Posts by Stan Podorski

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.

The Dent County Sheriff’s office released these reports. On Friday January 17th deputies responded to the 500 block of County Road 5200 for a wanted subject. The suspect, a 33-year-old Rolla woman, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Dent County Jail. The next day on Saturday January 18th deputies responded to Montauk State Park for a reported trespassing. Deputies discovered two males’ suspects had moved barriers and entered the park, which is closed to the public due to flooding damage. Charges are pending against 50-year-old St. Louis man and 70-year-old Byrnes Mill man. The next week on Monday January 20th deputies responded to Salem Memorial Hospital for a wanted subject.  The suspect, a 38-year-old Salem woman, was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Dent County Jail. Later in the week on Thursday January 23rd deputies responded to 500 block of County Road 6303 for a forgery complaint. The victim, a 45-year-old Salem woman, alleges a check she had mailed was altered. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information on an ongoing investigation, please contact the Dent County Sheriff’s office at # 573-729-3241.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture has suspended all poultry and waterfowl auctions, shows, and swap meets in counties with confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases. Federal officials have identified HPAI in commercial poultry flocks in Newton, Jasper, McDonald, and Lawrence counties. Missouri State Veterinarian Steve Strubberg stated, “The Missouri Department of Agriculture is working hard to contain and eliminate the HPAI virus. Restricting the comingling of poultry is crucial to stopping the spread of avian influenza in Missouri.” Poultry can still be sold and exhibited in unaffected counties with strict biosecurity measures in place. Producers should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds; and report sick birds or unusual death increases to the state veterinarian’s office at (573) 751-3377. HPAI is a contagious viral disease known to be deadly for domesticated poultry. It has impacted poultry in all 50 states since first confirmed in the United States in 2022. The suspension will extend to other counties if additional cases are confirmed in the coming weeks. More information is available at Agriculture.Mo.Gov.

The Mark Twain Beekeepers will be holding a beginner’s beekeeping class on Saturday, February 22nd at the Salem Senior Center located 604 N McGrath Lane from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. The cost is $55 per person or $90 for couple or a duo. You will learn all facets of starting your own bee colony and hear from a number of speakers. Lunch will be provided, and you won’t leave hungry. Please register by Saturday, February 1st by calling Gregg at 573-689-2254 or e-mailing marktwainbeekeepers@gmail.com. Your registration will include the name, address and phone number of all who are attending.

Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer wants to remind everyone that you should have received your annual assessment form that lists your personal and business property for 2024. These forms were mailed just after the first of the year and they are due on Saturday, March 1st. Those forms MUST be in the Dent County Assessor’s Office by that day or postmarked that day to avoid paying a penalty. You may drop off your assessment list at the assessor’s office at the courthouse and they are open from 8:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, weekdays. There is also a drop box on the front lawn of the courthouse for your convenience if you can’t make it by until after hours. You can also mail in your assessment list forms but make sure you have the postal clerk postmark your envelope. You can also e-file your assessment list form online. Just follow the instructions on the assessment form you received in the mail. If you have lost your assessment list form or never received one, or you are new to the area, additional blank forms are available at the Dent County Assessor’s Office in the Dent County Courthouse. The penalty for not getting in your assessment form on time is determined at $10 per every $1,000 of assessed valuation with a maximum penalty of $100 if you have assessed valuation of $10,000 or more.  If you have any questions or need assistance with the form, call the Dent County Assessor’s office at the Dent County Courthouse at 729-6010 or stop by during regular business hours at the corner of Highway 19 and 4th Street in downtown Salem.

The National Forest Service has scheduled a controlled burn this morning starting at 11:00 in Reynolds County about seven miles east of Bunker. The burn will cover approximately seven hundred acres. Controlled burns are only held when conditions allow, and should winds or humidity change before 11:00, the burn could be postponed.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse where Amanda Sapaugh from the SB 40 board was in to ask that Phil Christensen, Ron Hutson and Stephanie Floyd be re-appointed to the board. Her request was granted unanimously by the commissioners. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams reported on the CART taxes received by the county in January. This month, Dent County received $85,533.40 while last January, the county received $78,575.56. Stan Podorski from KSMO Radio informed the commission of the visible deterioration on the cap on the gazebo in front of the courthouse. The commission said they would check on it. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said workers continue to service a dump truck. He also stated that if they can get the brush cutter started, they will begin to start cutting brush in District 1. Green said rock would be added and graders would be out working on select FEMA roads. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 3355, while only grading would be done on county roads 3350, 4020 and 4260. Williams went on to say brush would be cut on county road 4320, and a different dump truck would be sent to Gahr Equipment in St. James for repairs. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson had no report, and County Clerk Angie Curley said taxing entities have until end of business today to get in their certification for the April Municipal Election. She said she attended and sworn in on the Missouri Association of Counties board last Thursday in Jefferson City. She said they heard from Trent Watson, Steve Hobbs and attorney Travis Elliott, plus the board was updated on the NACO activities. She hopes to be able to attend the NACO Conference in July. Curley said she is finishing the financial statements that will need to be published in the Salem News by March 1st. Commissioner Williams wanted to thank the public for the good turnout at the budget hearing last Thursday which he felt went very well. Questions from the public were answered and he said he was glad to see previous commissioners in attendance at the hearing. Commissioner Larson also said the 2% COLA increase for office holders was investigated and found that it was allowable as that was approved in 2023 for 2024, and with no salary commission meeting held to change any salaries, that same approval carried on to 2025 budget. At the last meeting after the budget hearing, the commission agreed to put out bids for culverts and grader blades that will be due in the commissioner’s office by March 3rd. The culvert bids will be opened at 10:30 and grader blade bids will be opened at 11:00. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Dent County Prosecutor Andrew Curley detailed four criminal cases heard by Judge Michael Randazzo in the 42nd Judicial Circuit Court. Jeff Wakenight of Summersville, previously convicted of felony driving while revoked, violated his probation by breaking state laws. Prosecutor Curley recommended a 4-year sentence under RSMO 217.362, a long-term treatment program involving at least 12 months of incarceration. Wakenight initially sought continued probation but was instead sentenced to 4 years in the Department of Corrections under RSMO 559.115, including a 120-day shock incarceration program. Christopher Black of Salem faced probation revocation on two felony charges: tampering with a motor vehicle and possession of methamphetamine. Specific violations included two instances of methamphetamine use and failure to complete court-ordered community service. Prosecutor Curley sought concurrent 7-year sentences under RSMO 559.115. Despite the state’s objection, Black was continued on probation with a suspended sentence, resulting in felony convictions and a mandatory 5-year probation term through the probation and parole department. Hunter Meade of Salem, on felony probation for heroin possession, was previously ordered to complete the Dent County Alternative Treatment Court. After unsuccessfully terminating from the program, Meade was sentenced to 7 years in prison, as recommended by Prosecutor Curley. Amber Good of Davisville pleaded guilty to distributing 0.2 grams of methamphetamine to an undercover taskforce officer. During her January 22nd sentencing hearing, Good was sentenced to a 10-year suspended sentence. With no prior criminal history, she was placed on 5 years of probation and will serve approximately 90 days in Dent County Jail.

An accident occurred in Dent County Sunday morning at 2:20 on Highway 19 four miles north of Salem. According to the Highway Patrol report a northbound 2021 Nissan Versa, driven by a 22-year-old Salem man, traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. The man suffered minor injuries and sought his own treatment at Salem Memorial Hospital. The report stated that the driver was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident. The Nissan was totaled and removed from the scene by Hayes Auto Salvage.