SOUTH MAIN PHASE I
Surrounded by members of the Maryville community, Mayor Tye Parsons prepares to cut a ribbon on Sept.
South Main Phase I marks historic achievement
‘Single most important’ transportation, economic project
By GEOFFREY WOEHLK
The Forum
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The completion of Phase I of the South Main Corridor Improvement Project in September 2023 marked a significant milestone in the city’s history, a benchmark on the road to the future.
“In no uncertain terms, we have completed the single most important trans-
portation and economic development project in the history of our community,”
said Mayor Tye Parsons in a speech at the Phase I ribbon-cutting on Sept. 18.
“Transportation planners at the state and federal levels call this type of development a ‘complete street.’ Much more than a strip of asphalt that connects two places together, a complete street addresses safety, access, motorized and non-motorized
transportation, functionality, infrastructure and aesthetics.
“A complete street, like South Main, makes a transportation corridor work, and work better, for everyone — citizens, businesses, visitors, pedestrians and drivers — in a way that enhances not only the immediate area but the region as a whole.”
Phase I, the long-gestating overhaul of South Main
Street from the intersection with South Avenue to the intersection with State Route V, made a host of functional and aesthetic improvements designed to make the corridor safer, more accessible for pedestrians and more of a welcoming sight for visitors driving down Maryville’s most significant economic artery.
See MAIN, D7
LEFT: The new Northwest Technical School greenhouse is shown last week. With several inches of snow on the ground, the interior of the facility held a balmy temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. ABOVE: An automatic shade cloth is shown open inside the facility. The shades are a marked improvement over the manual ones the students could only shift once or twice per year. INSET: The new facility offers multiple ways to water plants, dependent on whether or not the leaves can get wet. These ferns prefer to be watered in the soil, to allow their leaves to stay dry.
PHOTOS BY SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
New greenhouse provides new opportunities for local students
By SKYE POURNAZARI
The Forum
MARYVILLE, Mo. —
Last year, students at Northwest Technical School at the Maryville R-II school district got their first look at a new greenhouse constructed around March of last year, however it wasn’t until this school year that they have really been able to get their hands dirty utilizing the new facility.
Through CTE (Career Technical Education) Enhancement grant funds awarded in late 2022, the technical school at Maryville R-II, completed
the construction of a brand new, state-of-the-art greenhouse in March 2023 and since then agriculture educators Jeremy Lacy and Dillon Stiens have been focused on managing the facility, perfecting settings and stocking it with greenery for the upcoming 2024 spring plant sale.
Currently the greenhouse only holds about 140 ferns, some leftover mums that were cut back, a few random plants and an agriculture experiment in partnership with a seed provider. It will not stay empty for long. Last week, students in agriculture courses were set to come in
and begin setting up new pots in preparation for the department’s big plant order that will arrive in late February.
With the automatic shade cloths back allowing full light, the automatic water sprayers set for just the right misting needs and the new tables — that also roll to allow more space for work on either side of them — set up for certain height plants, the greenhouse is getting its full use.
“We actually kind of got in here (in October),” Lacy said. “We were still trying to button up some final things.”
The construction company also had to come out again because part of the pump system wasn’t working as designed.
DELBERTS GARAGE
“So we’ve just had some little hiccups, but we got in here probably in October,” Lacy said.
The new greenhouse is 30 feett by 60 feet, or 1,800 square feet, whereas the previous facility was only 18 feet wide by 54 feet long, or 972 square feet.
With much larger tables, the ability to create the appropriate temperature and moisture levels and adjust
sunlight levels via the sun shades, a lot more plants may be grown within the new facility.
Stiens said the facility is offers six zones all of which function by settings located on a computer panel on either side of the structure —yes the students are learning how to utilize that technology.
They’re also performing an experiment on the south side of the building with Timac Agro chemical products, to see which settings, and grass seeds will work best in which environment
to develop more root structure and assist with drought resistance.
“We’re using it in our plant science classes to talk about root development, like the soybean seeds,” Lacy said.
Pulling up the grass to show off the roots, he told The Forum that students set up the controlled experiments, perform comparisons on the root mass and then report on the development. The new automatic watering system provides consistent watering to keep the experiment on the same basis across the testing table.
“This one is just the first,” Stiens said, of the many experiments that students will be able to perform in the new facility while learning about agriculture. “In two or three months this is where we’ll be starting all of our vegetables. We’ll put them in here and instead of us having to worry about ‘oh man are they getting too dry,’ it’ll water it for them.”
Lacy said the new facility has definitely increased interest in the program.
