Your World Today

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2430, 4220 and 5630, while brush will be cut on county road 5380. He also said culvert work was going to be done in various locations. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said his crew would be adding rock and grading Dent County Roads 3190, 3200 and 4390; while only grading would be done on county road 4380. Williams said crew members would be picking up county truck #126 from Knapheide in Jefferson City. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said MODOT has announced 16.5 million dollars are available for TAP grants for hiking and biking trails, sidewalks, or other alternative methods. Contact Kelly Sink at the MRPC if interested at 573-265-2993. Larson also said MRPC will be holding an informational meeting to discuss disaster relief grants from the tornado damage on May 7th, but he wasn’t sure if that was for those counties that were listed for state and federal assistance. Dent County Collector Angie Curley said her office balanced with the collector and assessor for the month of April on all collections, add-ons and abatements. She also said her office balanced with the treasurer on all monthly accounts for April. Curley also said people should start receiving their voter registration cards in the mail, and if they don’t receive one by May 15th, call the county clerk’s office at 573-729-4144. Dent County Emergency Management Director Derrick Marfitt came in to give the commission an update on the FEMA reimbursements and claims. He said May 15th will be the last day the county can submit a loss or damages that needs to be included in the county FEMA road and bridge claims. Marfitt said he and FEMA officials inspected every road in Dent County as part of the FEMA quality control program. Marfitt said he has everything ready to go and will submit it provided there are no more damage claims, but when the commissioners asked about reimbursement, that will not happen until FEMA considers each claim as a “finished project.” City of Salem City Administrator Sally Burbridge was in attendance and the commissioners were asking about the light poles and fixtures that city was using for their TAP grant to improve the sidewalks. Burbridge said she didn’t have the exact costs with her but said it ran about $25,000 per half block for the poles and fixtures which did NOT include installation. She also said the city had two sizes of poles: 20-foot poles at the 4th Street and Highway 19 intersections, and 14-foot poles on the streets that also featured flag and banner holders. The commissioners said they wanted to match what the city was doing on their TAP grant for new sidewalks around the courthouse and that included the light poles but wanted to know who was responsible for the new poles: the city or the county. The old specs by Great Rivers Engineering had the old poles being removed and reinstalled for $1,000 each for the eight poles, but they later said that couldn’t be done because of the construction of the poles. Burbridge suggested a possible cost share between the city and county, but told the commission to have Great Rivers Engineering get with her and she could also provide them with actual pricing of the poles. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk told the commission she mailed out 102 parcels for delinquent tax payments and that those parcels will be going to the tax sale. VanKirk said people will have until no later than June 30th to have those tax parcels paid up. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday, May 12th at 9:00 as the courthouse will be closed Thursday for Truman’s Birthday.

The Planning and Zoning Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing and meeting tonight at 6:00 at 202 Washington Street in the Old City Hall Auditorium. The hearing will be to recognize anyone that wishes to speak on the following rezoning requests. A request by Jacqueline Flaherty for conditional use for vacation rental located at 304 E. Center St. A request by Southwest Baptist University to rezone property located at 501 S. Grand St. from R1 to Commercial. A request from Southwest Baptist University for conditional use for Compass Health to provide counseling service in Residential Zone located at 501 S. Grand. Following the close of the hearing the Commissioners will hold a meeting to consider the acceptance or rejection of each request listed followed by adjournment. The public hearing and meeting are open to the public.

The Dent County Chapter of “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” will be holding their next meeting this evening from 5:30 to 6:30 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory’s Rotary Room. All volunteers are welcome and there are many ways to get involved. For more information about “Sleep in Heavenly Peace,” contact Patti at 703-964-6495. You can also e-mail Patti at patti.mckeown@shpbeds.org.

A one-vehicle accident occurred Sunday evening at 8:45 on Phelps County Road 2060, east of County Road 2090. According to the highway patrol report, a 2008 Pontiac being driven by a 46-year-old female from Rolla was traveling eastbound when it traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. The driver, who was not wearing a safety device, suffered minor injuries and was transported by Phelps EMS to Phelps Health. The Pontiac was totaled and towed from the scene by Tunes Towing.

