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Friday, August 16, 2019
TRENTON
REPUBLICAN-TIMES
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The North Central Missouri Development Alliance, along with the City of Trenton, has announced they have been working with a prospective manufacturing business to locate in the community. The facility would be a safe and secure cultivation and production facility that would produce pharmaceutical-grade cannabis. According to Micah Landes, executive director of the NCMDA, the business is projected to start by creating 30 full-time, good-paying jobs with benefits. The residents of Missouri passed the legalization of medical cannabis in November 2018 and it is part of the future of agriculture in the state. Mrs. Landes said this company can provide a positive economic impact to the community and the surrounding area, which will lead to other businesses wanting to locate here.
CITY COUNCIL Ordinances OK’d
Split Votes Cast
Street Closure On Saturday A section of Mable Street will be closed on Saturday, Aug. 17 to maintain safety while North Central Missouri College students move into the Selby and Ellsworth residence halls. Mable Street will be closed between 13th Street to Crowder Road from 8 a.m. until midnight.
“This is a first class production/manufacturing facility that has partners with a record of success in the industry and giving back to the community,” Mrs. Landes said. Mayor Linda Crooks said the business will provide job opportunities for Trenton and surrounding residents and it will be a significant customer for Trenton Municipal Utilities. The business will also be giving back to the community. “Senior management of this business has already created several partnerships in our community and will support their causes in multiple ways.” Mayor Crooks said. Mrs. Landes said more information about the business will be released pending a successful application and license from the State of Missouri
Trenton R-9, Grundy R-5, Tri-County R-7
Area Student Count Mixed
TRENTON R-9 BOARD
Twelve Pages & I Insert
Briefs...
NCMDA, City Working With Prospect
Cannabis Manufacturer Considering Trenton For Production Site
Student count was down in two area school districts and up in a third when classes for the 2019-20 school year started this week. Trenton R-9 The Trenton R-9 School District has 29 less students enrolled on the first day of classes as compared to the start of school in 2018. According to R-9 Board Secretary Susan Leeper, a total of 1,069 students were counted on the first day of classes on Wednesday, compared to the 1,098 student count from a year ago. There are 389 enrolled in grades kindergarten through four (down six from last year) while the total in grades five through eight is 343 (the same as last year). There are 337 students in grades nine through 12 (down 23). The largest class is the seventh grade, which has 95 students. The smallest classes are the third grade and the 12th grade, both with 69. Enrollment by classes is kinder-
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R-9 Board Meeting The Trenton R-9 Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21 in the district office. Items on the announced agenda include adjustment of the tax rate levy set at the Aug. 13 meeting and approval to sell bonds for the R-9 construction project.
Light Commission Agenda The Grundy County Commission will meet in regular session on Tuesday at the courthouse. The only item listed on the announced agenda is regular weekly meeting with Ambulance Director Steve Tracy at 10 a.m.
Art’s Alive To Meet Art’s Alive, the recently-formed community arts organization, will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20 in the Sugg Room of the Ketcham Community Center. During the meeting, information will be presented about on-going efforts to revitalize an arts program in the area and persons interested in becoming a charter member of the organization will be able to pay their $20 fee at that time. Charter members will have voting privileges within the organization, including eligibility to nominate and vote for board members as well as serve on the board itself. Money collected will be used by the organization as seed money to pay for expenses already incurred to become a not-for-profit organization and be registered with the state of Missouri. All persons interested in becoming members or learning more about the group are invited to attend the meeting. Those unable to attend but who would like to become members may contact Phil Schlarb or Katie Kinney, who is serving as temporary treasurer of the organization.
Emergency Practice Planned
R-T Photo/Diane Lowrey
Rissler Principal Tiffany Otto greets kindergartener Madilyn Bayle and her mother, Ashley Bayle, during the first day of classes in the Trenton R-9 School District on Wednesday.
garten, 85; first grade, 78; second grade, 86; third grade, 69; fourth grade, 71; fifth grade, 81; sixth grade, 78; seventh grade, 95; eighth grade, 89; ninth grade, 89; 10th grade, 88; 11th grade, 91; and 12th
grade, 69. Grundy R-5 Enrollment is down only slightly at Grundy R-5, where 119 students were enrolled on See Enrollment, Page 7
Organizations from Grundy County will participate in an emegency exercise taking place on Saturday, Sept 14. Emergency Services Management Director Glen Briggs said the exercise is being conducted to test and improve the community’s overall preparedness for an emergency event, with the fictional exercise simulating an earthquake. Exercise participants will simulate building collapses, utility failures, fires and will treat volunteers who are pretending to be victims. Briggs said that while the exercise is not real, the response activities will be practiced in a manner that is as realistic as possible. Grundy County, the City of Trenton, Grundy County EMS, Trenton Police Department, Grundy County Sheriff’s Department and fire departments from Grundy County, Trenton, Laredo, Galt and Spickard will be participating. The areas where the exercise will take place, near the Rock Barn, will be clearly marked. For safety reasons and in order to complete the exercise in a realistic environment, the exercise area will not be open to the public, Briggs said.