Dillon Stiens, agriculture educator at Northwest Technical School shows how a root experiment is being managed last week in the NTS greenhouse.
“It’s more conducive to kids being able to get here and use the facility,” he said. “And kids like technology. Kids like to be able to say ‘Oh, let’s water this row for five minutes and this row for 10 minutes.”
He said with different types of watering options as well, some within the pots and some that spray on top of plants, the new facil-
ity opens up the program to offer students a look at much more of the agriculture world, which will help them eventually in their careers.
“Just learning to deal with this technology, they may walk into a career opportunity and they can use what they’ve done here and be like ‘Well I did this in high school, now I can take these
and how do I adapt?’” Lacy said.
The school also constructed a storage shed just outside the greenhouse to store all the pots and soil. Before those, pots would be stored inside the greenhouse, not only taking up space, but also becoming brittle and shriveling due to the heat of the sun. Lacy said that recently he had to
pull some of that soil over into the greenhouse because it was getting pretty frozen out there, while only a few feet away, inside the warm, temperature-controlled building, plants were flourishing and nearing the need for transplant.
The greenhouse will begin to fill up as the district prepares for its spring sale, set for right around Moth -
er’s Day. Lacy and Stiens said that the funds raised during the sale go back into the program. Students help to select the varieties of plants and flowers for the next year’s program.
“We try to kind of keep this thing as a self-sufficient deal,” Lacy said. “So they get to have a hand in selecting. … So this year’s kind of a learning curve.”
With the greenhouse class having 13 to 14 students in it out in the greenhouse nearly every day to the spring agriculture course with 50 to 60 students, the facility is definitely a welcome addition to the school’s offerings.
“So we’ve incorporated into more than just a greenhouse,” Lacy said. “I mean this is just another learning lab for anything.”
Northwest demolishes Phillips and North Complex residence halls
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Northwest Missouri State University completed the demolition of two former residence halls and an academic building last summer as part of a multi-year plan to address aging facilities.
The university began preparing North Complex and Phillips residence halls for their removal after the conclusion of the spring semester.
The Northwest community was able to watch the demolition of Phillips Hall on a university webcam.
Phillips Hall — named for Homer T. Phillips, who led the founding of Northwest’s Horace Mann Laboratory School and headed the education department for many years — was finished in 1966 and last housed students in 2014.
Opened during the same fall, Phillips Hall and Franken Hall were the first of four
seven-story residence halls to be constructed on the Northwest campus.
North Complex was completed in 1962 and last housed students regularly in 2018, though a small number of students lived in the building at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Northwest offered it as a low-cost alternative to other residence halls.
The structure contains Cooper Hall — named for Albert H. Cooper, a former director of field services — and Douglas Hall, named for a St. Joseph, Missouri, attorney who served on the university’s Board of Regents for 24 years, R.L. Douglas.
In addition, Northwest plans to begin demolition later this summer of the Thompson-Ringold Building, which was built in 1931 for industrial arts programs and has housed various departments and offices in recent years.
Complex was also completed last year.
Regents approve plans for micro-creamery at ALC
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The Northwest Missouri State University Board of Regents approved plans for a micro-creamery to be housed within Northwest’s Agricultural Learning Center, giving the School of Agricultural Sciences an opportunity to enhance profession-based learning for its students and the potential to one day offer milk and other dairy products to consumers.
Regents approved the project with costs not to exceed $3 million and authorized President Lance Tatum and Vice President of Finance and Administration Stacy Carrick to complete a contract with a selected bidder.
“We’re very, very excited about what this could add to our curriculum and what it can do for our stu-
dents and their experience and their profession-based learning,” Provost Jamie Hooyman, said last year during a Board of Regents meeting.
The proposal is based on the university’s desire to help improve the state’s dairy industry by offering expanded education and training opportunities for regional producers and agriculture students, a news release from the university stated.
Where dwindling dairy herds, poor commodity prices and a sizeable labor gap of skilled dairy workers have stressed Missouri’s dairy industry, Northwest is seeking to address those industry challenges by developing a fully functional microcreamery at its R.T. Wright Farm and Agricultural Learning Center.
Northwest maintains a dairy herd of approximately 70 cattle at the R.T. Wright Farm, which is located north of the Maryville campus and is used to teach agriculture students about dairy health, management and collection. A lack of processing facilities at Northwest, however, means students’ profession-based learning ends after the collected milk leaves the farm.
The proposed project will remedy that gap, allowing students and regional producers to experience the entire lifecycle of dairy production, from herd management and collection through processing, food production, safety testing and potentially even the marketing and retail of fluid milk, ice cream, butter, cheeses or other dairy products.