The following general highway maintenance and construction work is planned in our are starting today and going through the 11th. Weather conditions may postpone scheduled work. Many projects will include lane closures which could cause delays.  All counties will have moving operations such as pothole patching, brush cutting, and pavement repairs continuing in various locations. Motorists should travel with care and be alert for slow-moving equipment. In Crawford County on Missouri Route 19 roadside work is planned from Missouri Route 49 to Edgar Road. One lane will remain open, and crews will flag traffic through the work zone. In Dent County Route 19 roadside work continues at Standing Rock Creek, south of Route N, as part of a bridge replacement project. Motorists can expect intermittent lane closures for the duration of the work, which is expected to be complete in May 2025. Missouri Route H resurfacing continues from Missouri Route 72 to Route M in Phelps County. One lane will remain open, and flaggers with a pilot car will direct motorists through the work zone. The project is scheduled for completion in May 2025. Route TT is CLOSED due to flood damage at Crooked Creek. Motorist must use an alternate route until further notice. In Phelps County Route H resurfacing continues from Route M to Route 72 in Dent County. One lane will remain open, and flaggers with a pilot car will direct motorists through the work zone. The project is scheduled for completion in May 2025. All work is weather permitting, and schedules are subject to change. MoDOT asks all motorists to buckle up, put your phones down, obey all traffic signs, slow down, and move over in work zones.  For more information about MoDOT projects, traffic updates, or other transportation related matters, please visit MoDot’s Traveler Information Map at traveler.modot.org or call their 24–hour Customer Service Center at 1–888–ASK–MoDOT (888 275–6636). While at modot.org, sign up for work zone updates sent directly to your inbox. Information is also available 24/7 by connecting with MoDot on social media including Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

The federal REAL ID enforcement deadline is this Wednesday. The Missouri Department of Revenue encourages Missouri residents to verify their driver license or identification card is REAL ID compliant before the enforcement date. A Missouri-issued REAL ID-compliant driver license or ID card will have a star, as shown below, in the upper right-hand corner. A driver license or ID card that is noncompliant with REAL ID will have “NOT FOR REAL ID PURPOSES” in the upper right-hand corner. Applying for a REAL ID is not mandatory. However, individuals will soon be required to present a REAL ID-compliant document for official purposes including, but not limited to, entering nuclear power plants, accessing federal facilities, and boarding federally regulated domestic flights. Learn more at dor.mo.gov/driver-license/issuance/real-id/.

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Jimmy Martin from Dent County Road 5323 was in to discuss washouts at his driveway and District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said he will be out later to check it out. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said crews would be out checking for washouts and clogged culverts after the intense rain on Wednesday. He also said glass will be installed in the backhoe if it comes in. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said his crew would be stockpiling six and eight-inch rock at the road and bridge department, plus another crew would be adding rock to county roads 4050 and 4055. Williams said some posts and signs will be put out on county roads 2500 and 2510. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson had nothing to report while Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the voter registration canvassing begins today. Her office will mail out about 10,000 postcards, which is required by the Revised Statutes of Missouri Section 115.179. This is done to assure the accuracy and integrity of the voter records in the jurisdiction. When you receive the voter registration card, if you have had a address change or have legally changed your name, update the card on the back and return it to the Dent County Clerk’s office by mail or in person. If the information is correct, no action is needed, and you can keep the cards for your records. The commissioners discussed selling the gazebo on the front lawn of the courthouse as it could be in the way when work on the courthouse sidewalks TAP grant begins, plus there needs to be some maintenance work done to it that was not budgeted. The commission agreed to accept bids on the gazebo until 10:00 in the morning on June 2nd. The commission has the right to accept or reject any and all bids. The commissioner also approved the memorandum of understanding from the Dent County Health Department submitted by Zach Moser for employee drug screening services for Dent County at $16 per test. Moser was in attendance in case they had any questions. The Dent County Commission will NOT be meeting on Thursday, May 8th due to it being Truman’s Birthday. At the last meeting, Healthy Dent County Executive Director Sherry Lea visited with the commissioners about the MRPC Annual Banquet proposal and what their thoughts were about some of the questions she had so that her proposal to the MRPC could be finished and sent to them. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) invite young anglers to learn about fishing and to fish for trout for free at Montauk State Park’s Kids’ Fishing Day tomorrow from 6:30 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening. Kids aged 15 and under will not be required to purchase a daily trout tag and can get a free trout tag for the day at the park registration booth from 2:00 to 5:00 on May 2nd or on the day of the event. The spring branch will be reserved for young anglers and stocked with trout throughout the day. Volunteers will be on hand to assist. Children are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment. Parents are welcome to help the kids, but only one pole may be used between the helper and the child. Adults are not allowed to fish by themselves. Fishing isn’t the only attraction of Montauk State Park Kids’ Fishing Day. Attendees can get free tree seedlings, watch fly-tying demonstrations, visit a mobile aquarium, and try archery on an archery range. There will also be drawings for door prizes throughout the day. Individuals must be present to win. Free hotdogs and soda will be served from 11:00 to 1:00. Volunteers are needed to help with this event. Individuals wishing to volunteer do not need to be experienced anglers. To volunteer or donate to Kids Fishing Day, or for more information about the event, contact the Montauk Hatchery at 573-548-2585 or Hatchery Manager Kyle Case at Kyle.Case@mdc.mo.gov. Montauk State Park is located at the headwaters of the Current River southwest of Salem. For more information or for directions, visit mostateparks.com.

The Salem Memorial Hospital Board will be holding a special board meeting Tuesday evening at 7:00 at the hospital library. After public comments are heard, the board will go into Executive Session.