2019 Levy Readjustment Needed
Special Meetings Planned For Project The Trenton R-9 Board of Education has set dates for two special meetings later this month to take action on items regarding the construction project approved by voters in April. During the regular board meeting on Tuesday night, members agreed to meet at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21 to approve the sale of bonds that would pay for the project as well as meet at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28 to open bids for the construction work. Both meetings will be held at the district office. Superintendent Mike Stegman said the deadline for bids to be submitted to the district was extended by two days to Thursday, Aug. 22 after it was learned that prospective bidders needed more time to nail down costs regarding materials being used for the walls of the project at the high school. The original
bid deadline had been Aug. 20. Extending the time, Stegman said, should increase the number of contractors submitting bids. He said that once the board accepts the bid, dirt work on the project should begin in four to six weeks. Stegman also noted that the district has been designated with an AA/AA+ bond rating, which he said will make the R-9 project attractive to those interested in purchasing the bonds. Voters in April approved the sale of up to $7 million in bonds to construct a new performing arts center and hallways to connect all buildings at the middle school/high school complex as well as renovation work at Rissler Elementary School and a new concession stand/restroom at C.F. Russell Stadium. In a related matter, the board approved the 2019 levy that will keep the
National Weather Service There is a chance of rain throughout the weekend, with high temperatures in the low to mid 80s and lows in the mid to upper 60s. The high on Monday, Aug. 12 at Trenton was 93 with 1.25 inches of rain recorded Tuesday’s high was 88 and Wednesday’s high was 80 The low temperature on Wednesday was 67. The high on Wednesday at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 84, the low was 59.
debt service at 90 cents, which will be used to pay off the bonds for the project. The total levy approved was $4.127, however, according to R-9 Secretary Susan Leeper, that amount will need to be adjusted due to an error found on Wednesday with the numbers used to calculate the final levy. The levy adjustment will take place at the Aug. 21 meeting and is anticipated not to be more than the levy approved on Tuesday night. The board voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with Preferred Family Healthcare to provide additional therapy services to students in the district. The district already contracts with the North Missouri Mental Health Center and Preferred for some counseling services, however, the MOU would make additional services available to those students who do not
meet the eligibility requirements under the contracted arrangement. The board set the 2020 graduation date for 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 10 at the Ketcham Community Center and approved early graduation requests from Mary McNabb and Madi Cutsinger. Both girls would be allowed to participate in prom and graduation. An amendment to the 2018 fiscal year audit was approved. Stegman said the original audit showed the district having bonds due that had already been refunded. Also approved was a memorandum of understanding with the Grundy County Health Department for use of R-9 facilities during a disaster, the special education compliance plan, the conflict of interest ordinance, the AnSee R-9, Page 3
What’s Inside... The 2019 high school fall sports season is officially under way with practices starting this past Monday. See page 2 of today’s Republican-Times for practice photos of the girls golf, tennis, softball and volleyball teams as well as football.
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There was little agreement by the Trenton City Council on many of the items on which action was taken during a meeting on Monday night, with four of five ordinances as well as one of three staff recommendations being approved on split votes. On a vote of 5-3, the council approved a contract with Toth and Associates to do an electric rate study for the city. Councilman Brad Chumbley, who was a no vote along with Lou Fisher and Danny Brewer, said the electric department was currently in a good financial situation and that “now was not the time” for a study to be done. He said he felt the money the city would be spending for the study could be better spent by improving infrastructure, but added that a study might be needed in the future. Larry Crawford, who voted in favor of the measure, said the study would help the city plan for any future changes in electric service and keep the city “out in front” of any potential problems. It has been estimated the study would cost between $15,000 and $18,000. Also voting in favor of the ordinance were Glen Briggs, Cathie Smith, David Mlika and John Dolan. On a vote of 7-1, the council accepted the low bid from Peregrine Service Inc. of Kansas City for billing and mailing services for the city of Trenton. The action was taken in anticipation of the retirement early next year of an employee who currently handles utility bill mailing. According to TMU Comptroller Rosetta Marsh, using the billing service would save the utility money, get bills to customers quicker and would not require employment of another fulltime staff person to replace the individual now doing that work. TMU plans to have the new system in place with the November billing cycle. Briggs cast the lone no vote, indicating earlier in the discussion his concern about no longer using the services of the Grundy County Opportunity Center to stuff the utility bill envelopes. On a vote of 6-2, the council approved an agreement with David Tolen to rent the north end of the former PSF hangar at the airport at a cost of $285 a month. Briggs and Brewer cast the lone no votes. Approved on an 8-0 vote was a contract with Olsson and Associates to supply construction administration, inspection and material testing services for the 17th Street Bridge replacement project. The company also did the design work on the bridge. On a 5-3 vote, the council voted to proceed with hiring See City, Page 7
What’s Inside Sports.............................page 2 Local News ...........pages 3 & 7 Opinion/Editorial .........page 4 Community ...................page 5 Agriculture....................page 6 Comics ...........................page 7 Crosswords....................page 8 Dear Annie ....................page 8 NASCAR .....................page 11