Demolition of Phillips Hall is shown underway on Tuesday, May 23, at Northwest Missouri State University. Demolition of North
GEOFFREY WOEHLK/FORUM FILE PHOTO
Cattle from the Foremost Guernsey herd, a famed herd of cattle housed at the University of Missouri, were donated to Northwest Missouri State University in 2020. Last year, the Board of Regents approved plans for a micro-creamery to be housed at the university’s Agricultural Learning Center.
“As we stand here and celebrate this momentous occasion, cutting the ribbon to signify the completion of Phase I, it’s hard to put into words the immense sense of accomplishment this community should feel right now,” said City Manager Greg McDanel during the September ceremony to celebrate Phase I’s completion.
Parsons pointed out that the majority of sales taxes collected in Nodaway County come from businesses along South Main, and the approximately $13 million Phase I overhaul is a major economic development investment that has already begun to pay dividends.
“Since the South Main
project was announced, millions of dollars in private investments have come to the area, not only in new businesses such as Starbucks and Marshalls, but remodels of existing businesses, including the multimillion-dollar remodel of Walmart. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Parsons said, adding that the city is in talks with more businesses about remodels and new locations in Maryville.
The September 2023 opening of Phase I, though, came only after more than a decade of planning to get to this point — and overcoming a decade’s worth of complications, setbacks and, of course, a global pandemic.
The city first put a South Main overhaul in its comprehensive plan in December 2012. By 2015, the city had a traffic study in hand that outlined the
problems in the clogged corridor and prescribed fixes.
In late summer 2018, the city worked feverishly with the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments to complete an application package for a federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant. City and NWMRCOG staff worked
around the clock in a 45-day sprint to submit the materials, and sent in the application with “minutes to spare,” according to McDanel. The BUILD grant would be the city’s big break for the project, awarding $10.48 million and opening the door to more down the road — so to speak. Due to pandemic-related delays and price increases,
the massive infrastructure project had to be broken up into two parts, with the BUILD grant paying for Phase I, while the city continues to look for more funding opportunities for Phase II, which will give the same overhaul treatment to the remaining stretch of South Main from the intersection with State Highway
V to U.S. Highway 71.
Already in hand is $5.9 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s successor to the BUILD grants — a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. And the city is also using some of the money from the federally funded Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) through the Missouri Department of Transportation to pay for the trail additions that are part of Phase II. The city received one bid for work on Phase II, but it was significantly over budget, so officials went back to the drawing board to reallocate funds and look for efficiencies in the plans. Once a second round of bids come in, the city anticipates construction beginning on Phase II this year with a 2025 completion date.
MARYVILLE HOST LIONS
Congratulations and thank you
Nucor teammates. You
SKYE POURNAZARI/FORUM FILE PHOTO
• Full line of Pharmacy
• Medical Equipment
• Oxygen
• CPAP Specialists
• Drive-up Window
• Free Delivery in Maryville
• Diabetic Shoes
• Compounding
• Specialized Packaging
• Vaccinations
• Mastectomy Supplies
• Nursing Home Service
• Medicare D Plan Assistance
• Family Owned
Rogers Pharmacy offers complete line of home medical equipment and more
Rogers Pharmacy & Home Medical Equipment offers a complete line of home medical equipment, which has been providing the Maryville area customers since July of 2008. A full-service pharmacy was added in 2016 when they moved to the East South Avenue location.
Rogers Pharmacy was launched by Melvin Rogers in 1967. Our general operating pharmacy has evolved from small, hometown location in Fairfax, Missouri to locations in Tarkio, Mound City, St. Joseph, Stanberry and Maryville.Rogers Pharmacy is still owned and operated by the Rogers’ family, with Benne Rogers, Melvin’s son now leading the team.
Rogers Pharmacy in Maryville is staffed by registered pharmacists Rick Carter, Julie Simmerman and Trenton Stumpff. Our Pharmacy technicians are Deb Garett, Tonya Runde, Stephanie New, Kelsey Swartz, Haley Marbough and clerk Britney Wood, along with several students workers.
