Posts by Stan Podorski

On Friday, April 25th Your World Today reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission would hold their meeting that evening at in the Old City Hall Auditorium. This was published in error. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Instead, the City of Salem Planning and Zoning Commission will be holding a public workshop at 6:00 this evening in the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The workshop discussion will be focus on an introduction to planning and zoning, the ordinances and definitions, and the zoning map before the workshop is adjourned. This workshop was called by Keith Inman and is open to the public.

The Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting on Tuesday evening at 6:00 in the Auditorium at 202 N. Washington Street. The meeting agenda was approved following the removal of the closed session, and the consent agenda was also approved. During the meeting, the Board viewed a presentation from Show Me Smoke Free, appointed former Alderman Shawn Bolerjack to represent the City with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), and approved bids  for fencing repairs and replacements at the City Park and Al Brown Sports Complex. The bids, totaling $3,500 and $14,500 respectively, will be funded through the prior year’s fund balance. The City is actively collaborating with FEMA to secure a 75% reimbursement for the total project cost. The Board also approved a letter to be presented to state legislators at the Capitol, aimed at raising awareness of infrastructure challenges currently facing the City of Salem. In addition, a request from Salem R-80 for $1,000 to support Project Graduation was approved. This annual event provides Salem High School graduates with a safe, substance-free celebration following commencement. The expenditure will be drawn from the Non-Departmental Community Support line item. There is currently $2,000 left in that budget line. During the City officials’ reports, City Administrator Sally Burbridge presented mock-ups of four potential color schemes for the new water tower, with a final decision to be made at a later date. Finance Director Stacy Houston delivered the financial report, noting that sales tax revenue has increased by approximately 9% compared to the same period last year. The total ending balance across all funds stood at approximately $13.9 million as of March 31. Mayor Greg Parker reminded residents of the upcoming city-wide yard sale scheduled for May 3, followed by the city-wide clean-up over the subsequent two weeks. Public Works Director Steve Paine reported ongoing efforts to obtain FEMA reimbursement and announced scheduled power outages in June. Official notifications will be issued detailing the dates and areas affected. He also noted that Forester will begin the second phase of their contract, focusing on trimming the City’s main feeder lines. With no further reports from the Aldermen, the meeting was adjourned.

The City of Salem Utility Committee held a meeting Wednesday evening at 6:15 in the Auditorium located at 202 N. Washington Street. After approving the agenda, the committee discussed a five year plan for the Capital Improvement Fund, as well as a water rate increase. The Committee voted to present the Board of Aldermen with the recommendation of raising the base rate from $6.00 to $8.00 and increasing the volume rate to $7.50. Before the meeting adjourned, Mayor Greg Parker presented Committee member John Hambacker with a recognition of appreciation.

The 10th Annual Veteran Affairs Day will be held today from 10:00 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon at the American Legion Post 99 located at 2522 Highway 32 West in Salem. Come out and learn about changes and requirements for benefits, and enroll in the VA health care. Veteran Affairs Day is an annual outreach to Veterans of central rural Missouri to provide easier access to VA services. It includes American Legion District 16 and VFW District 2 which includes Camden, Cole, Crawford, Dent, Howell, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Phelps, Osage, Pulaski, Reynolds, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. Representatives from the Department of Veteran Affairs will include enrollment, claims processing specialists, suicide prevention and a community employment coordinator from the Truman VA Medical Center, as well as benefit advisors from the Veteran Benefit Administration St Louis Regional Office. The Columbia Veteran Center will have a counselor and advisors on hand in their mobile unit. Don’t miss out on your hard-earned benefits.

The Dent County Health Center (DCHC) Board of Trustees met on April 17th, where Administrator Zach Moser presented statistics for March. Highlights included no COVID-19 cases, 47 active lead cases, 16 Influenza A cases, and 24 STI tests. Environmental reports noted six inspections without issues. Maternal-child health data indicated low activity except for 334 WIC appointments. Community-specific services totaled 456 appointments outside of WIC. Nurse Practitioner services accounted for 101 visits, while Physician services totaled 94 visits. Laboratory appointments numbered 182, including 203 lab draws and 17 lead tests. Immunizations included 82 doses administered during 44 appointments. Moser announced a Health Fair scheduled for May 2nd and encouraged community participation in the ongoing Community Health Assessment survey. The Board approved a $5,000 budget for new HR management software to improve efficiency. March financials were reviewed and approved. The next meeting is scheduled for May 15.

This Saturday at the Creative Arts Center on Highway 19 behind the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center, the Spring Fest Art show and Sale starting at 9:00 in the morning and lasting until 3:00 in the afternoon with the Ozark Heritage Artisans. You are invited to stop by and shop for unique handcrafted gifts and home accessories created by local artists at the annual Spring Fest Art Show and Sale! There will be demonstrations, free snacks and a free kid’s craft table, an elementary art show, and more!  Thanks for supporting the Arts and shopping local in our community!

Don’t know what to do with unused or expired medications? They can be properly disposed of safely in Salem at drop off boxes the Salem Police Department and Dent County Sheriff’s Department everyday. This reminder is being brought to you by the Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition as some communities are holding their drug “Take Back Day” Saturday. Salem and Dent County are fortunate to have drop boxes available to the public on a daily basis. Please make sure that you have your medications in pill bottles or a plastic bag, and no syringes will be accepted.

