Posts by Stan Podorski

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting, Democratic Candidate for the 120th seat in the House of Representatives Jen Tracy, addressed a question by Gary Polk about how much money the new sales tax on marijuana would bring the county. She answered by saying in Crawford County they just opened up their first dispensary and there is no information that she can provide. Also in attendance was Jason Greene from Pioneer Forest who came by to let the commission know that Pioneer Forest would be applying for a Forest Legacy Grant for their timbered lands. He said they are the largest private land owner in Missouri as they have land in six counties. The grants would allow the Pioneer Forest to protect private forests through conservation easements or land purchases that would maintain a multitude of public benefits including the opportunities for people to hunt, fish, and camp; provide for a clean and abundant drinking water source; maintain habitat for fish and wildlife, and continue the production and sale of timber, fuel wood, and other forest products. Public access to Pioneer Forest will be protected where it currently exists. Greene said the grant will help their ecology programs and trail systems by providing funding based on the value of the amount of acres in the Pioneer Forest. He said they will be applying for the grant within a week and it could take a year or two to be awarded. If accepted for the grant, Pioneer Forest would work with the Department of Conservation on the preservation of the forests. In the road reports, both district commissioners said workers were off Thursday after being on call Wednesday for the anticipated storms. The workers were to be off Wednesday for Truman’s Birthday. Both district commissioners said they had not received any calls for storm damage. Commissioner Wes Mobray said he would be on a conference call with the MoDOT Area Supervisor to discuss repairs to the approaches to the county roads from the state highways that are not being maintained. He said he will also discuss with him the problem of semi-truck and trailers using county roads to go to the Royal Oak Charcoal plant, destroying gravel as well as chip and seal roads. The county has been asking for signage for “No Truck Traffic” from the state and they say they can’t do that. Mobray plans on showing pictures of a semi in the middle of the front yard of a resident on Route JJ by the plant. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he met with the insurance claims adjuster to go over the county buildings. Larson said there was shingle damage to courthouse roof and rail damage to the jail. He said the adjuster was also going to check the Annex and Extension building to check for damage. The county has a $2,500 deductible for damages. Larson said he expected to receive a list of the issues found from the adjuster soon. Larson also said he was named the President of the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District Board at their last meeting. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk brought in the April turnover for the county and said it totaled $127,201.56 which is just about the same as it was last year. The next meeting of the commission will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and Healthy Dent County are teaming up to host a Second Chance Job Fair from 10:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon on May 22nd at the Community Center at the Armory located at 1200 W. Rolla Street in Salem. The job fair focuses on employers willing to hire individuals who are justice involved or in recovery from substance-use-disorder. Employers attending include Walmart, Royal Oak and Eagle Stop, with other employers still reserving spaces to attend. The Missouri Job Center, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health and Invent Yourself, LLC will also be at the event to provide resources to potential employees. Samantha Sherman, the MRPC Senior Community Development Specialist, said that Missouri is facing a workforce shortage, and there is an untapped population with the potential to help solve this issue, if employers are willing to hire those who have been involved in the justice system or those who are in recovery. If they can connect employers with these individuals, not only does it help the employers find the labor their companies need, but we are helping these individuals find steady employment and, in some cases, breaking the cycle and stigma associated with substance-use-disorder or past justice involvement. This event is open to the public. Attendees will be eligible to win a door prize. This project is funded through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, totaling $1,000,000 awarded to MRPC in 2021. Interested employers and prospective job candidates needing information, can contact Sherman or MRPC Community Development Assistant Ann Feeler at 573-265-2993 or via email at ssherman@meramecregion.org and afeeler@meramecregion.org, respectively.

An accident happened in Phelps County on Highway 63 at Phelps County Road 6220 Thursday morning at 9:16. According to the highway patrol report, a 2013 Jeep Wrangler driven northbound by 27-year-old Cordell Dukes of Edgar Springs, traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a guardrail and overturned. Dukes suffered minor injuries and was transported by the Phelps Health EMS to Phelps Health. Dukes was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Jeep was totaled and removed from the scene by D&D Towing.

An accident happened Wednesday afternoon at 5;40 in St. Francois County on Highway 67 southbound at Barney’s Crossover. According to the highway patrol report, a 2016 Dodge Ram 1500 driven southbound by 28-year-old Heather Stewart of Bixby, age 28 was traveling south on Highway 67. At that time, a 2010 Dodge Journey driven by 46-year-old David Young of Bonne Terre, attempted to cross southbound Highway 67 and failed to yield to the Dodge Ram. The front right of the Dodge Ram struck the right rear of the Dodge Journey. Suffering minor injuries from the Ram were the driver, Heather Stewart, an adult passenger, 24-year-old Nathaniel Yount of Belleview, two female juveniles ages newborn and two years of age, and a two-year old male juvenile. Everyone from the Dodge Ram was taken by a private conveyance to the Parkland Health Center. A male juvenile pasenger in the Journey suffered minor injuries and was taken by the St. Francois County Ambulance District to the Parkland Health Center in Bonne Terre. Both vehicles sustained moderate damages. The Dodge Ram was removed from the scene by Buckley’s Towing, while the Journey was removed from the scene by Marler’s Towing. Everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident.

The City of Salem Utility Committee meeting scheduled for May 8th has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 15th, at 6:15 in the evening at the Salem Community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla Road. At the meeting, the committee will hear about utility billing and payments as well as changes in the office. The committee will hear about the Service Protection Program and be updated on the MMMPEP who will be holding their next meeting on May 9th. The committee will also hear work reports from city employees before there is a draft budget presentation and rate discussion. The Utility Committee meeting will be open to the public.