We are proud to have added employees Melisha David and Ten Hugger this year to the home medical side of
the business. Our DME department provides a complete assortment of durable medical equipment to meet our patients needs related to mobility issues, oxygen supplies, and respiratory equipments. Ask us about our rental options! We also offer a wide variety for your CPAP and BiPAP. Selections of diabetic shoes, colostomy and urostomy supplies and mastectomy supplies are also offered. Rogers Pharmacy’s core commitment is instilling a level of excellence in our employees that separates us from others in our industry. We always strive to be better! “We’re a one-stop healthcare shop. We’re independent, local and ready to serve your family. According to Carter, “Our Maryville locations is a full-service pharmacy with a drive-up window, and we offer free delivery in the Maryville area.” “We are open six days a week to suit the needs of the Maryville community,” he said. Our hours are 8 am - 6 pm Monday - Friday, 8 am - 2 pm on Saturday and closed on Sunday. Customers may purchase durable medical equipment on Saturday with “customized services” available during the weekdays.
Pharmacy • 125 E. South Ave.
Rogers Pharmacy partners with MOSAIC Maryville and MOSAIC St. Joseph in providing 340B prescriptions. This program allows certain drugs to be filled at a reduced price and has been very viable for our customers Give us a call if you would like to have more information about this savings program.
Our pharmacists can also administer immunizations which include the Shingles, Influenza, TDAP, Pneumonia, and MCV (Meningococcal) vaccine.
Our employees are proud members of the community we live in and serve. We owe a huge thank-you to our patients and the community for supporting us, a local small business.
It is said that, “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go as a team.”
“We are a team and we care like no other.”
Mel Rogers
Rogers
Rogers Pharmacy offers a complete line of home medical supplies and equipment.
Pharmacy
Tonya Runde, Stephanie New Deb Garrett, Britney Wood, Haley Marbough, Kelsey Swartz
Rick Carter, RPh, Trenton Stumpff, RPh, Julie Simmerman, PharmD
DME Specialists
Ted Hugger
Melisha David
Thomson Splash ‘N’ Play celebrates big new additions
By GEOFFREY WOEHLK
The Forum
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Not content with the most popular park in Maryville and across the region, the Thomson family added further to the Thomson Splash ‘N’ Play in 2023 with new equipment and turf alongside other additions like a pavilion, shade structures and a bathroom facility.
New benches, tables, shade structures and a picnic shelter were installed during 2023, paid for by $100,000 in federal American Rescue Plan funds from the city’s coffers, $35,000 from Maryville Parks and Recreation, several thousands of dollars from service clubs like the Maryville Host Lions, Pride Lions and the Maryville Rotary Club. The new bathroom facility came courtesy of
a grant from the Gladys M. Rickard Charitable Trust and guest wifi was donated by United Fiber. Then came $125,000 in new ad-
ditions from the Thomson family: slides, swings, spinners and tables to enhance the park’s playground. To commemorate the new ad-
ditions, Kay Thomson returned to the town where she and her late husband, Dick, raised their family and to which they wanted to leave a lasting legacy in the splash park.
In 2019, Dick and Kay Thomson were looking to give back to the community where Dick was born, at St. Francis Hospital, and where they had lived for most of their lives since 1966.
“(We) knew we wanted to do something for Maryville, but what?” Kay said during the September 2023 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new park additions.
After discussions with the city — and a drive through Kansas City to get a look at what exactly a splash pad was — the family settled on creating a splash park on Maryville’s south side, where there was an open parcel of land near the school and no other near-
by park.
A half a million dollars later, the park opened in summer 2021, but the couple’s health meant they couldn’t make it from their home in Overland Park, Kansas, to the park’s grand opening that year. Dick passed away shortly thereafter.
Maryville Parks and Recreation estimates that thousands of visitors have come to the park each summer since, easily making it the top destination for summer parkgoers in northwest Missouri.
And in September, Kay saw the park with all its new additions for the first time, with kids already eagerly awaiting one last gasp of summer as the fountains turned on one more time, and knew exactly how her husband would react. “I can hear him saying, ‘wow,’” she said.
Kay Thomson shares a laugh with her son, Doug, left, and daughter, Jennifer Strueby, right.
Welch & Webb beautify square
By KEN GARNER | The Forum
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The law firm of Welch & Webb not only expanded its footprint in Nodaway County when it opened its office on the Maryville square in 2023 to offer legal services to area residents, but the law firm also helped beautify the area with its restoration of the building located at 104 E. Third St. Nodaway County native Jared Welch and his firm completely transformed the corner lot and empty building on the southwest corner of the square.
For the exterior upgrades, the law firm now has a sign, awning, patio, fencing and landscaping to spruce up the area.
“We are proud of the work that we have done and the investment we have made on that corner of the square,” Welch said in an email. “That was an empty building and an empty abandoned lot on Main Street/Bus 71 – both of which were eyesores before we took possession and rehabbed both. We hope that it is more pleasing to the eye and more importantly a viable part of the business and social community that makes up downtown Maryville and the square.”
