Local News – Tuesday, July 18th, 2017
On Monday morning, the Dent County Commission met at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell stated that ditch work was going to be done on Dent County Road 6515 to install a crossover pipe. He said brush would be cut on Dent County Roads 4150, 4155, 4157 and 6510 and one crew member is going to be picking up a load of material for chip and seal repair on Dent County Road 4220. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated that although it is getting very dry, work crews will be grading on Dent County Roads 4280 and 6160 while materials will be added and grading done on county road 3220. He also said materials would be added to county roads 4060 and 4290 and brush was going to be cut on Dent County Roads 3220 and 3233. Larson went on to say Dent County Road 4060 would remain closed through Thursday as the crew has finished pouring the concrete for the new low water crossing, but they still have to move the dirt and materials back around the road and the crossing. Larson went on to report that later this week, workers will be rebuilding and working on Private Drive 401 to get it ready to be given a new County Road number. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he would be meeting today at the Salem Community Center@The Armory with members from the Meramec Regional Planning Commission to make plans for the MRPC Annual Awards Banquet to be held in October. Steve Davis from Shive-Hatterly Engineers and Nick Smith from Septagon Construction Management discussed a number of building options with the commissioners for the Jail and Justice Center project from a three story justice center with underground parking, to basically just the jail with a shell for further expansion of the Dent County Sheriff’s Office or courtrooms. From the current jail bid project in Webster County, they had numbers for the commissioners that showed the jail project alone could cost about $12.3 million dollars. There were a number of assumptions made in calculating those numbers according to Smith since the grade level of this project is different with a 30 foot drop from the southwest corner to the northeast corner that can add to the cost per square foot, other specialization costs and more. Both men said they would go back to look at the design to see if there some areas for cost savings measures that could be found that would include all the “must haves” of the jail. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday morning at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
An accident occurred at 10:30 Saturday night, July 15th in Shannon County on county road 367-B about 15 miles south of Salem. According to the highway patrol report, a 1993 Ford F150 driven by 19-year old Jason Piatt of Salem was driving in a field in circles, when he failed to notice a tree and struck the tree causing a passenger, 17-year old Heath Ball of Salem, riding in the bed of the truck to strike his head on the truck. Ball suffered minor injuries and was transported by private vehicle to the Salem Hospital. No one was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Ford F150 sustained minor damage and was driven from the scene.
An accident occurred at 3:20 early Sunday morning in Gasconade County on Highway 19 about 74 feet south of East Franklin Street in Owensville. According to the highway patrol report, a 2006 Nissan Sentra driven by 23-year old Jacob Clonts of Steelville was traveling southbound and attempted to make a left turn where a left turn was not present. The Nissan Sentra traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a telephone box. Clonts suffered minor injuries and received treatment on scene. He was wearing a seat restraint at the time of the accident. The Nissan Sentra sustained moderate damage and was towed by Triple L Towing of Owensville.
The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their July tonight in the hospital library beginning at 6:00 pm. After approval of the minutes from the June 20th meeting, Chief Financial Officer Monica Gargus will update the Board with the summary of operations and statistics reports for June followed by Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hines report. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will then give reports on the hospital foundation as well as auxiliary activities. In old business, the Board will address the City of Salem water/sewer expansion. During new business the Board will discuss purchases made of the hospital, there will be the election of officer’s and the Board will then set a public tax meeting for August 22nd beginning at 5:45 pm. The Board may vote to go into closed session. The July meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors is open the public.