50 years ago

April 10, 1974

— REVISED PRODUCTION SCHEDULE FOR FASCO IS THIS DECEMBER FASCO

Industries, Inc., of Rochester, N. Y. are more anxious to arrive in Cassville than originally thought. Peter Weis, vice-president Missouri Motor Division announced this week from the Ozark, Mo. plant that company plans for first production in the plant here have been moved from March 1975 to this December. Weis advised Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Development Corporation officials that every effort of the company would be used to expedite arrangements to meet the steppedup dates. FASCO proposes to build a 150,000 square foot plant on land that is being acquired from Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Miller and four acres that is being given by Mr. and Mrs. Royle Ellis. The company will employ up to 500 persons in three years. First year employment has been set at near 400 by Weis. First step in the program after company announcements last week of Cassville’s selection as the plant site, is raising $50,000 locally for purchase of land in the southeast part of town between Cassville Livestock Auction and Meadow View subdivision. Co-chairman of the drive, Truman Baker and Doyle Thomas said this week the drive was progressing well. The two chairmen, presidents respectively of First I National and Barry County Banks, are being assisted by , Carter Koon and Dale Rowland. Any of the four are accepting investments in the community’s future. Most of those received to date have been in 5500 and $1,000 payments. Persons not contacted, but desiring to assist in the community improvement pro-gram, should contact the committee as quickly as possible to insure time tables set for the project. In addition to the fund effort, arrangements are being completed by the city, C of C and IDC for their respective parts of an industrial revenue bond issue that should be presented at the April 18 meeting of the Missouri Division of Commerce and Industrial Development. Water and sewer expansion programs here, part of which relate to the new industry, are presently under survey by the engineering firm of Alligier-Martin and Associates of Joplin. Lease agreements between the city and FASCO are also being drawn in which the company will assume fiscal obligations on a $3.5 million bond issue repayable in monthly or quarterly payments over a 20 year period. The bond issue cannot be called until approval is received by the Missouri agency and bonding company representatives. Two Missouri representatives, Don Estell of the C&IDC, and Joseph Butler from the office of Governor Christopher Bond, representing OZARKA, met with Bill Wiley, IDC chairman; Bob Mitchell, C of C president; Joe Ellis, IDC attorney and Mayor Bill LeCompte ‹ last week working on possible grants in aid that would be available for utility and road improvements relative to the industry. Wiley said this week company stepup of plans pleased this community very much. “We will simply have to get ourselves into gear to meet the shortened time schedule,” he said. FASCO chose Cassville as the site of their new small electric engine and blower plant over locations in West Plains, Ozark, Arkansas and Ripley, Mississippi. The 50 year old company has plants in Ozark, Mo., Shelby and Fayetteville, North Carolina and is in the process of building a plant at Eldon, Mo. Negotiations between the company and Cassville started about five months ago. Construction on the large building, estimated to take seven months, will have to begin in June if present schedules are to be met. Plant superintendent for the new facility here will be Morris Castleberry, an engineer who has been with the firm since they located in Ozark nine years ago. Weis told local authorities with the original announcement that materials and equipment for the addition of FASCO as Cassville’s largest industry, had been on order for sometime and would be available to meet revised schedules by the company. Officials of both the IDC, city and C of C are making themselves available in weeks to come to appear before local civic groups to present additional information and answer questions relative to coming issues involving FASCO’s location here.

— COUNTY LEADS AREA’S INDUSTRY SURVEY SHOWS

Barry County industrial growth over a five year period, 1967-1972 is traced in a recent statistical release from the U. S. Department of Commerce. Value to areas involved in the state survey is labeled value added by manufacturer and is explained as relative economic importance of manufacturing among industries and geographic areas.” Barry County statistics have the following information under the 1972 columns: Total number of establishments were 43. With 20 or more employees there were 16. The number of employees were listed as 1.9 thousands. Payroll figures amounted to $10.4 million. Total number of production workers were listed at 1.5 thousands who put in 2.9 million man hours. Their wages amounted to $8 million. Value added by manufacturing was set at $15.9 million. Cost of materials purchased by the industries was $25.7 million with the value of shipments placed at 43.1 million dollars. Capital expenditures for new industries during this period was placed at .7 million dollars. Figures included in the report for the 1967 period had 1.7 thousands of employees and the value added by manufacturing to the area at 10.7 million dollars. Up-dated figures of more recent industrial expansion would put the county in even more favorable light compared to adjoining areas. In the report, McDonald County listed 22 industries, employing 1,000 people, with payrolls amounting to 7.7 million dollars. Lawrence county had 40 industries, employing 2,000 people with annual payrolls at 12.3 million dollars. Stone county figures listed nine industries, with 500 on payrolls amounting to $1.9 million.