Future planned renovations include additional exterior upgrades which may include an outdoor kitchen and patio seating as well as exterior and landscape lighting.
“It is our hope that this outdoor space could be used, not just for our employees and clients, but possibly for other community events involving other businesses and civic organizations,” Welch said.
“We are either gluttons for punishment or we care about and invest in history/preservation and the communities that we live and work in,” Welch said. “One thing we know about old buildings is that they continue to require considerable investments in preventative and periodic maintenance. We think it is worth it. We bill our selves as hard-working lawyers for hard-working people. And hard-working people take care of and invest in their communities.”
Welch & Webb specializes in personal injury/auto accidents, worker’s compensation claims, criminal and traffic, as well as estate planning. The attorneys of Welch & Webb include Jared Welch, Jeremy Webb and Pamela Welch. For more information call 660-224-4544 or visit welchwebb.com
Retail Strategies opens door for Marshalls
By PAXSON HAWS The Forum
MARYVILLE, Mo — This past fall, Maryville welcomed retail store Marshalls to town in the former J.C. Penney building.
The store opened its doors on Oct. 12. and press releases regarding the opening said the store would provide the area with around 60 full- and part-time jobs.
partnership we have there with the city, and Greg McDanel’s just been an amazing partner for us. (It) definitely makes our job a lot easier when we have someone that is as plugged in and connected and engaged as Greg.”
Around the time of the broad analysis, Craft said that TJX Brands, the parent company of TJ Maxx and Marshalls, was preparing to roll out an “aggressive ‘small town’ format” but was unfortunately put on hold due to economic conditions brought on by the pandemic. The possibility of a location in Maryville bounced around throughout 2021 and 2022 but had several other setbacks preventing any progress.
“Our newest store in Maryville will offer an ever-changing selection of high-quality, on-trend, and brand-name merchandise at the amazing prices that Marshalls is known for,” Tim Miner, president of Marshalls, said in a statement last fall. “We’re excited to bring this experience and exceptional values from fashion and beauty to home and more to a new neighborhood. With thousands of new items delivered to our stores every day, we strive to provide our shoppers with amazing brands every time they shop.”
The addition of Marshall’s to Maryville has been part of a multi-year plan between the city of Maryville, Nodaway County Economic Development and an agreement made with Retail Strategies.
The agreement started in 2019, was renewed in 2022 and has since brought in the standalone corporate-owned Starbucks located on South Main Street and Marshalls.
The company initially ran a broad analysis on retail habits and the demographic of Maryville. The results showed there was a gap between supply and demand for clothing stores in the area and Retail Strategies would help the City make connections with national retailers to minimize the gap.
“The reason our company exists is just because we know city leaders such as Greg (McDanel), city manager, wears probably 15 different hats running a city,” Clay Craft, CEO of Retail Strategies told The Forum by phone. “… We really appreciate and love the
McDaniel told The Forum that he was informed in the springtime of 2023 that officials from Marshalls were looking at opening up a store the coming fall.
Craft said that Retail Strategies helps find the right spaces for businesses looking to locate stores, as the process of bringing in new retailers largely comes down to location. If there aren’t certain spots available, he said they can contact landowners and shopping center owners and help make connections to make a location work for a retailer.
Which is what happened with Starbucks as the company wasn’t sold on building a new location in Maryville until the former location of U.S. Bank opened up. Having this standalone location is one of the reasons Marshalls was interested in taking over the old J.C. Penney building, showing there was a market for these types of stores in Maryville, according to Craft.
Marshalls began construction on the building over the summer and opened its doors to the public on Oct. 12.
“The City of Maryville is proud to welcome Marshalls to the community and excited for continued redevelopment efforts along the South Main corridor,” McDanel said at the time.
Mosaic works to expand access to mental health resources
By GEOFFREY WOEHLK
The Forum
MARYVILLE, Mo. — A persistent and growing problem in northwest Missouri, Mosaic Medical Center – Maryville took some significant strides in 2023 to provide greater access to mental health care resources.
For the past few years, the proceeds from the St. Francis Foundation’s annual gala fundraiser have been used to enhance the mental health resources available through Mosaic, and 2023 was no different.
Gala funds have been used to help bring in new licensed social workers and establish an in-house program to help train new ones.
Expanding telehealth access has also been a focus, connecting patients with doctors and bringing access to people who might otherwise not have been able to have it.
