Local News – Friday, December 9th, 2022

The Doe Run Company has confirmed that a man died while working underground at the company’s Casteel Mine near Bixby on Tuesday. Doe Run did not release the name of the man but he was identified on social media as Hagen Barton of Viburnum. A moment of silence was held at the Viburnum and Salem basketball game for him as one of his daughters was a cheerleader for the team. According to Tammy Stankey, media liaison for the company, the man was discovered along a haul road outside of his vehicle. When found, Barton was unresponsive. Emergency rescue personnel were immediately notified and arrived on scene where he was pronounced dead. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and local authorities are investigating the incident. The MSHA has the accident classified as a powered haulage incident which can include equipment such as shuttle cars, scoops, locomotives, front-end motors, and more. This is the company’s third-mining related fatality since 2009 and the second one to be related to powered haulage.

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning in the courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles was unable to attend due to a back injury. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley appointed District Two Commissioner Gary Larson as temporary Presiding Commissioner. Grant Wilson from Representative Jason Smith’s office was in and updated the Commission. According to Wilson the House is working on committee chair appointments and Smith is optimistic that he will be named Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which would make Smith only the second Missourian to chair a House of Representatives Committee. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams was in with the December sales tax receipts. General Revenue and Law Enforcement Sales Tax each received $92,717,79, which was down $290.32 from 2021. She said year-to-date each fund is up $340,417.08. The Road and Bridge Fund received $43,993.18, down slightly from 2021’s $44,090.87. Year-to-date Road and Bridge is up $168,157.06. The Jail Operating and Jail Trust Funds each received $87,986.20 compared to last year’s $88,169.41, which was a decrease of $183.21. Year-to-date each fund is up $334,915.93. Williams reminded everyone the large percentage increases are due to Department of Revenue withholding tax receipts last year. In the road report District One Commissioner Wes Mobray indicated brush would be cut on Dent County Road 5520. He also reported that Truck #125 was being serviced and the alternator was being replaced, plus Grader #38 was being serviced. Larson reported that in District Two brush would be cut on Dent County Road 2510 and brown rock would possibly be hauled to that road. He said that Truck #76 was being serviced, Grader #37 was having some issues, and general maintenance was being done around the shop. Larson also reported that the new graders arrived this week. He did say that on Tuesday he and Skiles attended the Solid Waste Management Full Council meeting and awards banquet in St. James at the Senior Citizens Center. Larson said that Angela Black and Sara Massengale both received awards. Angie reported that her office continues to work on the budget for 2023 and the financial statement. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk brought in the monthly turnover for November. She said that $1,686,239.51 was collected, which was up over $100,000 from 2021. Jody Schaefer and Linda Johnson from the Salem Nutrition Center brought in paperwork about the Center’s financial needs. Schaefer said that from January 1st through November 30th the Center served 28,020 meals. She went on to say that they generally prepare for 80 meals a day and up to 100 when they are serving “special” meals. Larson said the Commission would be studying the materials and situation. The next meeting of the Commission will Monday morning at 9:00 at the Dent County Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded a $50,000 Clean Water Engineering Report Grant to the city of Salem to evaluate the city’s wastewater system. The grant offers funding to qualified communities to help cover engineering costs for evaluating wastewater system improvements. The city will use the grant to identify wastewater system improvements needed to meet permit requirements, continue reliable service to the area and reduce stormwater infiltration into sewer collection pipes. The city’s improvement plan should be complete in April 2024. According to Dru Buntin, the director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, this type of grant allows Missouri communities like Salem to cover the cost of assessing their wastewater treatment systems, and identify improvements that will keep them operating effectively which not only helps the community maintain and improve key infrastructure they rely on to grow and thrive, it provides important economic benefits as well.