40 years ago

April 11, 1984

— CASSVILLE TO COMPUTER FOR OFFICE FUNCTIONS

The age of the computer is coming to Cassville city government. Council action Tuesday night authorized an initial $30,000 expenditure with a Joplin firm, principal function scheduled as replacement of present billing equipment. Mayor Bill LeCompte said the purchase came on advice of a consultant who had reviewed bids accepted by the city. Minute-Man Systems is to provide Burroughs equipment as a result of bids taken several weeks ago. LeCompte said details of the purchase would be completed with the firm this week. Installation will be scheduled in steps for conversation of the present, outdated equipment in the office of Opal Santee, collector of revenue. Equipment purchased, has been in planning two years. A budgeted item last year for – the equipment was $24,000 out of Federal Revenue Sharing. The equipment will have a unit in the office of Charli Jo Ledgerwood, city clerk, permitting other city record keeping to be transferred to computer in the future. Tuesday’s meeting was oath of office time for reelected alderman Bill Ward and newcomer to the council, Bob Mizer. Both received oaths from clerk Ledgerwood at the start of the meeting. Mizer’s becoming official was necessary for a slate to conduct business. Alderman Allen Stubblefield was in the meeting but John Miller was absent. George Ulmer, consulting engineer, presented a $90,523 plus contingencies streets program for this summer. He told the council bids will be taken in their May 8 meeting. The projects, located through town will include hot-mix overlay on about 27 blocks, plus two miles of chip and seal work. Street work, begun four years ago, comes from city sales tax revenue. Councilman Mizer got into the swing of city business in the meeting, abstaining from voting on payment of $12,354.57 in general bills. He questioned why salaries were not included in the bills payable. Mizer said his abstention was because he did not fully understand budget practices of the city. Council adopted a $3,600 expenditure from the current budget to add a number of playground items to a young school age area. Included was a slide, climbing unit, swing, small whirl and benches. Clerk Ledgerwood is to oversee the project. Ulmer outlined a project to reroute water from the office structure basement at the waste water treatment plant. Adopted was a $4,771 estimate on city crews doing the work. Hiring the project completed was estimated at $12,360, with previous estimates between $21,000 and $30,000. Costs will be plus engineering fees. The firm built the plant and building, later damaged in the basement floor by water pressure from under-neath, is presently in legal action against the city for about $19,000 alleged due them in the project. Randy Casteel, recreation major at SMSU and a CHS graduate, was employed as parks and recreation director for the summer. He will be in charge of various activities, including opening the municipal swimming pool Memorial Day.

— SCENE AT EASTER FOR COMMUNITY

Three crosses, each 16 feet tall, will be lighted by the Cassville Community Betterment committee for the Easter season. Mrs. Cecilia Miller, chairman, said facilities at the Nativity Scene initiated this year, will be used to cover this religious holiday. Initial lighting will be Palm Sunday, on April 15 at 8:30 p.m. The crosses will be lighted each evening through Saturday, April 28 from dusk until 11 p.m. A special illumination of the crosses will be Easter morning prior to dawn. Spotlights used in the Christmas scene will be used to highlight the white crosses at Oak Hill Cemetery overlooking the city park complex, according to Mrs. Miller. There will be no formal program for the lighting of the crosses. Mrs. Miller said this observance is meant to be simple and solemn. Easter time placing of the crosses at the location was included in the initial plans of the C-B committee at the time of promoting the Cassville Nativity Scene, a project of the Cassville Chamber of Commerce. Mrs. Miller said the Easter project, as was the case of extensive work with the Christmas project, was accomplished through volunteer efforts of a number of people involved in the construction and painting of the wooden crosses. Sunrise services will be held this year under sponsorship of the Cassville Area Ministerial Association at the First Baptist Church on Easter Sunday.

30 years ago

March 30, 1994

— SEPARATE TWO PLANTING, BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS

A pair of beautification and planting projects being developed by Cassville interests were reviewed by representatives of the Missouri Conservation Commission, city administration and parks commission Tuesday. The group toured a pending 3.5 mile Greenway proposal that has been lingering three years in city plans and discussed Cassville’s participation in Branch Out Missouri plantings proposed by PACE Inc. Lonnie McCullough, chairing the Progress and Action Through Community Effort Corp. toward possible state participation in funding and councilman Rick Linebarger talking about Greenway development, headed the group in making a tour of the city parks and Flat Creek area. Also in the group, Tom Frevert, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City; Gary Smith, MDC of Neosho and Clint Dalbom, MDC of Monett. Linebarger, city clerk Jo Ledgerwood and parks commission representative Les Chapman were in the group. Unable to tour were Judy Schlichtman and Dan Philbrick, commission members. Participation in the MDC funding program could mean 75 percent of expenditures, up to $4,000 as the state’s share, might be coming Cassville’s way. McCullough said the PACE group would make application by September 1 in competition with other communities in the state. Part of the reason for the conservation people coming here is to separate the two projects and make sure they are not overlapping. Previous visits here by MDC fisheries people has the possibility of a fishing access being developed on the creek near East 13th Street. Investigated was an area of the creek that has been known as Cable Hole, Quarry Hole or possibly other names over the year. Flat Creek in the Cassville area had at least three Cable Holes in years past. Ledgerwood said the access would be off the Greenway with stream development structures possibly being anchored in the stream to enhance fishing activities for young people. Acquiring and building a Greenway as it runs nearly four miles through Cassville was first proposed by John Ferris, MD, during his practice here. The ambitious project would require both private and municipal owned land to push a 10-foot wide strip along the way. The facility could be located on alternating sides of the creek, depending on availability of land. Dr. Ferris, no longer in the community, had been assisted in the project by Dr. John Baumgardt, one-time professor at the University of Missouri and Dr. Emmett McCord, retired Missouri Extension specialist. There have never been cost estimates attached would make designs of the projects and get back to the two local organizations for eventual approval of plans. A couple of side trails were proposed, again using the waterway of Horner Branch and a dry creek that runs behind Wells Aluminum. Basically the Greenway begins in the area of the R-4 schools cam-pus, going through most of Cassville to the south or upstream direction of the creek. Aerial maps of the Cassville area were spread on city council chambers Tuesday morning during one phase of the program. Both McCullough and Ledgerwood said they understood the MDC people to the project since first proposed in the spring of 1991.