The telehealth expansion in-
cluded putting telehealth stations in schools across the county. The program is funded through a combination of funds raised by the St. Francis Hospital Foundation for mental health initiatives, federal American Rescue Plan dollars put toward the effort by the Nodaway County Commission and some other federal grant funds through Mosaic’s partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Without a telehealth option, some students would have to miss a full day of school to attend an appointment at a location that could be hours away, and a parent would have to miss a workday to get them there.
Megan Jennings, director of development at the St. Francis Foundation, said in February that putting telehealth stations directly in schools was a natural first step in removing barriers to care.
The first rollout of telehealth
stations began in late 2023 at Maryville Middle School, with other schools following in January. Eventually, Mosaic plans to provide telehealth access at Jefferson, Mound City, Northeast Nodaway,
South Nodaway, Stanberry and Worth County, with details still to be worked out at other schools and districts including Craig, Eugene Field Elementary, King City, Maryville High School, Nodaway-
Holt, North Nodaway, South Holt, St. Gregory Barbarigo and West Nodaway.
In addition to the telehealth stations, Mosaic has also worked with schools to provide free access to the Character Strong program, a complete mental health and well-being curriculum created for teachers to use in classrooms.
“It allows them to begin teaching social, emotional learning, coping skills, how to handle stress in a way that the kids can learn and understand from,” Jennings told The Forum in February.
Gala funds along with a $2.2 million grant from the University of Missouri – Kansas City for rural health partnerships, helped pay for teachers and counselors in the region to attend training and also for Character Strong programming for regional school districts.
SUBMITTED BY MOSAIC MEDICAL CENTER - MARYVILLE
This photo shows work being done to the Mosaic Medical Center - Maryville inpatient mental health floor.
See MOSAIC, E6
Goffs add ice cream to home grocery
By PAXSON HAWS The Forum
BURLINGTON JCT.,
Mo. — Goff Home Grocery, a locally owned and operated grocery store, added several new features to the store and its most recent addition was quite the sweet one. Since purchasing the building over five years ago, Michael Goff and his family have added a Hunt Brothers Pizza, a soda fountain, coffee and a variety of baked goods by Goff’s wife, Cortney.
“About a year ago, it became evident that we needed to make some changes,” Goff told The Forum back in September. “We took some things out, we still carry most of the same groceries that we used to, but … we have just a few toiletries. We don’t have the odds and ends and knickknacks that we had.”
One of the more recent changes to the store is its newest feature — an ice cream bar. The menu includes soft serve, ice cream sandwiches using homemade cookies and “the best darn shakes you’ve ever had.”
While the ice cream bar is new to Goff Home Grocery, it’s not the first time Burlington Junction has had some version of an ice cream bar. Goff grew up in Burlington Junction and said there was a soda fountain store back in the 1950s in the exact location as his family’s grocery store.
“So it’s not exactly the same but we’re trying to kind of pay homage,” Goff said.
Goff said his mother, who also grew up in Burlington Junction, as well as many other people who no longer live in the area, have fond memories about this build-
ing from their youth. That’s one of the reasons he added the ice cream bar and continues to grow the store — keeping those memories of the building he owns flowing through the younger generations in the area.
When Goff spoke with The Forum last fall, he said he was working on getting word out to the public about the ice cream bar.
“Locals come in and they love it and we’ve got a lot of returning customers and everything,” Goff said. “We want people from Maryville or other surrounding towns to know that, hey, we’ve got a cool little ice cream shop here and come out and check us out.”
Goff Home Grocery, located at 119 W. Main St. in Burlington Junction, is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
PAXSON HAWS/FORUM FILE PHOTO
Michael and Cortney Goff are shown at Goff Home Grocery in Burlington Junction. The family has started an Ice Cream Shoppe inside.
Walmart reinvests in local store
MARYVILLE, Mo. — In August, Walmart Store 801 celebrated its grand reopening following a major renovation project.
Inviting community members in, employees celebrated by cutting a ribbon, hearing from local leaders and presenting checks to local nonprofit organzations.
Maryville High School Marching Band members performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and local Boy Scout Troop 190 presented the American and Missouri flags during the event opening.
Store Manager Abby Olson briefly spoke about the Supercenter’s recently transformed departments as well as the new interactive features now available to customers including:
• Additional grocery aisles
Expanded online grocery pickup area with added parking spaces and improved lighting
Fully remodeled bathrooms including modern fixtures with the addition of a new mother’s room
Increased number of products in several departments, including home, pets, sporting goods, hardware, health and beauty aids, cosmetics and more
New flooring and lighting throughout the store
• New pharmacy layout with the addition of a health room and privacy area to improve customer service and the comfort of patients
• New vision center with larger selection of frames
A refreshed exterior
• State-of-the-art electronics department with new interactive displays
“This was a multimillion-
dollar investment to make our customer shopping experience the absolute best,” Olson said. “Not only have we invested in the building, products and services, but we’ve also invested in our people and technology to better serve you.”
