News – Friday, April 17th, 2026

The Dent County Commission met for its regular meeting Thursday morning at the courthouse. In road reports, District One Commissioner Keith Green stated crew members are maintaining and preparing the dura patcher. Diesel fuel bids for the Road Department came in with MFA at $3.72; Phil-Mart at $3.99; and County Fuels at $4.09. The bid went to MFA. District Two Commissioner Jimmy Williams reported that crew members are planning on putting rock under the low-water crossing on County Road 6150. Crew members are also planning on picking up tires which the Dent County Sheriff’s Office informed them of. Several culverts are planned for replacement, as well. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson reported the commissioners and County Clerk Angie Curley attended MAC Legislative Days in Jefferson City, where there was a low turnout for representatives. Curley reported bills are to be approved, and that she attended the MAC board meeting Tuesday where she heard from Trent Watson, the MAC board lobbyist, on ongoing legislative issues. They also heard from Attorney Travis Elliot on issues pertaining to Senate Bill 3 and Senate Bill 190. Collector Shannon VanKirk reminded those that are 62 and over and own their own home to pick up an application for SB190 from the collector’s office. Applications are available until June 30th. Office hours for the collector are Monday through Friday from 8:00 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon. Contact her office at 573-729-3911 if you have any questions. Meanwhile, commissioners were visited by Great River Engineering’s Jeff Banderet for updates on ongoing projects. Banderet shared that currently there has only been one bid received for the TAP Sidewalk Project surrounding the courthouse and advised the commissioners to reach out to contractors and encourage them to bid. If more bidders have not been received by the time bids are closed, an extension may be requested. Regarding the FLAP Project for County Road 6670 in Montauk, the Ozark Preservation Office has determined that realigning the curve is not possible. That project will need to be revised with a different alignment. Once the alignment is cleared, the commissioners will need to  proceed with right of way acquisitions from the three land owners. The project is still within the originally budgeted $800,000, confirmed Banderet, though prices may fluctuate somewhat in the coming months. It is expected that the project will be bid out in late winter, with estimations for it to be an early spring construction project next year. Banderet also presented preliminary plans for three different crossings, with exact reimbursement percentages from FEMA/SEMA unknown at this time. The three projects are a low-water crossing repair on County Road 5150 over Dry Valley Creek for approximately $26,000; a bridge repair over Spring Creek on County Road 3210 for approximately $67,000; and a proposed bridge on County Road 4210 over Dry Valley Creek for approximately $1.1 million. Derrick Marfitt, Dent County Emergency Management Director, will be updated on the project details to be forwarded to FEMA and SEMA during Monday’s Dent County Commission meeting. Dent County Health Center’s Administrator and Salem Memorial Hospital board member Zach Moser came in on behalf of the hospital and Healthy Dent County, which are forming a committee which plans on applying for a grant to cover a new ambulance and radios. They would like a commissioner to be on the committee to help represent the county. Further, the commission is seeking bids for grader blades and culverts, with grader blade bids due at 10:00 in the morning on June 1st and culvert bids due at 10:30 in the morning on June 1st. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 in the courthouse, and the meeting is open to the public.

Join the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District April 18th from 9:00 in the morning to noon at the Tiger Typhoon Aquatic Center in St. Robert for a special collection event, accepting electronics, appliances, and tires. There are fees for tires, certain electronics, and Freon appliances. For a full list of fees and unacceptable items, visit the website located at ozarkrivers.org, mouse over “Programs & Services”, and click “Special Collections.” This event is open to any household within the Ozark Rivers District, including Salem. Residential items only — items generated by businesses will not be accepted. Place all recycling in your trunk or trailer and staff will unload all items.

The City of Salem will have two fire hydrant service and repair crews out, beginning near the City Administrative Building and moving east. Residents may notice brief water turbidity.