center who submitted three applications to provide additional meeting space in the community, provide transportation for mostly non-medical needs in the community, and wanting to create a review board for reports on opioid abuse or overdose. The board also heard about two applications from the Salem Memorial Hospital with the first concentrating on three Lucas Devices for chest compression and the creation of harm prevention kits, with the other application being the purchase of a new ambulance; an application from the Dent County Sheriff’s Office for two Lucas devices, a new TruNarc analyzer and compensation for officers being taken off the road to work narcotics; and the last request was from Four Rivers Community Heatlh Center. The total amount of the applications for funding came to $1,068,368.85. Letchworth said the committee will discuss the applications and submit their recommendations to the MRPC. Once he gets them back from the MRPC, he will present them to the Dent County Commission for their approval to be funded. He said the process should take about a week or so.

On Monday, January 27th, a Rolla man pleaded guilty and admitted transporting a minor across state lines for sex in the US Eastern District Court in St. Louis. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins prosecuting the case against 48-year-old Scott M. Arnold-Micke. He pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of a minor to engage in a criminal sex act. He admitted in his plea agreement that in 2021, he took the 17-year-old victim to Chicago, where they used drugs and engaged in sexual acts. Arnold-Micke met the victim that summer and they began engaging in drug use on an almost daily basis after Arnold-Micke moved from Sullivan, Missouri to Rolla. Arnold-Micke is scheduled to be sentenced on April 30th. Both the U.S. Attorney’s office and Arnold-Micke’s lawyers have agreed to recommend 230 months in prison. The case was investigated by the FBI, the Rolla Police Department, and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Collins is prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Healthy Dent County is excited to introduce the Circuit30 Program, a full-body workout designed to fit into even the busiest schedules, by hosting a public Open House for the first two weeks of February. This is a fantastic opportunity to check out the new program, tour the facilities, and get a feel for the new machines. The Open House will be from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, now through February 14th, at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. This innovative program features 15 brand-new, state-of-the-art machines, all available in a private and welcoming environment, making fitness approachable for all. Three group orientation sessions are being held each day from 9:00 – 9:30 AM, 12:00 – 12:30 PM, and 5:00 – 5:30 PM where participants can learn more about the program and how it can work for them. This program is just the latest in several programs available at the facility, other notable classes and programs include; Yoga, Kickboxing, Spin Classes, and Zumba, just to name a few. For more information or to sign up for an orientation session which is open to anyone, please contact them at 573-739-1127 or via email at susie@salemcommunitycenter.org.

At the Dent County Commission meeting Thursday morning, 42nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge Megan Seay presented a “formal demand” letter to the commission requiring them to make the old courthouse ADA compliant with the installation of an elevator. The letter says the elevator must be installed to accommodate those with disabilities as soon as possible. Seay said in her letter that all litigants and citizens who need to access a courthouse should have the right to do so unencumbered and without embarrassment. She goes on to say that the associate courtroom in the Judicial Building cannot accommodate a jury trial, and trials held off site do not have the same sense of decorum and respect for the court proceedings if a jury is involved. She cited that is the case with the Salem City Hall which has numerous exits and entrances. Seay indicated it is the duty of the commission to make certain litigants and court staff are kept safe as possible during court proceedings. In her letter, Judge Seay says that as the Presiding Circuit Judge, she is going to bring the courthouse into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act as it is the right thing to do. Knowing this undertaking will take some time to accomplish, Seay is giving the County Commission 90 days to begin the installation of a chairlift; and to request for bids for the installation of an elevator in the Dent County Courthouse that will need to be published in the Salem News within the next 90 days. Sheriff Bob Wells and the commission discussed an elevator at the old courthouse which could be very costly with the age of the building, and also discussed a new courtroom and judicial offices next to the old jail at Iron and 5th Streets. Commissioner Gary Larson said he has been a proponent of an elevator as well as handicapped accessibility, and at one time had found a grant to help pay to install an elevator at the courthouse for $350,000, but said he was voted down at the time. The cost of an elevator added to the courthouse is expected to exceed one million dollars, not to mention where to add it at the courthouse, and how it will be incorporated into the current historical structure. A new courtroom and judicial center was proposed at the time of the new jail construction, but was deemed too expensive at the time. Dent County citizens passed two jail sales taxes to support the new jail, one for the operation of the jail and the other to pay for the construction. It was discussed, if possible, to extend those sales taxes to help pay for the new courtroom, but that information would need to be presented to L.J. Hart and Company who worked with the county on the jail project who could determine any additional financial costs. The issue would then have to be brought before the people for a vote to extend the sales tax. This could be allowed as the initial bond issue ballot language included the new courtroom and associated judicial offices as being supported by those funds. They will have a conference call with L.J. Hart and Co on Monday morning at 11:00. The commission was going to get updated prices on the chairlift to see if they needed to go out for bid, which it must do if the cost exceeds $12,000. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said the new box spreader was taken to Knapheide where the motor and gearbox had to be replaced, but the box had been recalled and there should not be any charge to the county for the repairs. He said the box spreader was going to be picked up, then tested at the road and bridge department. He said crews were repairing the brush cutter and were still working on FEMA roads. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said crews were in the Sligo area replacing a culvert and working on FEMA road repairs. He also said workers are installing new grader blades. Commissioner Gary Larson had no report and County Clerk Angie Curley said the county was paying bills. Prosecutor Andrew Curley visited with the commission about any future claims and procedures. He wanted to add that he appreciated the commission, the whole budget process, them allocating funds for each office holder and felt all office holders try to stay under those allocated funds approved each year. Sean McGonigle with Missouri Association of Counties Workers Compensation Trust came in to discuss the MAC Trust, what they do, and also updated the commission on resources available to them. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

