50 years ago

Feb. 20, 1974

— POSSIBLE JUNE START ON NEW COUNTY JAIL

Barry County officials hope to have a jail under construction by June according to Sheriff Vernon Still. If projected schedules can be met, the new $100,000 facility could be in operation for the county by October. Still said plans were in the hands architect. a Springfield The masonry and steel structure would contain just under 1,900 square feet of floor space. The new jail would replace the present structure built in 1908. Revenue sharing funds will provide funding for the project without a bond issue or tax increase to residents. Still county said he thought no additional grants were under consideration by the court. Included in the facility will be eight cells, double each with bunks, plus juvenile and female detention spaces. Also in the office, plans are an dispatcher spaces, deputy office, interrogation facilities, evidence room and kitchen. Final determination of location was achieved by the only last week court, forcing slight revisions in the plans. Tentative site, with only verbal agreements made is on East Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets off the Cassville public square. The land, owned by Bill Edmondson, is part of the old Griffin or Chandler property. The location is adjacent to the Griffin home, presently owned by Mrs. Georgia Ford. A court spokesman said the purchase price of the 150×200 foot lot is $8,500. The three-member court, Presiding Judge Roscoe Eden, Southern Judge Walter Cooper and Northern Judge Emil Schad, have been “saving” Federal Revenue Sharing funds received by the county since last year, to finance the project. Some federal guidelines must be followed by the county in using the FRS funds. Replacement of the 66- year-old facility of the county, which has deteriorated considerably in recent years, has been a prime project of the current court.

— AIRPORT GRANT AWARDED

The 10-county Lakes Country Regional Planning Commission Tuesday night put its stamp of approval on a proposed $250,000 federal grant of funds for Cassville airport construction. Mayor Bill LeCompte said the regional approval phase of the project is one of the initial steps required prior to receiving government assistance on a project.

40 years ago

Feb. 22, 1984

— ROARING RIVER READY FOR MARCH 1 OPENING

For the 56th time since coming under state ownership, Roaring River State Park preparations for a March 1 opening are coming to a close this week. The week from Thursday, beginning of Rainbow Trout season at the park is expected to attract record crowds. Official start of the season will be at 6:30 a.m., with a traditional gunshot and siren signal as Roaring River hollow springs to life with thousands of fishermen and spectators on hand. Preparations for the opening will be completed this week, according to Boyd Holcomb, park superintendent. His schedule was echoed by Charles Curry, hatchery superintendent; Jack and Beverly Nickols, accommodations concessionaires; Carolyn Marrs, restaurant concessionaire and Richard Carney, laundry and ice vending concessionaire. Accommodations at the park have been full since the third week of January, according to the Nickols. “If early reservations are any indicator of the type crowd we can expect, it will be big,” they reflected. Nickols and Cassville Chamber of Commerce officials said accommodations are still available in the Cassville and Table Rock Lake area for those attending the opening. Tags for opening morning fishing will go on sale at the park lodge at noon February 29, according to Nickols. The restaurant will be open for breakfast that morning and serve a buffet breakfast opening morning, says Mrs. Marrs. Curry, whose crews will begin stocking of over 7,000 rainbows in the 1 1/4 mile of stream this week, said the average Thursday fisherman, number during past openings had been just over 2,000. Last year 2,150 anglers were stream-side before the day ended. Record for the park is the 3,504 set on a Sunday in 1981. Curry said the 7,000 regular size stocking would be in the upper and lower areas of the stream. In addition, about 100 lunkers will be released. Chamber of Commerce hospitality for the traditional opening will include service of hot coffee along the banks of Roaring River during predawn hours of the opening. Mrs. Ella Frost said C of C members would begin their rounds about 5 a.m. to help anglers at the stream early fend off usual brisk weather at the early hour. Chamber participation will include awarding of trophies in men’s, women’s and youth divisions for the largest trout landed opening day. Weigh-in will be at the park lodge. Stream conditions at the park were improved during off-season dredging accomplished by the Missouri Conservation Commission. Both the upper and low areas were deepened extensively with the removal of gravel. Curry, observing his 21st opening at the park, said the 35 baffle area banks had been improved during the dredging operations. Private facilities in the park, Riverview, operated by Jack James and Sandy Kroff, will also be open for March 1. Making his 15th trip to Roaring River since becoming secretary of state of Missouri, will be James Kirkpatrick. During most of those occasions, Kirkpatrick has fired the opening gun at the park from the low-water bridge near the lodge. — AIRMAN PALMER TO COMMUNICATION DUTY Airman Virgil D. Palmer, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Palmer of Eagle Rock, has been assigned to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., after completing Air Force basic training. During the six weeks at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization and customs and received special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree in applied science through the community college of the Air Force. The airmen will now receive specialized instruction in the communications electronics systems field. He is a 1982 graduate of Cassville high school.

