50 years ago

March 19, 1975

— ROAD-BRIDGE, AIRPORT PROJECTS PROGRESSING

Two projects of interest to Cassville are progressing through approval by respective federal agencies for funding according to local sources. Mayor Bill LeCompte acknowledged this week that both the projects are in the final paperwork preparation stage. The mayor emphasized city receipt of go-ahead for work on either could be weeks away due to the lengthy involvement of each. Funding for a road project from Highway 112 southwesterly to Highway 37 which would serve the Cassville Livestock Auction and FASCO Industries area, is being sought through Economic Depressed Area agency, Expected to run in excess of $150,000 the road improvement would include replacement of two bridges on the road and major updating of the present surface. The Joplin engineering firm of Alligier-Martin and Associates have been requested to rush completion of final details of an EDA application preliminaries. State Highway involvement is also being sought to improve intersections at both ends of the route, known as the Old Wire Road. Representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration are due here this week to consult with George Ulmer, concerning final design preparation and total requirements for the city obtaining grants to construct a $250,000 airport and land that has been acquired for this purpose. Mayor LeCompte said all preliminary phases of the project had been completed by the city council. Also involved in the program are the Cassville Chamber of Commerce, and an off-spring organization, CASCO Developers, which raised local funds for property purchase. Tie-in of the road project with flooding problems along Flat Creek have been considered a major purpose of the project. The road improvement is desired to take care of heavy traffic in the plant and sales barn area, plus future development in that part of Cassville.

— PAY PHONE CALLS STAY AT A DIME

All that talk you hear about 20c pay phone calls… it doesn’t apply here according to Gary Peters of Continental Telephone. “The cost of pay phone local calls in this area will remain at 10c,” Peters said this week. Areas served by Bell Systems will be advanced to the double price.

— ENGINEERS ADD CHANGE STUDY MEET AT KNOB

The Army Corps of Engineers has made provisions for an additional meeting in their schedule to study the need for changing the operation of six Corps lakes in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. Richard Groves, reservoir engineer of Table Rock, said a session will be held, Tuesday, April 22 at the Shell Knob-Viola Community Building. Col. Don Weinert, district engineer, scheduled the session at the request of local interests. Cassville had also volunteered to host the meeting. Groves said it would be important for all community organizations and individuals having suggestions on reservoir operations to attend the session. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. Six other meetings surrounding the two reservoirs were previously scheduled. The Barry County meeting will be designed to permit all local areas of the reservoir to send representatives and avoid excessive travel. Congress requested the engineers make the study to determine the advisability of changing the operation of the lakes to provide improved flood protection, recreation, fish and wildlife, regional and agricultural water supply, power generation, improved navigation conditions and other related land resources. Verbal statements will be accepted at the meeting but should also be accompanied by written outlines of the proposal. Groves said this would facilitate better handling of the requests. Engineer study of greater emphasis of recreation and wildlife aspects of the reservoirs follows thinking which is several years old fostered in this area. Cassville and Shell Knob interests attending Congressional hearings in Washington, D. C. a number of years ago stressed this phase of reservoir operation was being overlook- ed. No prior arrangements will be necessary for appearances before the meeting. Group and individual statements will be accepted and scheduled at the start of the session.

40 years ago

March 20, 1985

— IT’LL GET CHEAPER LIVING IN CASSVILLE

Cassville’s growth factor will result in a sizeable reduction in taxes next year. That’s the information Mayor Bill LeCompte passed along in a review of city operations before the Rotary Club last week. Mayor LeCompte said Cassville’s present indebtedness of $60,000 could be retired with funds on hand after this year. The indebtedness on past bond issues has been retired with a $1 per $100 valuation tax levy for debt service. “Due to growth and investment of funds that cannot be used elsewhere, Cassville will have money available after this year to eliminate the tax levy,” LeCompte told the Rotarians. Dropping of the $1 debt service levy, would leave a remaining levy of 90 cents, for general revenue. The mayor pointed out this levy will probably be rolled back under current reassessment requirements. “Cassville residents have been good in the past providing services that were needed,” the mayor said. “Because the town has grown, more debt service funds have been coming in than were needed to make bond payments. Since the city could not use the money elsewhere, the funds have been invested and can now provide for adequate funds for payoff without collecting a tax levy,” he concluded.

— COUNTY WILL BORROW FUNDS TO OPERATE

Barry County is finding cash flow not sufficient to keep bills paid current. As a result, the county will borrow $50,000 this month to meet payrolls and other obligations. Presiding Commissioner Lloyd Dilbeck said this week a couple of circumstances result in the county’s need to borrow money. Costs of tax reassessment, to run at least $900,000 over the past few years have been expensive. State reimbursement for the county’s share of various phases of the program has not been received on a current status. Dilbeck also said representatives of the private company doing the reassessment being back for hearings is also expensive to the county. A second situation results from a former county court, in 1982, distributing $100,000 in general revenue funds to road districts in the county just before the primary election in August of that year. Dilbeck said those funds had been used by the county in previous years to keep government on a cash basis as tax collections become available. Dilbeck and northern commissioner Vedes Davis said last week the borrowing would be an open-end note to meet the $39,000 payroll and other obligations of the county this month.

