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Friday, March 8, 2019
TRENTON
REPUBLICAN-TIMES Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 155th Year - No. 55
Trenton, MO 64683
75¢ per copy Check out the Republican-Times on the Internet: www.republican-times.com ©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Fourteen Pages & 1 Insert
Briefs... Superintendent Reception The public is invited to attend a reception on Wednesday, March 13 for new Trenton R-9 Superintendent Mike Stegman. The reception will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the district office, located at 1607 Normal St. Stegman, who was hired by the board of education earlier this year, begins his new duties on July 1.
R-9 Board Meeting Set The Trenton R-9 Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 at the district office. Items on the announced agenda include action on proposed salary schedules for the 2019-20 school year, discussion of tuition rates, extension of the QNS contract for technology support services, approval to post for audit bids, grants, revision of the 2018-19 school calendar to determine a make-up day for classes missed on March 8 because of the state basketball tournament, a building project update, safety and curriculum program reports, the MSBA spring regional meeting and principal reports. An executive session for personnel, including teacher evaluations, is also planned.
Commission Plans Meeting The Grundy County Commission will meet in regular session on Tuesday at the courthouse. Items on the announced agenda include the opening of CART rock bids at 9 a.m. and mowing bids at 9:30 a.m. as well as the signing of a proclamation for Developmental Disability Awareness Month at 1:30 p.m.
Law Enforcement Lunch The Trenton Police Department will hold “Lunch with Law Enforcement” on Thursday, March 14 at the North 65 Senior Center. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and gives citizens an opportunity to meet and visit with members of the TPD. Persons are encouraged to attend and ask questions about the department, special programs or law enforcement in general.
R-T Photo/Seth Herrold
The Trenton girls basketball team, coaches and cheerleaders were greeted by a host of well-wishers who lined the Highway 65 off ramp on Wednesday afternoon as the team headed to Springfield for the MSHSAA Class 3 Show-Me Showdown. The Bulldogs were one of four teams playing for the Class 3 girls title, taking on Strafford on Thursday.
TRENTON PARK BOARD
Mudcats Coming Back For Game In July
Pool Opening Delayed A Week The wintry weather that has played havoc with the school schedule is now affecting the opening of the Trenton Family Aquatic Center. TFAC Manager Alexis Whitney met with the Trenton Park Board during its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday evening at city hall and said that with the last day of school being pushed back to May 24 due to days missed for inclement weather, the opening of the aquatic center will have to be delayed until Friday, May 31. Ms. Whitney, a teacher at Rissler Elementary School, said she would not have time prior to the traditional opening of the
pool on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend to get in and get things done, such as cleaning. In addition, the lifeguards, most of which are high school students, will not be available prior to Memorial Day to help get the pool ready or to attend the required orientation and training sessions. In addition, Ms. Whitney said she will start advertising soon for a manager trainee to work at the TFAC this summer and move into the manager’s position for the 2020 season. Ms. Whitney informed the board last year that the 2019 season will be her last as manager. The board
plans to hire a manager trainee to learn the job this summer so they can hit the ground running next year and board members emphasized that this person would need to be willing to commit to being the manager for the 2020 season. In another poolrelated item, board members learned that the lily pads that had been sent to Florida for refurbishing have arrived and are in great shape. Doug Doughty, general manager of the Chillicothe Mudcats baseball team met with the board and was given approval to See Park, Page 14
St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Five Points Alive is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a dinner on Sunday, March 17. The meal will be held at The Space in downtown Trenton, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the meal being served at 6:30. Two menus will be offered - corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots; and brisket, cheese grits and baked beans. Both meals will feature dessert of pistachio cake or apple cake and soda bread, cornbread, honey butter, coffee, tea and water will also be included. The cost is $20 per person and reservations are required by Monday, March 11. Reservations can be made with Kathi Brewer at Howard’s Department Store. All proceeds will go to fund projects of the Five Points Alive group, including the purchase and installation of Christmas lights in the downtown area.
TRENTON CITY COUNCIL
TRENTON KIWANIS CLUB
Trivia Fundraiser Seeks Teams
Event To Benefit Local Projects Saturday, April 6 is the date selected for the Trenton Kiwanis Club’s Trivia Night. The event will be held at the Black Silo Winery and is a fundraiser for the local club. The contest will get under way at 6:30 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Concessions will be available.
