Local News – Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020

The Salem Board of Aldermen held its regular meeting Monday at the City Hall Council Chambers. The board heard bids for the removal of the old roof at the city administrative offices and install new shingles. Bids were received from Ferranto Roofing, Wisdom Roofing and Woods Roofing. The board accepted the low bid from Woods Roofing for $10,380. The board reviewed the two bids received for fireworks for Independence Day. The first bid came from Fleetwood Pyrotechnics LLC and it was submitted on time for $12,524 which includes the fireworks and the discharging of them. A late bid came in from Washington Way Fireworks for $16,000. The board voted to go with Fleetwood Pyrotechnics, LLC with a 4-0 vote. City Administrator Ray Walden said the Missouri S&T student project management class continued to work on projects even after their classes were postponed. He said he expects their reports by the end of the week. Walden said WCA Waste Management will hold their spring cleanup the weeks of May 4th through the 8th and May 11th through the 15th. He said the April electric bills have been sent out and the city hopes to have the May bills sent out in a more timely manner. Walden also said that Salem businesses that qualified for SBA Emergency Disaster Loans, such as the Payroll Protection Program or the Economic Injury Disaster Loan that want to pay their utility bills with proceeds from those programs, should call the utility office at 729-4117. Walden asked the alderman to review the Records Management Policy and give feedback before the next meeting so that they can finalize the policy. Walden also brought samples of a new proposed City of Salem logo and colors for the alderman to review. He said communities like to use certain colors that attract people to the area and come up with something that can be used not only for the city, but the county and chamber as well. Walden said there are no dollars in this year’s budget to develop a logo but one needs to be done for the new website. Public Works Director Mark Nash presented a list of prioritized streets that would get the nova chip with the Park Street project being #1 at the top of the list. There is $200,000 in this year’s budget to work on the streets, but the alderman would like to get as many streets done as soon as possible during this slow time. Walden will work on a budget adjustment that would include next year’s budgeted amount for street work to be added to this year’s total for a better price on the paving product. The board approved Bill #3446 to enter into a one-year agreement with Wave Internet Technologies to allow them to use space on the water tower at Condray and Tower Streets for $100 per month. The board went on to approve by a 3-1 vote to purchase and install a RAW/WAS pump station for the waste water treatment facility. This was originally scheduled to be done in the second phase, but it had deteriorated to such a degree that it needs to be changed out soon or it will fail. Alderman James voted against it. The board also approved Resolution 7-2020 to do drainage improvements to the Salem City Park Little League fields for $23,500 by Donald Maggi, Inc. by a 3-1 vote. The money will come out of the Capital Improvement Sales Tax Fund. Alderman James again voted against the motion to approve. The board meeting was then adjourned.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of March. They issued three equipment repair orders, seven summonses to appear in court, 12 warning tickets, and eleven traffic tickets, plus they also served three fugitive warrants. The Salem Police investigated six traffic accidents, wrote three property damage reports, seven stealing reports, and a death report. The department investigated wto charges of driving while having a license revoked or suspended, one possession of a controlled substance report, 6 domestic violence reports, a report of endangering the welfare of a child, along with a report of a lost or stolen license plate and a report of the failure to obey a lawful order. The department was also dispatched for 61 animal calls, 32 ambulance assist calls, and performed 48 traffic stops for the month. The Salem Police Department received 936 calls for service during the month of March and had 75 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 7,549 miles during the month of March. There were seven males and 4 females arrested in March.

The National Park Service is soliciting applications for an agricultural permit for hay cutting covering one parcel in Ozark National Scenic Riverways within Shannon County, Missouri. The Special Use Permit will be awarded based on the following criteria. First, the ability to perform the work; secondly, interest in and knowledge of the agricultural permit program within the park; and also the payment of the required annual fee. Applicants will not be allowed to bid on parcels; only the application answers will be assessed. The field available is the Cedar Bluff Field, which is 52 acres. The effective date for the permit is estimated to be May 5th this year, and the expiration date of the permit will be December 31st of 2024. Completed applications must be received by Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Van Buren no later than 4:00 in the afternoon on April 28th. Completed applications can be either mailed or emailed. For more information about the agricultural SUP program or to receive an application packet, please visit the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/ozar/ or contact Kim Houf at (573) 944-9477.

Even in these trying times, the Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance crews continue their work to make state roadways safer for those who travel. One way motorists can help is by exercising their responsibility to keep Missouri highways free of litter. According to Natalie Roark, the state highway maintenance director, every cigarette butt, food wrapper, soda can and plastic bag thrown out of a moving vehicle creates ugly debris, detracts from the safety and beauty of Missouri’s roadsides and adds to the workload of maintenance employees who are already operating under challenging conditions. Last year, MoDOT spent $6.4 million to remove litter from more than 385,000 acres of roadsides along 34,000 state highway miles. With the department’s annual “NoMOreTrash Bash” canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, MoDOT is seeking even more help in keeping Missouri highways free from litter. Some ways you can help include not littering by keeping a bag for trash in your car or truck and disposing of it properly. Also, secure your load to make sure nothing blows out or off of your vehicle into the roadway. In addition to creating litter, unsecured loads can be a safety hazard to the vehicles behind you. Every effort by the public to help eliminate or by cleaning up litter helps offset MoDOT’s trash removal costs and allows the department to put more money back into maintaining Missouri’s roads and bridges.