— GRAPE AND WINE PROGRAM AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

A new Grape and Wine Program has been added to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The program entails research and marketing promotions for the Grape and Wine Industry of Missouri. James G. Ashby, managing consultant to the program will serve as liaison between the Department of Agriculture and the Wine and Grape Advisory Board, the Missouri Grape Growers Association, the Missouri Vinters Association, the University of Missouri Horticulture Department, the State Fruit Experiment Station and other related organizations and individuals. Of possible interest to Barry County growing vineyard acres the program is designed to increase public awareness of the quality and diversity of the state’s wines and grapes, to increase the visibility of wineries to potential tourists, both in and out of state, and to better educate the public about the rich history of Missouri’s wines and grapes. The program will also better educate the public about the current “Wine revolution” that has taken place in Missouri with emphasis on research and scientific technology. It will create new public awareness of the state’s concord and catawba fresh grape marketing. There are currently 15 specific grape and wine research projects being conducted by Southwest Missouri State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, ranging from new wine grape cultivar research to champagne production techniques.

30 years ago

March 8, 1995

— FIRST CITY ADMINISTRATOR ON BOARD MARCH 20

Cassville’s first titled administrator has been named by the city council’s selection of Gregg Beavers, 30, of Ozark to the post. Beavers accepted the $33,000 salary position Tuesday. He was one of four candidates interviewed by the four-member council in executive session Friday night. Beavers, who is assistant administrator at Ozark, will assume his duties here March 20. He will replace clerk-mayor’s assistant Charli Jo Ledgerwood, whose resignation in her post after 12 years, is effective in mid-April. The city’s first named administrator was chosen as council members mayor protem Rick Linebarger, Randy Stockton, Sue Brattin and Darrell Ledenham conducted the search. Mayor Rolland Meador, not seeking re-election, did not attend the session. Beavers comes to Cassville after three years in the Ozark post, being involved in administrative duties in the city of 6,000-plus. Ozark’s budget is $4.5 million annually and 52 employees are on that city’s staff. The involvements in administration in Cassville are about one-half most of those in Ozark. The new administrator was one of four interviewed by council, His association with Ozark included duties as planner and building inspector. A graduate student at SMSU, his major is urban and regional planning. He won the job over seven other applicants interviewed last week. Cassville council redefined the position as city administrator in the hiring process and increased the salary to the present figure. Ledgerwood’s position held a pay level of $25,000. A native of the Willow Springs community, he graduated from high school there in 1983. He attended School of the Ozarks two years, receiving his SMSU degree in industrial management in 1989. Previous employment included three years as an engineer with FASCO Ozark. He is in the U. S. Army Reserves, serving with the 459th Transportation Company in Springfield. Beavers and his wife, Debra, have three youngsters, Ashley 7, Grant 3 and Lauren 20-months. The family plans moving to Cassville in May. His arrival here this month will provide indoctrination and budget preparationtimewithclerk Ledgerwood prior to her departure date. Council Friday asked Beavers and Mark Girth from Salem to remain for additional interviews. Following this process, they extended an offer to Beavers, who made his decision known here Tuesday morning. City officials have set no interviews for the 33 applicants for the deputy clerk’s position vacated in the resignation of Debby Skelton. Neither have interviews been established for a police chief. Council’s earlier decisions to put an administrator in city hall as part of the decision process is apparently being followed.

— NEW RECORD IN WEDNESDAY PARK OPENING

Roaring River State Park set a new Wednesday opening record March 1 when a total of 2,052 purchased tags for fishing before the day ended according to concessionaire Jack Nickols. Park numbers at the opening gun were 1,835, with over 200 anglers waiting probably until warmer weather prevailed for the start of Rainbow Trout season. That opening gun number had increased to 1,890 by just after 8 a.m. for the opening. The new Wednesday record exceeded the old standard of 2,019, according to Jerry Dean, hatchery director. Temperatures in the 22 degree marks and a stiff breeze out of the north put chill index figures into single digits for the opening start, a pistol shot by R. G. Fisher, longtime civic leader and motel opera-tor. Roaring River numbers contributed to over 7,500 trout anglers purchasing tags at the state’s four parks. Meramec Spring had 1,622, Montauk 1,833 and Bennett Spring 2,066. By contrast, Nickols noted 90 anglers bought tags Tuesday of this week as temperatures dipped into the teens.

— ONE DOG GOING AFTER CITY DECISION

One of Cassville’s two dogs obtained for the police department use in law enforcement back in December, is apparently on the way out. A city council decision will have Toman, a three year old male, shuffled off to another loca-tion, possibly the Oklahoma prison system. Toman is on his way out after an evaluation by a dog trainer-handler in Branson. Council received a report on the K-9 handler in a special meeting Friday and moved to send the dog elsewhere after reviewing the evaluation. The male dog and Gina, a seven year old female, were obtained late last year by former police chief Bob Ruggles from the U.S. Air Force in Texas. Gina will apparently remain with the force in drug detection and other duties. Council also granted a pair of limited burning requests from Dennis Baker for a site in Wildwood Estates and to Ron McGrath for a demolished former Neighborhood Center on his midtown property. One-time fires, off pavement and under appropriate conditions, were granted by council.