Posts by Stan Podorski

The Annual Chamber Expo will be this Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 in the monring at the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce office at 1136 S. Main in the Crososroads. As of this morning, it seems there may be some unfavorable rain and storms affecting the area Saturday Morning. All participants will be notified later today as will the general public if the event will be moving inside the Salem Community Center at the Armory’s Event Room. Rain or shine, the Expo will be held. There will be live music & food!

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the Dent County courthouse for their regular meeting. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson was not in attendance due to prior commitments so Commissioner Wes Mobray was appointed temporary Presiding Commissioner. In the road report, Mobray gave his reports for District 1 and said rock would be added and grading would be done on Dent County Roads 5460 and 6350 while only grading would be done on county road 5170. District 2 Commissioner Gary Polk reported rock would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 2570 and 4380 while only grading would be done on county road 4370. Polk indicated brush would be cut on county roads 5280 and 5300. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said her office balanced with the assessor and collector on all collections, add-ons and abatements for the month of May, and that absentee voting for the August Primary will begin June 25th. She also said that county liquor licenses will need to be renewed by June 30th for those business that sell liquor. Lancer Blair was in attendance and said there will be a “Meet the Candidate” night in Cuba on June 18th at 6:00 at the Cuba Middle School Gym sponsored by Farm Bureau. District Casework Manager Jenni Reigel from Jason Smith’s office was in attendance as was State Representative Ron Copeland. He was there toupdate the commission on any legislative action that took place. Denver Ellis asked about Senate Joint Resolution 71 that provides for the levying of certain costs and fees to support the salaries and benefits of sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys, and circuit attorneys. Copeland explained that when you get a traffic violation, you are assessed a fine as well as court costs. A lot of the court costs went to the retirement funds of sheriffs and prosecutors which the Missouri Supreme Court ruled illegal and discontinued those fees. He said the resolution will be voted on by the people in the November election to allow those fees to be added to the costs of the court. Copeland said he has received a number of calls about the National Park Service closing access to the river, but said much of that comes from the 2015 plan. He said the Park Service doesn’t do everything in their plan at once, instead takes small bites out of it to still get what they want, but over a longer period of time. If someone would like a copy of that 2015 plan, they can e-mail Copeland and request a copy: Ron.Copeland@house.mo.gov. Copeland said he was glad the county will be moving forward with Senate Bill 190 dealing with personal property tax values for seniors as they take a poll for community feedback, and he was also pleased the county and Royal Oak Charcoal are trying to resolve the road problem together. He said Royal Oak called him and felt they were being blamed for the road situation. They are actually helping the local timber industry as well as increasing the tax base of the county. In the discussion with Copeland, both Commissioners Mobray and Polk said the county has been frustrated by MoDOT about putting up signs and not repairing road accesses. Copeland said he will get with MoDOT on this and see the response he gets back. He did say the only way to have police enforce any weight limit signs, speed limit or other restrictive signs is to havean ordinance in place supporting the restriction. Clerk Curley said theprosecuting attorney has prepared an ordinance and the commission is currently reviewing it. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Monday morning and the meeting will be open to the public.

This Saturday night at 8:00 at Echo Bluff State Park, you can hear a free concert from Blake Gardner and The Farmers as they break free from being able to be defined by a single genre by mixing together elements of blues, reggae, hip-hop, funk and nearly everything else under the sun. Bring a blanket or chair to the outdoor amphitheater and enjoy a FREE concert under the stars. For more information, call Echo Bluff State Park at 573-751-1224.

A special waste collection for residential electronics, appliances, tires and media storage will be held this Saturday from 8:00 until noon at Brewer Science located at 2401 Brewer Drive in Rolla. Brewer Science, the City of Rolla and Meramec Regional Planning Commission, with funding through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, are partnering on the June 8th collection. The collection is for residential items only – no materials from businesses will be accepted and is open to residents from Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. For more information on items accepted or the fee structure, please contact Kathryn Hawes at MRPC at 573-265-2993 Ext. 110.

The Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition presents a Communities Talk Event as a panel of students will discuss substance abuse affecting teens in the community in a Town Hall meeting to be held at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road on Tuesday, June 11th from 12:00 noon until 1:00. The town hall meeting allows all in attendance to join in the discussion about local substance use prevention programs. Registration is required and lunch will be provided. The program is sponsored by the Prevention Consultants of Missouri, Healthy Dent County Prevention Coalition and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. To register, please call 573-729-8163.

During it’s May meeting, the Meramec Regional Planning Commission Board approved officers for Fiscal year 2024-2025. The Chairman is Mary Heywood, Vice-Chairman is Darryl Griffith, the Secretary is Joey Auxier and the Treasurer is Sean Wilson. They will all continue to serve in their current roles for an additional term. Other additional at-large appointments approved for another term included Crawford County’s “For Profit” Representative Erik Lowes, Gasconade County’s “For Profit” Representative Duane Kraettli, Dent County’s “For Profit” Representative John Smith, Industry Representative Jan Haviland and Transportation Representative John Casey. Bob Parsons, at-large for farming/ag-business, retired after serving nine years on the board. The Board also heard an update from MRPC Planning Manager Anne Freand on the Forward 44 project, which is the interstate improvements along 44 from the Franklin/St. Louis County line to the Oklahoma state line. She requested any specific traffic data and information on future developments such as large manufacturing facilities, large retail or housing developments along the Interstate 44 corridor in the region. They heard proposed changes to the MRPC bylaws that would change the title of the minorities at-large position to underrepresented at-large position. The proposed by-law changes will be voted on at the June 13th meeting.

The much-anticipated Friends of the Salem Public Library summer book fair is scheduled for 9:00 to 4:00 this Friday and 9:00 to 12:00 this Saturday. The sale will be held in the library’s north basement meeting room. Hardback books and even some new releases can be found for as low as $1.00 with paperback books priced as low as a quarter. Parking will be available in the lot located at the northwest corner of 5th and Jackson.

The Salem Creative Arts Center will be holding a two-day Clay Flower Workshop on Tuesday, June 11th and Monday, June 17th where participants will create a bouquet of three-dimensional flowers. The class will be taught by Wanda Nickles and Tana Kettner. The first class will work with slab building techniques and appling textures to create the flowers. The second class participants will apply glazes to the bisqued flowers. Finished pieces will have to be picked up later after the glaze firing. The cost of the class is $30 and includes all the supplies. At least four people need to sign up for the class and it will be limited to no more than 16. To register, go the SACBA website and find the Programs tab. Find the Creative Arts Center and click to register for the class. Registrations online are on a first come, first serve basis.

Take part in the upcoming Alley Spring glade hike on Saturday, June 8th starting at 10:00 in the morning at Alley Mill. Join rangers for a 1.3-mile hike through the glade management area around Alley Spring. This area has benefitted from prescribed fire management and should be bursting with colorful summer wildflowers, butterflies, and glade species. The park’s fire ecologist will discuss fire management practices, Ozark glade habitats, glade restoration, and glade inhabitants. Staff will identify wildflowers and other interesting features along the way. The hike is free to the public and no reservations are required. The hike will follow the Alley Overlook Trail, which departs behind Alley Mill and climbs to the overlook on the bluff above the spring. Hikers should wear sturdy footwear, bring water, and consider using insect repellent and sunscreen. The event is subject to cancelation based on weather conditions. Alley Spring is located five miles west of Eminence on Highway 106. For more information, contact Alley Spring at (573) 226-3945, visit the park’s Facebook page, or website at www.nps.gov/ozar.