The Mudbugs are back! The Mudbugs will spend time outdoors, exploring the grounds and, if we are doing it right, getting a little dirty! The activities last about one hour and will target kids between the ages of 6 and 12 or so, but all ages are welcome. They will try their best to accommodate younger children. On Thursday, May 16th, the Cicadas are coming! Lots and lots of them! How are they different from annual cicadas? The Mudbugs catch some and see. If they find lots of shells, they’ll do some crazy art with them! This Mudbugs event will be followed by a campfire weenie roast. All the events will be held at the Bonebrake Center from 2:00 until 3:30. A donation to the Bonebrake Center of $2.00 per child is appreciated. They ask that a parent or legal guardian accompany your children (in case any emergency medical situations should arise). Assistance with the kids from those who can move about the grounds would be greatly appreciated! For more information, e-mail Janet Price at moonshadowmomentsllc@gmail.com. Don’t forget to check them out on Facebook for the latest!

May is Bicycle Safety Month, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol encourages motorists and bicyclists to stay alert and be courteous. Preliminary statistics for 2023 indicate eight people were killed and 438 injured in 522 traffic crashes involving a bicycle. Please know the law regarding operating a bicycle and be a safe rider. Did you know that a bicyclist is required to ride as near the right side of the roadway as is safe, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction; except when making a left turn, when the lane is too narrow to share with another vehicle, or when on a one-way street. Bicyclists may ride abreast when not impeding other vehicles and they must also obey all traffic signals and signs, the same as required of drivers of other vehicles. Use hand signals to let others know you will turn left, right, or stop. A bicycle must be equipped with a brake or brakes that will enable its driver to stop the bicycle within 25 feet from a speed of 10 miles per hour on dry, level, clean pavement. Bicycle riders, when riding on a street or highway, are granted all the rights and are subject to all the traffic regulations applicable to drivers of motor vehicles, except those that by their very nature do not apply. It is important that bicyclists understand local ordinances regarding riding a bicycle. For instance, in some municipalities, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk in a business district is prohibited. There are also some regulations for riding a bicycle at night. Penalties for violations of this law range from not less than $5 to not more than $25 for people 17 years of age or older. For those under 17, a provision allows an officer witnessing a violation to impound the bicycle for a period not to exceed five days. Riders should check with municipalities for other local rules and regulations.

The City of Salem Utility Committee will be holding a meeting this evening at 6:15 at the Salem community Center@The Armory at 1200 West Rolla. At the meeting, the committee will hear about utility billing and payments as well as changes in the office. The committee will hear about the Servile Protection Program and be updated on the MMMPEP who will be holding their next meeting on May 9th. The committee will also hear work reports from city employees before there is a draft budget presentation and rate discussion. The Utility Committee meeting tonight is open to the public.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board of Directors will be holding a special closed session meeting tonight at 5:00 at the hospital library.

Join Montauk State Park team members from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon this Friday and Saturday for Old Mill Days 2024. The day will be spent celebrating early 20th century life in the Ozarks, when the old mill was in its prime. The mill will be open all day with free tours upon request. Guests are invited to see how people lived when the mill was in its prime. Both days will feature historical skills demonstrations, living history performances, live music, crafts, games and food. There will also be an arts and crafts fair with local vendors offering up some of the finest homemade goods and services available. All activities, except for the tours, will take place in the day-use area by the mill. Guests are encouraged to stop by, learn a new skill, immerse themselves in local history and support small businesses. Don’t miss this fun, educational and free event! Montauk State Park is located at 345 State Road 6670 in Salem. For more information about the event, call 573-548-2201. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Dent County Recorder Cindy Ard wants people to be aware of a new website where you can sign up to find out if someone is recording a document or changing a recorded document with your name on it. The website is www.deedwatch.com and once signed up, you would receive an e-mail letting you know if a document is recorded with your name on it. There is no charge for this service. Just go to the website, and in the drop-down box, select Dent County, Missouri. In the second box, enter your e-mail that you want the notification to come to. From that point, just follow the simple directions to finish signing up. You could include the name that should be on your deed, or any other form of your name the deed may have been recorded. This service is provided by the Dent County Recorders Office to prevent anyone from being scammed out of their property or having someone attached their name to your deed without your knowledge. If you have questions about this service, contact Cindy Ard at the Dent County Recorders Office at 573-729-2198. You can also e-mail her at dcrecorder07@gmail.com.

The United States Forest Service has recently published three blanket purchase agreements (BPAs) on SAM.gov for companies and service providers to bid on. These contracts intend to make it easier for the Forest Service to quickly get work accomplished by establishing agreements with vendors ahead of time. A BPA is a simplified method of filling anticipated, repetitive needs for open market supplies and services. Interested vendors will need to respond by May 17th. These BPAs include a variety of categories for services such as road repair, construction and maintenance, paving, trail construction and maintenance, signage installation, facility repairs, carpentry, painting, roofing, plumbing and electrical work. Companies that submit proposals can select where in the Forest Service Eastern Region, they would like to provide their services. Region 9 stretches from Missouri to Maryland, to Maine, to Minnesota, covering a large portion of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. If a vendor only wanted to provide services to Missouri locations, that would be completely appropriate and considered in this process. Vendors and companies that bid on these BPAs will need to have a company profile on SAM.gov, which can take a little time, so do not wait until the last minute to decide to enter a bid. To get started with registering and receiving an unique entity ID through SAM.gov, start here: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. You can then look for the three bids currently available in the eastern Region for roads, facilities and trails.

The Salem Community Garden will host a work shop a presentation on “The Right Place for the Right Plant” on Thursday night, May 16th at the Salem Community Garden at 801 East Scenic Rivers Blvd behind the Salem Methodist Church. There is no cost to attend and you do not have to have a plot at the community garden to attend. For more information, call Charlie Grimm at 573-368-9902 or the Dent County Extension at 573-729-3196.