Walmart Market Manager Brad McBryde told the group that he has been in the area about a year now, and upon his arrival into the local store, he “could tell there was something special about this store.”
He said it wasn’t the tiled floors or the old-school look, but the associates who are some of the best he’s ever gotten a chance to work with.
“I really appreciate everybody’s hard work and dedication to what you guys do day-in and day-out,” McBryde said. “Abby, I do appreciate your leadership, as well as your management team’s leadership, during this remodel. For those of you who don’t know, remodels are very tough. … Keeping the store open for the customers during a remodel offers a lot of challenges.”
He said he appreciated the associates’ work throughout the remodel and that their numbers during the project were “unheard of.”
Showing support for the community this store serves, Olson also presented checks to five local nonprofit organizations. Walmart presented $2,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County, $2,000 to the Northwest Foundation, $1,000 to the North Star Advocacy Center, $500 to the Nodaway County Historical Society and $500 to the South Nodaway Parents
as Teachers organization.
Following the presentations, associates, community members and Chamber Ambassadors made their way to the stage for a Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.
On behalf of the membership, board of directors and ambassadors, Executive Director Becky Albrecht congratulated Walmart on “all the beautiful renovations that it’s done.”
“This is an exciting time in Maryville,” she said. “There’s a lot of great things going on, particularly on the south side with the renovations going on on South Main. You guys have a great new entrance to your facility and then it opens up into a beautiful building. The décor is great. We do appreciate your investment to our community as well.”
Cutting the ribbon were the three longest-serving associates at the store: Cheryl Wiederholt, Debbie Spire and Denise Drummond. The three have been working at the store since it opened in 1985 and discussed some of the major differences they saw in the new renovation. They said the lighting was significantly better and that the new upgrades like the touch points that draw customers in to discover what their local store has to offer, make for an exciting new experience.
Following the ribbon cutting, associate Brad Bastow led the large group of associates in the Walmart Cheer as the event ended.
Throughout the day, customers were treated to refreshments and vendor giveaways from Coca-Cola, Pepperidge Farms, Pepsi, Donate Life and more.
at the
the support of Walmart Store
Walmart
Maryville R-II School District
Maryville R-II, serving over 1400 students and employing more than 200 people, is a comprehensive school system accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. A member of the Midland Empire Conference, it is a designated A+ school and consistently earns high marks on its Annual Performance Report.
Maryville R-II engages the community to provide the best educational opportunities possible. Stakeholders participated in the development of a five year comprehensive school improvement plan, which has been in effect now for four years. This plan prioritizes district needs and serves as a blueprint for management and decision-making, particularly in the following areas:
MARYVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER serves preschool and kindergarten students, as well as houses the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program which serves families with children birth to age five. Services such as early childhood special education, speech pathology, and occupational therapy are available to qualifying students.
EUGENE FIELD ELEMENTARY provides instruction for students first through fourth grades. Grades 1 and 2 are taught in self-contained settings, while grades 3 and 4 are departmentalized. Students have exploratory classes such as physical education, computers, library, art, and music. For a nominal fee, before and after school childcare is also available through the Growing Opportunities program (GO). 660-562-3233
MARYVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL houses grades five through eight. It is a “Leader in Me” school and promotes a culture of leadership, character, and inclusion through application of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Each student is part of an advisory group that acts as a family unit to provide an avenue for mentoring and monitoring academic and social progress. Students at the middle school
take the traditional core academic classes, as well as exploratories. They also have the opportunity to begin competitive sports and performance arts. 660-562-3244
MARYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL provides instruction for grades 9-12 through traditional courses of study, but also with dual credit and Advanced Placement courses. Students have the opportunity to participate in many organizations and programs such as National Honor Society, band, choir, journalism, drama, debate, forensics and academic bowl. There are many athletic options, as well: football, cross country, volleyball, golf, tennis, basketball, wrestling, track, baseball, soccer, softball, dance and cheer. Many unique programs are also available to recognize student achievements. 660-562-3511
NORTHWEST TECHNICAL SCHOOL helps students make wise career decisions by allowing them to explore new and emerging occupations. Hands-on training provides a background of practical knowledge and skills. Specialized classes and training are available in the following areas: health services, family & consumer sciences, technology,
business, building trades, childcare, agriculture, mechanics, welding, and auto collision repair. NTS serves area sending schools, as well as Maryville R-II. It also serves the community with classes available outside the traditional school day in areas such as personal enrichment, health, crafts, great outdoors, business, computers etc. Flyers with current offerings are published periodically and always available upon request. 660-562-3022
Through a partnership among school, home, and community, Maryville R-II strives to develop continuous learners of good character who positively contribute to society. Please join our efforts to provide a safe, caring learning environment where students can reach their full potential. Your thoughts and input are always welcome: 660-562-3255 or lightfoot@maryville2.com. Additional information about our district is available on the school website at www.maryville.k12.mo.us
Dr. Logan Lightfoot Superintendent of Schools
SKYE POURNAZARI/FORUM FILE PHOTO
With
801 associates, three women who have worked
Maryville
since it opened in 1985 cut a Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce ribbon during an August grand reopening event at the store. With the ribbon in the front row are Denise Drummond, Debbie Spire and Cheryl Wiederholt.
