Local News – Friday, May 4th, 2018
The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning in the Courthouse. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell said that with the four to nine tenths of an inch rain in District One and high winds most of his crew was out checking for downed limbs and clogged culverts and crossover pipes. He noted that brush was being cut on Dent County Road 6220 and a man was working on repairs to the chip and seal dura-patcher. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that materials were being hauled to Dent County Road 5240, plus patch grading would be done on that roadway. He stated he also had a man working on the chip and seal dura-patcher and that the rest of his crew was checking roads for downed limbs and clogged pipes. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles had nothing to report. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said that bills were being approved by the Commissioners for payment. She went on to say that she balanced with the treasurer on all accounts for the month of April, plus she also balanced with the collector and assessor on monthly collections, abatements and add-ons for April. The Commissioners reviewed her reports. Curley added that the Board of Equalization will be meeting July 16th at 1:00 in the Commissioners Office and that the Courthouse will be closed Tuesday in observance of President Harry Truman’s Birthday. At the last meeting the Commissioners agreed to seek bids for financing the lease/purchase of two new graders at $84,577.62 per grader. The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday morning in the Courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
Three projects in the Meramec Region received funding through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) distributed by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The recipients of the grants include Bourbon, Pulaski County and Dent County. CDBG funding for the projects totals to $1.2 million. The CDBG program is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. The city of Bourbon received funding from CDBG to allow East Pine Street to be reconstructed from College Street to Route N. The reconstruction is to include new water lines, sanitary sewer lines, storm sewers, sidewalk repairs and street paving. Pulaski County received a the CDBG grant on behalf of the Pulaski County Sheltered Workshop to renovate the facility located at 3 Industrial Drive in Richland. Dent County received a grant on behalf of the Dent County Fire Protection District to provide upgrades to the Fire Station at 2 South Main Street in Salem. The building was built in 1969 and is a former car dealership and requires some upgrades to meet the needs of a fire station. The building is used for public meeting space and will receive upgrades to make it accessible and more user friendly. The project will replace the roof with a Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing system, add more and larger bay doors and replace the parking lot with a heavier base for the larger vehicles that now use the space. Also, concrete aprons will be added at the new bay doors. Inside the building, the existing public restrooms will be expanded and retrofitted to meet ADA requirements, and a new ADA restroom will be constructed. A new personnel restroom will be constructed to include showers. Finally, a new public entrance will be constructed for the meeting rooms with a lobby and an accessible entrance. Total funding from CDBG for this project is $350,000. The cost of the project is being supplemented by a US Rural Development loan and in-kind work from the county. Completion is expected around June 2019.
The City of Salem wants to remind city residents that the Spring Clean-Up Weeks will be held on Monday, May 7th and again on Monday, May 14th. You can put excess items to be disposed off on the curb where your trash is normally picked up. Old appliances, lawns mowers, etc can be put at the curb during the Spring Clean Up weeks. You can also put out yard waste that includes leaves, grass clippings, branches, and general yard debris. Please don’t combine with wood fencing, landscape timbers, flower pots, yard decorations, mulch, or dirt. Yard waste can only be collected in tied bags or bundles. Grass clippings and leafy debris should be placed at the curb in biodegradable trash bags that are available at the City Administrative Offices. Branches and limbs should be no longer than four (4) feet in length, and six (6) inches in diameter. All branches and limbs should be tied in bundles weighing less than 50 pounds, and bundles should be stacked uniformly at the curb. You cannot put out old tires, old car or lawn batteries, or motor oil or other oil accessories, or paint cans with any paint in them for pickup.
The Spring Community Wide Yard Sale this Saturday morning officially begins at 7:00 throughout the city of Salem and beyond. Please be careful on the road of drivers looking for yard sales where they may stop or turn suddenly or slow down without warning to gaze at items on display. A great way to display items off the road is at the City Administration parking lot behind the City Administration Building at 4th & Iron Street for $8.00 per space. There are still some spaces available, but hurry, they are reserved on a first come, first served basis. For more information or to reserve your space, call 729-2428.