The trivia event is being billed as a “Stroll Through the Decades.” There will be four rounds of trivia with 15 questions in each round. Each round will focus on a different decade, so those who are young, young-at-heart and old enough to remember will find they really do have a chance at
winning. Teams will also have a chance to earn points by participating in the decade contest, whereby teams are encouraged to select a decade and dress and decorate their table around their decade theme. Each team will consist of six to eight adults (18 and over)
and the entry fee is $120 per team. Kiwanis Club members are currently reaching out to area businesses to help with sponsorship of the event. Available are sponsorship of rounds, answer blanks and prize money as well as items See Trivia, Page 14
Intradepartment Loan Recommended To Pay For Wastewater Project
Budgets, Contract Addressed At Meetings City Showing Deficit In 2019-20 The Finance Committee of the Trenton City Council is recommending approval of the city budget for 2019-20, but still has work to do on the TMU budget after deciding to recommend an intradepartment loan to help pay for work at the wastewater plant. During a meeting on Tuesday night, the committee agreed to ask the council to approve a plan where $2 million would be loaned from the electric department to the wastewater department. Those funds, along with $1 million in wastewater reserves, would be used to pay for work at the plant to address effluent disinfection and meet effluent requirements of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The council, at a meeting last week, was advised by a financial consultant, that making such a loan was not in the best interest of the city. The city’s auditor has also advised against the fund transfer. While terms of such a loan were not discussed, it was suggested that the loan be extended over a 20-year period at a rate of less than 1 percent. Council members said that the loan between departments will allow a savings
Animal Shelter Proposal Tabled
in interest paid should a regular loan be secured for the project. If approved by the full council, final terms will need to be established. The loan was not reflected in the proposed TMU budget presented to the committee, which asked that changes be made to include those figures before a vote is taken. Finance Committee Chairman Travis Elbert said another committee meeting will need to be held to review the changes and a vote taken to recommend the budget be approved by the full council. The committee did vote to recommend approval of the city portion of the budget, which shows a deficit of $121,138. Revenues are listed at $2,942,232, with another $235,000 of income added from the road fund. Regular expenditures are just over $3,237,296 and there is another $61,000 being transferred from general revenue to the capital fund to make a payment on the asphalt plant loan. Among new expenditures in the budget is $43,000 to pay for an assistant to the nuisance and code enforcement officer who would take See City, Page 14
National Weather Service Rain is in the forecast through Saturday, before becoming sunny on Sunday and Monday. Highs will be in the 40s while lows will be in the 30s through Monday night. The high at the Government Weather Station at Trenton on Monday, March 4 was 14, Tuesday’s high was 22, Wednesday’s high was 36 and the low was 10. There was 1 inch of snow reported. There was no report from the Government Weather Station near Spickard.
The Trenton City Council tabled action on a proposal from the Green Hills Animal Shelter to provide animal control services during a special meeting on Tuesday night. Representatives from the shelter met with the council to discuss the contract, which calls for an increase of $3 to $18 in the per day holding fee for animals brought into the shelter by the city’s animal control officer. A $200 increase to $2,200 is also being requested in the administration fee, which covers record keeping, as well as an increase in the rabies holding observation fee from $20 per 10-day period to $25. Also proposed was the city paying for minor medical costs incurred by the animals during the holding periods, which is not in the current contract. Shelter board member Tim Michael said the shelter is attempting to recoup its costs for housing animals brought in by the city, noting that the fees being proposed were determined based on the number of animals brought into the shelter this year. It was noted that 61.5 percent of the animals brought into the shelter come via the city’s animal control program and
that the city pays only for those animals. There is currently a holding period of at least five days, with a maximum impoundment time of seven days, with those costs paid for by the city. If an animal is not claimed, it becomes the property of the shelter, which then assumes the cost for impoundment. It was noted that the shelter has a limit of 35 dogs and 45 cats and that the shelter is often at or near capacity. Attempts are made to reduce those numbers through special adoption days, however, it was noted that only 31 dogs and three cats were adopted last year. There was also discussion regarding the finances of the shelter and it was noted that expenses this past year were over $150,000, including utilities, wages, food and supplies, etc. Cost-saving measures have been taken regarding utilities, but Michael said a new roof is needed for the shelter building. In addition to the fees paid by the city and others who bring animals into the shelter, fundraisers are held and donations are accepted.
What’s Inside... For the five senior members of the Trenton High School girls basketball team, this year’s trip to the MSHSAA Class 3 Tournament in Springfield is special. See page 2 of today’s R-T to read about the basketball journey of the THS “Fab Five.”
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See Shelter, Page 14
What’s Inside Sports....................pages 2 & 3 Opinion/Editorial .........page 4 Community ...................page 5 Agriculture....................page 6 Thank a Farmer ...........page 7 Across Missouri ............page 8 Local News ....................page 9 Comics .........................page 10 Crosswords..................page 11