-
Mosaic
Continued from E3
Mosaic is partnering with schools in Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth counties on the program.
And in October, Mosaic received a $100,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, to help support the work of the Rural Northwest Missouri Behavioral Health Consortium. The consortium is a group led by MMC-M and includes partner organizations Mosaic Medical Center – Albany, the Family Guidance Center, Northwest Missouri State University, New Beginnings Counseling Center and the Northwest Missouri Cooperative
Mental Health Board.
Funds through the HRSA’s Rural Network Planning program will be used to address the growing pediatric mental health crisis in rural northwest Missouri with the goal of creating an infrastructure for optimizing resource usage and creating a regional behavioral health network.
Specifically, the release noted that the consortium will use the funds to perform a comprehensive pediatric mental health needs assessment and asset mapping. This assessment will examine which populations are having difficulty accessing resources in which communities. It will also provide information on where the network can best implement community education and provider training with relative simplicity to close these gaps.
And thanks to funds raised
during the past three St. Francis Foundation galas, the inpatient mental health floor at MMC-M is receiving a much-needed update. The renovation is occurring in a previously underutilized room in the unit. Part of the updates includes removing a wall between the room and the original certified therapeutic recreation specialist office, removing and rerouting existing plumbing, psych safe ceiling and windows, wall and floor renovation, and installation of speakers and cameras. This room will allow mental health caregivers and patients the space and technology needed to facilitate exercise, activities and group programming outside of the central location and current patient day rooms. Construction is ongoing and expected to be completed in February.
SKYE
and Lyndi
Friday, Sept. 1,
Clements, right.
North Nodaway dedicates Baldwin Center for Early Learning
PICKERING, Mo.
— In early September, North Nodaway staff and Pickering and Hopkins community members gathered to dedicate the school’s new Beccy Baldwin Center for Early Learning.
Alongside Baldwin’s family, the community toured the new addition and heard about the dedication and hard work that Baldwin put into her time at the district.
A devoted educator who dedicated her life to enriching others, Baldwin, who died in June, taught at West Nodaway and North Nodaway. She also established a Kids
Day Out Preschool in her home to help serve the community’s needs and served for several years as director of the Northwest Regional Professional Development Center, whose mission is to build the capacity of educators and schools to maximize student performance through high quality professional development.
According to Heather Townsend, the North Nodaway Elementary principal who spoke at Friday’s dedication ceremony, Baldwin led the school to receive the first Federal Outstanding Professional Development Award for Rural Schools in 2002.
“As a school and community, we are proud to be able to say that Beccy was an integral part of our Mustang family and a leader in education,” Townsend said. “Beccy’s mark on education and the lives around us will be forever.”
The school’s new addition includes the Center for Early Learning, which adds a large space for preschool education.
In September, the class of around 10 students took part in the ceremony sitting quietly to the side and listening to people talk about their room’s namesake. Eventually a
plaque featuring Baldwin’s likeness will be installed beside the door. Her four daughters, Ali Carson, Bess Rolofson, Jodi Grosse and Lyndi Blamey, unveiled the plaque and read it aloud to the crowd of around 75 people.
The district also completed a new addition at the high school in Hopkins during 2023. That addition includes a new elevator and front entrance to the building.
Superintendent Chris Turpin and staff have been working to schedule a celebratory ceremony early this year, around a bout of winter weather.
Sisters Ali Carson, Bess Rolofson, Jodi Grosse
Blamey cut a ceremonial ribbon on
dedicating the Beccy Baldwin Center for Early Learning in honor of their mother, Beccy Baldwin. The ribbon was held by North Nodaway Board President Vicki Riley, left, along with board members Krista Barcus and Jennifer