An accident occurred Tuesday afternoon around 2:01 in Phelps County on County Road 1000 and County Road 1010. According to the highway patrol a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by a 17-year-old male juvenile of St. James was traveling eastbound and failed to negotiate a curve. The Cobalt travelled off the left side of the roadway and became airborne; it came to rest facing southbound. The driver suffered serious injuries and was flown to University of Columbia by Phelps Air. The report goes on to say he wasn’t wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Cobalt was totaled and removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing. The highway patrol was assisted by the St. James Fire Department and Phelps Air.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors convened their regular meeting on Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital. The minutes from both the previous regular meeting and a special meeting were approved, with revisions made to the special meeting minutes. During the Chief Executive Officer’s report, Brooke Bollman noted that the hospital continues to engage in affiliation negotiations, with a strong focus on quality improvement and staff recruitment. She also reported that a lightning strike during the April 5th storm caused significant damage to computers, cameras, servers, and other hardware. The hospital plans to file an insurance claim to cover the losses.During the summary of operations, there has been a decrease in inpatient admissions and an increase in outpatient registrations while emergency room visits have remained consistent. For the month of March, the hospital reported approximately $1.9 million in net patient revenue, $2.2 million in total operating revenue, and $2.1 million in total operating expenses, resulting in a net profit of about $266,000. Additionally, gross 340B revenue totaled approximately $165,000, with a profit of around $87,000. The hospital currently maintains 32 days of cash on hand. The financial report was unanimously approved by the Board. Bollman also presented the Chief Nursing Officer’s report, stating that several nursing positions remain unfilled, including one full-time floating nurse role. In March, there were two new hires and three resignations. The Board approved departmental policies, contingent on departments resolving any interdepartmental discrepancies. The meeting concluded with the Board entering an executive session to discuss legal and personnel matters. The next meeting of the Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors is scheduled for May 27 at 7:00. in the Doctor’s Library at the hospital.

These reports were released by the Dent County Sheriff’s office for April. On Sunday April 13th deputies responded to Seville Care Center for a reported assault. During the course of the investigation, a 53-year-old Salem man was arrested on an active arrest warrant. Subject was incarcerated at the Dent County Jail. Later that same day deputies responded to Salem Memorial Hospital for a reported assault. It was reported that several parties were involved in an incident in the parking lot. The investigation is ongoing. Then on Wednesday April 16th deputies responded to the 5200 block of Highway O for a reported burglary. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an unknown suspect(s) entered a business and stole money from the location. The investigation is ongoing. Later in the week on Friday April 18th deputies responded to Green Forest R-2 school for a reported property damage. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that an unknown suspect(s) damaged the parking lot of the location. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information about an ongoing investigation please call #573-729-3241.

Alderman Nathan Kinsey, Chair of the City of Salem’s Utility Committee, has called a meeting of the committee for this evening at 6:15 at the Old City Hall Auditorium, 202 North Washington. After the welcome, roll call and approval of the agenda the committee will review the draft budget for water in the city. That will be followed by a review of the water rate, followed by adjournment. The meeting is open to the public.

The Salem Police Department has recently released their report for the month of March. The department responded to eight accidents during the month. Officers responded to three alarms sounding, addressed 52 animal calls and responded to one call for an animal bite. The police investigated four assaults or fights, three burglaries, performed 10 well-being checks and 16 area checks in March. Officers investigated 11 domestic disputes, 13 verbal disturbances, conducted 33 follow-up investigations and provided 24 escorts. They investigated five harassment reports, three parking complaint calls, an intoxicated driver call, four problems with juvenile reports, seven trespassing calls and four property damage reports. The Salem Police wrote nine stealing reports, had four shoplifter complaints, responded to four traffic complaints, assisted two motorists and addressed a panhandling complaint. Officers responded to two reports of a suicidal person, 16 suspicious circumstance calls, three suspicious person calls, and had four found property reports. The Salem Police in March investigated two nuisance violations, had a report of a missing person, and checked out an abandoned vehicle call. Officers attempted to serve nine warrants and conducted 41 traffic stops during the month. The police responded to a total of 415 incidents in March with the average response time to calls being two minutes and six seconds. The average time spent on the scene was 34 minutes and 30 seconds. If you have any information regarding an ongoing investigation, contact the Salem Police Department by calling their non-emergency phone number at (573) 729-4242 or speak with them in person at 500 N. Jackson Street in Salem.

The Dent County Prosecutor’s Office has issued a notice to all deer and turkey hunters for this season. Whether using a traditional paper permit or the MO hunting app, hunters must notch their permit immediately after harvesting a deer or turkey and then tele-check their harvest. To notch a paper permit, hunters should tear a small notch in the month and day of harvest on the permit. To notch a permit using the MO Hunting app, hunters should select the permit they wish to use from the list in the app and follow the short prompts on the screen. Once the permit is notched, hunters may transport their deer or turkey within Missouri. Carcass movement regulations apply in CWD management Zone counties. As long as hunters stay with their harvested game, they don’t need to tag it, but if they leave their deer or turkey, they must attach a tag. Hunters with paper permits can simply attach their notched permit to the deer or turkey. It is recommended to seal the permit in a zip-top bag and attach the bag with a string, wire, or tape. Hunters using the MO Hunting app must attach a label with their full name, address, permit number, and date of harvest to the deer or turkey. All deer or turkey must be Telechec by 10:00 pm on the day of harvest, before processing the game, or before leaving the state, whichever comes first. After the deer or turkey has been telechecked, it may be processed, stored, or transported by anyone as long as it is labeled with the hunter’s full name, address, date taken, and Telecheck confirmation number.