Local News – Thursday, August 13th, 2020

The Salem Park and Recreation Board met Tuesday, August 11th at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. After the roll call and approving the agenda, Salem Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois explained the Spring Soccer Program that was moved to the summer at the last Park Board meeting, was cancelled due to lack of available coaches as well as the heat. It was also coming right off the baseball, softball and T-Ball program which started late this year. She currently has her staff contacting parents of those who signed up if they want a refund or want a credit to use for a later sports season. Dubois said signups for Flag Football and Cheerleading is going on now though August 28th for boys and girls in 1st through 6th grades. She also is looking for program sponsors or sports banner sponsors for flag football. Dubois said the attendance at the pool most of the summer has been very good except for the cool week in August. She said the concessions have been up and everyone has done a good job of staying in their “family units” in the pool area. She said there have been 17 pool parties to date with nine remaining. She also said there have been 31 pavilion rentals this year. She reported there were 27 teams with 119 games played during the summer, baseball and T-Ball leagues with NO rainouts. She reported everything went fairly smooth even with the request of social distancing and asking people to spread out to watch the games. Dubois said a pre-inspection meeting on the LWCF Soccer Field Grant this year was held by phone where the application was reviewed and corrections made where requested. The state liked the application and forwarded it to the federal government for their review. A decision on the application is expected to be made in September and announced in October. Dubois said all six basketball goals are now installed at the Salem Community Center@The Armory gym. New electric for the wench motors and the floor separation curtain also still needs to be installed along with the new floor. It is hoped the gym will be ready for basketball season. A fall softball league is planned at Al Brown Fields and Dubois is looking at possibly holding more tournaments. Park Board President Stan Podorski reported the TAP grant for a trail from Pavilion #1 to the Salem R-80 Administrative Building is now complete. He mentioned there have been a number of modifications to the original plan as the trail goes along Route J to the Salem Community Center@The Armory, down the hill on the north side of the driveway to the ball fields, across the bridge where people can walk to the park entrance road for a handicapped parking area to the east, or go north and end up at Billy’s Playground and splash pad as well as two handicapped parking spaces in front of the bathroom area by the pavilion. The TAP grant is an 80%-20% grant with MoDOT paying the 80% and it took almost four years to be completed. Podorski pointed out drainage work was done to the field behind the Armory in the southwest corner where there has always been a water problem by Maggi who did the TAP grant work. That project was paid for out of the Capital Improvement Fund. Podorski also reported that the Park and Recreation sales tax receipts for the last three months have continued to come in over last year’s tax receipts and he appreciates everyone buying local during the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge amount of tourists that have come through the area since spring contributing to those numbers remaining up. The meeting was then adjourned.

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, announces the results of the Driver and Vehicle Safety Division’s 2020 annual school bus inspection program. Missouri’s 2020 school bus inspection results are as follows. Upon initial inspection 10,539 buses were rated as “approved,” while 1,030 were rated as “defective” and 259 were rated as “out-of-service.” Those buses found defective require repair within 10 days. Buses placed out-of-service require correction of the component(s) prior to further usage. In Dent County 100% of the buses presented for inspection by Dent-Phelps R-3 and Salem R-80 were rated as “approved.” Green Forest R-2 had five of seven buses approved with one bus being “defective” and one “out of service.” Northwood R-IV had four of six buses “approved,” while one bus was “defective” and one bus was “out of service.” Oak Hill R-I had two of five buses “approved,” two buses “defective,” and one bus “out of service.” Missouri school bus inspection results are a matter of public record. Individual school district results for 2020 and school bus inspection criteria, including a listing of Missouri’s out-of-service criteria are available on the Missouri State Highway Patrol Website.

Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley reported on two cases heard on Tuesday August 11th in Crawford County in front of Judge Kelly Parker in the 42nd Judicial Circuit Court. In the first case, Dekota Brege of West Plains had his probation revoked for failing to register as a sex offender for the second time which is a Class E Felony. He was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections. In the second case of the day, Curley reported that Timothy Vance of Salem pled guilty to felony stealing charges from Roberts-Judson Lumber Company and for the possession of methamphetamine. Vance was sentenced to ten years in the Department of Corrections.