30 years ago

Feb. 9, 1994

— CITY TAKES FIRST STEP IN WATER TREATMENT PROJECT

After seven months of deliberation, the Cassville city council voted Monday night to move forward with a specific design plan for a capital project to improve the city’s waste water treatment facility. Aldermen Jan Shore, Dennis Fischer, Darrell Ledenham and Rick Linebarger unanimously voted to hire the Kansas City engineering firm of Bucher, Willis & Ratliff to design a treatment plant expansion. The addition would improve the city’s method of handling sludge, a bi-product produced during the water treatment process. New EPA regulations forced the city to investigate the way they handle the 10,000 gallons of wet sludge produced at the waste water treatment facility daily. Council members chose an aerobic digestion with land application method. This method would require the construction of two aerobic digestors and at least one more clarifier. Cassville’s existing plant includes two clarifiers. Additional clarifiers would further reduce the amount of sludge and give the plant more treatment capacity. Under the current system, sludge settles to the bottom of the clarifiers during the clarifying process and is then pumped into the city’s 17-acre lagoon. This method is now unacceptable under EPA guidelines. The aerobic digestion method would add one step to the treatment process. After sludge settles in the clarifiers, it would be pumped into the aerobic digestors, where oxygen would be added to reduce pathogen levels. The sludge would be stored in the digestors for a period of time and then land applied. The city has approval to apply the sludge to land at the municipal airport. Land application equipment would be included in the project cost. Project cost is being estimated in the $750,000 to $1 million range. “Specific cost figures are unavailable because there are still a number of unknowns at this time,” said City Clerk Charli Jo Ledgerwood. The city plans to finance the project through the state’s revolving loan fund, which provides low-interest financing. The project will have to be put to a vote and meet all requirements for passage of a regular bond issue. After discussion at Monday’s meeting, council members agreed that they would probably ask voters to support the project by voting to extend the 1/2 cent capital improvement sales tax that was voted in February 1991, for construction of the new water towers. The council discussed the possibility of refinancing the city’s remaining debt on the 1991 bond issue, combining it with the new project cost, and extending the sales tax past the 1999 scheduled pay-off date. The city went as far as hiring Piper-Jaffray of Kansas City to serve as financial consultant for the proposed project. Piper-Jaffrey was the company who worked with the city on the water tower project. Ledgerwood said that after April 1, the principal balance on the 1991 bond issue would be $765,000. The city’s only other indebtedness is a 1966 water and sewer revenue bond. The city has two payments remaining, totaling $45,000. The city also has $110,000 in reserve that could be used to pay on the 1991 bond principal before it is refinanced. City officials noted that receipts from the city’s one cent general revenue sales tax had increased at an average rate of 7.8 percent annually. The city’s 1993 sales tax receipts totaled $461,442.80. According to the contract, Bucher-Willis has 120 days to submit their design plan. Before construction would begin, the design would need to be approved by the DNR, a bond issue passed and the project bid. Ledgerwood said the council is hoping to put the issue before voters in June. A simple majority would be required to pass the issue. The city has until February, 1995, to meet the new EPA standards or face possible fines.

— CITY TO HELP SECOND ACT

Cassville city council’s February 7 meeting began with a request by Jim LeCompte, asking that the city consider shuffling property to give Second Act more storage space adjacent to their current facility. Second Act is located in the Old City Hall building. The plan would involve an offer made by Commerce Bank two years ago to the city. At that time, the financial institution offered to give the city a piece of property on East Eighth Street, the old Evans plumbing warehouse, to use for a new fire station. City plans changed, and subsequently the city’s public works department moved to new headquarters purchased by the city at Seventh and Mill Streets. This move gave the fire department full use of the entire Community Center and alleviated the need for a new fire station. Second Act, which provides food, clothing and household goods and furnishings to needy families, is in desperate need for additional storage space, according to LeCompte. Currently, they are using the bankowned warehouse for storage. LeCompte said the distance between Second Act and the storage facility was difficult to maneuver for older volunteers. LeCompte said he wanted the council to consider allowing Second Act to use the garage immediately south of Second Act for storage. That garage is currently being used by the city to store public works equipment and a portion of the city’s Christmas decorations. LeCompte contended that the items stored in the garage could be moved to the 1,440-square-foot warehouse on East Eighth Street. Kenny Schieler, city public works supervisor, submitted cost estimates for refurbishing the old warehouse for city use. He estimated that it would cost the city about $2,000 in materials plus labor cost. After much discussion, the council voted to pursue Commerce Bank’s offer to donate the building to the city. The council agreed to talk with Commerce Bank officials and come up with a proposition that would satisfy all parties involved.

—WHEATON JOURNAL SELLS

The Wheaton Journal, owned by William Howsman of Seneca, was sold to the Newton County News in Granby. David Moore, former managing editor of the Northwest Arkansas Morning News, has been named editor of the Journal. The two weeklies will remain separate but will share some features and will offer combination advertising rates. Howsman will stay on at the paper as a parttime consultant.