An accident happened in Dent County Wednesday afternoon at 1:12 on Highway 119 at Dent County Road 6460. According to the highway patrol report, a 2001 GMC Savana driven eastbound by a 31-year old female of Rolla, failed to yield to a 2015 Dodge Ram 2500 driven northbound by a 59-year-old male from Leasburg, causing the Dodge to travel off the right side of the roadway and overturn. Suffering minor injuries from the Savana were the driver and a 59-year-old male passenger from Leasburg; while the driver of the Dodge and another 59-year-old male from Leasburg, suffered minor injuries. The female from the Savana was treated by the EMS at the scene, while the man from the Savana was transported by a private vehicle to the Salem Memorial Hospital. The two men from the Dodge were taken by a private vehicle to Phelps Health in Rolla. Only the driver of the Savana was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at 6:00 at 202 N. Washington in the Old City Hall Auditorium. After the Call to Order, the Board approved the agenda and the consent agenda. Rob Benowitz approached the podium, during Public Comments, and asked if the Park Exposé portion of The 100 Acre Wood Rally Race, hosted yearly by the City of Salem, could be moved from 4th Street to the area surrounding the Courthouse, due to the ongoing construction on the sidewalks. The Board agreed to add this topic to the agenda for the next regular meeting. During New and Miscellaneous Business, the Board approved the bid from Sunbelt Solomon in the amount of $17,500.00, to replace the old transformer at the Al Brown Fields that was damaged by the flood in November. This money will come out of the Parks and Recreation Fund. The Board heard the first reading of Bill #3640, which would create an ordinance to amend the 2024-2025 annual budget for the City of Salem, increasing revenues by $731,260.60 and increasing expenditures by $360,002.29. Finance Director Stacy Houston explained that the quote for the City’s General Liability insurance came in after the budget was approved and was much higher than what they had originally budgeted for; the budget adjustment will also reflect some insurance reimbursement funds received from claims submitted after hail and storm damage, and funds that were approved, by the Board, from the previous year’s fund balance. The Board also heard the first and second reading of Bill #3639 that would establish an ordinance to allow the board the option to waive fees to collect yard waste by the city after a storm. This bill was approved, however, at this time, there is no set date for when the yard waste pick up will be. After hearing the first and second readings of Bill #3641, the Board approved the contract with Midstate Pipeline Maintenance, LLC for the Salem Waste Water Treatment Facility Phase 2A improvements in the amount of $4,204,916; The Board approved Bill #3638 for a change order for the cost of the elevation storage tank for the new tank and well project with a cost increase of $12,765. Bill #3630, establishing a service availability fee for sewer services provided by the city, and a payment structure based on the size of the meter, failed due to lack of motion. During the reports of city officials, Public Works Director Steve Paine stated he has put out a request for bids to replace the fencing around the plant that was destroyed in the November flood, and he is working with Houston to collect the necessary documentation to submit the claim for FEMA reimbursement. Paine stated the recent DNR inspection went well; the City’s water loss is at 11%, which is down from 17% at the last inspection. Paine stated they continue to work on finding and repairing leaks. Stacy Houston presented the finance report, in which she stated that the 2024 audit results will be presented at the next Board of Aldermen meeting. With no other reports, the meeting went into executive session to discuss contracts and personnel before adjourning.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital board of directors held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the Doctors’ Library. After roll call and approving the agenda and past minutes, Chief Executive Officer Brooke Bollman gave her report, in which she stated that due to the current presidential administration’s freeze on federal spending, most grants to the hospital will be halted, and the subsequent effects on the Hospital’s income will remain to be seen. (Since this meeting, however, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the presidential administration’s freeze on federal grants). Bollman stated they are still in active negotiations agreements with Phelps Health with no projected timeframe for completion. The Board approved the monthly financials. In the month of December, inpatient admissions, outpatient registrations, and ER visits went up slightly, and there were 213 ambulance runs. Total operating revenue for the month of December was about $2.4 million. Bollman noted a marked decrease in salary expenditures and a rather large increase in the hospital’s health insurance, and stated it may benefit the hospital to discuss implementing an employee health program. Total operating expenses were around $2.4 million for a net profit of $199,308.85. In December, the 340B program saw a net profit of $26,670, and the hospital currently has 24 days cash on hand. During the Chief Nursing Officer’s report, Amber Hogan stated there are many nursing positions open, they are providing IV push education to LPNs, and have submitted two applications for the Dent County Opioid Relief Settlement. The hospital hired one new employee but lost 11. New changes to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) will be implemented in 2025, including: changes to several questions, the ability to fill out the survey by proxy, and the method of contacting patients. Thanks to ToRCH funding, which is not part of federal grants and should not be affected by the spending freeze, the hospital’s MO Kiosk Pilot Project has been implemented. Services include: applying for benefits, requesting new EBT and Medicaid cards, and checking case statuses. The Board approved privilege requests for three doctors within the Telepsychiatry and Teleradiology departments, and approved funding for the new PFT Machine through the Bank of Salem at 7% for 5 years with a monthly payment of $1341.67 with no early payoff penalties. The total cost for the new machine will be $67,756.95. The Board voted to create a subcommittee to review the hospital’s various policies and procedures and make recommendations for board approval. Before adjourning, the meeting entered into executive session. The next regular Board of Directors meeting will be held the evening of Tuesday February 25th at 7:00 in the Doctors’ library. The regular meetings are open to the public.