FLIP PAGES FOR WEBSITE.qxp_shopper 4-22-20.qxp 8/27/20 11:12 AM Page 1
Friday, August 28, 2020
REPUBLICAN-TIMES TRENTON
Trenton, MO 64683
BACK TO SCHOOL
75¢
per copy Check out the Republican-Times on the Internet: www.republican-times.com ©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Ten Pages & 1 Insert
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 156th Year - No. 102
NCMC IT Needs Discussed
2020-21 Year Under Way
Students Return After COVID Break It was good news regarding 2020-21 enrollment numbers for area school districts as several saw increases in their numbers from a year ago. Classes started this week in seven area school districts, with all but one reporting higher enrollments on the first day of school. Trenton R-9, Pleasant View R-6, Grundy R-5, Laredo R-7, Spickard R-2 and Newtown-Harris R-3 all saw increased numbers while Princeton R-5 saw its student count drop. Trenton R-9 While all students might not be attending classes physically within a building, enrollment numbers in the Trenton R-9 School District saw a jump on the first day of classes on Wednesday. According to information provided by the R-9 district office, a total of 1,093 students are taking classes at Trenton this year, an increase of 24 students over last year. Of that total, 61 are attending school via the virtual learning option the district is offering this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic while the remaining students are attending classes in person. A breakdown shows 392 enrolled at Rissler Elementary School (grades kindergarten through fourth), including 20 virtual students, while there are 329 students at the middle school (grades five through eight), including 16 virtual participants. High school enrollment numbers total 372, including 25 virtual learners. The largest class with students attending in person is the 12th grade (seniors) with 92. Fourth grade is the smallest with 61. Other in-person class enrollment numbers include kindergarten, 82; first grade, 77; second grade, 68; third grade, 83; fifth grade, 67; sixth grade, 76; seventh grade, 83; eighth grade, 82; ninth grade, 91; 10th grade, 89; and 11th grade, 75. The building virtual enrollment numbers provided to the school district are not broken down by grade level. Pleasant View R-6 The Pleasant View R-6 School had 114 students in grades kindergarten through eight report on the first day of classes on Wednesday, which is up seven students from a year ago. There were also 20 preschool students enrolled for the year. The largest classes are the second and fifth grades with 15 students each. The smallest class is the eighth grade with 5 students.
TRENTON CITY COUNCIL
R-T Photo/Diane Lowrey
It was a different start to the school year in the Trenton R-9 School District on Wednesday with students wearing masks and having their temperatures taken prior to entering the building. The protocol was part of the R-9 District’s 2020-21 “Back to School” plan, developed by administration to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Superintendent Mike Stegman, at left, assisted S.M. Rissler Elementary School students with using the temperature scanner. The district has purchased three of the large scanners, which are located in the entryway of the elementary, middle school and high school buildings, but also have hand-held scanners available for use as well.
Other class enrollment numbers include kindergarten, 14; first grade, 13; third grade, 13; fourth grade, 13; sixth grade, 14; and seventh grade, 12. Grundy R-5 Grundy R-5, which started classes on Tuesday, saw 128 students on the first day of school, which is up by nine students from a year ago. The ninth grade class is the largest at Grundy R-5 at 19, while the smallest class is the 10th grade (sophomores) with 5 students. Other grade totals include kindergarten, 10;
Water, Wastewater Needs Addressed
See Council, Page 5
National Weather Service
See School, Page 5
C ounty Tax Sa ale Re esu ults
a 20 percent increase, the customer averages would be $68 per month for water and $67.31 for sewer. In referring the matter back to the utility committee for further discussion, councilman Duane Urich said if the city does not move forward with the work and issues continue, the work would cost the city more in the future. The council moved forward with construction of new hangars at the airport, approving an ordinance changing the city’s agreement with Olsson, Inc. to reduce the scope of the final design phase of the project as well as approve bids for the actual work. The council also took action regarding other utility projects, including approval of an agreement with Allstate Consultants LLC to provide engineering services for improvements at the water treatment plant, including repair or replacement of solids contact clarifiers, modifications to fillet walls in the SCC basins, repair or reconstruction of the top portion of SCC and recarbonation basin walls, chemical feed modifications, electrical upgrades and miscellaneous improvements. There is a fixed fee of $20,000 for the preliminary engineering report/facility plan, with other service compensation outlined in the agreement’s rate schedule. Council members agreed to move ahead with constructing a larger water main to the wastewater treatment plant to accommodate the new headworks project. Howe Company had presented two option estimates with two water main sizes. The council chose the six-inch
There’s a chance of rain on Friday evening, then mostly sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday with highs in the low 80s. Storms may move in on Sunday night and Monday. The high at Trenton on Monday, Aug. 24 was 96 and Tuesday’s high was 94. Wednesday’s high was 96 and the low was 70. The high on Wednesday at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 92, the low was 71.
first grade, 9; second grade, 11; third grade, 10; fourth grade, 12; fifth grade, 8; sixth grade, 7; seventh grade, 7; eighth grade, 8; 11th grade, 7; and 12th grade, 15. Laredo R-7 Laredo R-7 reported a student number increase of five students when classes started on Tuesday, with 47 being enrolled. The first, fourth and eighth grade classes are the largest at Laredo with 7 students each.
Briefs...
Rate Increases Part Of Discussion
Infrastructure needs regarding water and wastewater services in Trenton were discussed on Monday night by the Trenton City Council, which referred consideration of possible rate increases to the utility committee for additional study. The council was told the city is looking at future improvements needed at the water plant, including clarifier updates and water main replacements, as well as replacement of sewer lines and manholes by the wastewater department. City Administrator Ron Urton noted that at least $500,000 worth of work is needed by both departments, adding that as much as $1 million could be spent on sewer lines “if money was available.” Urton presented information comparing water and sewer rates among several communities the size of Trenton or smaller within the state, with some rates being higher while some were lower. He also shared information regarding a long-term $5 million loan that could be used for the water plant improvements as well as a $5 million wastewater funding project that would not be eligible for loan funds because the city is “tapped out” due to the long-term obligations the city already has in that department. It was noted that the city has at least 75 manholes to be replaced immediately if funding were available and that several lines are in need of replacement due to age. The average monthly water rate at Trenton is $56.68 while the average monthly sewer rate is $56.09. Urton said it is estimated an increase of at least 17 percent in all categories for residential, commercial and industrial customers would be required to pay for the needed work. Using
Numbers Down For Fall Semester
A total of 17 properties were sold during the Grundy County Collector’s annual delinquent tax sale on Monday morning at the Grundy County Courthouse. The 17 properties sold for $12,748.33, with four properties selling for more than the taxes owned and resulting in a surplus of $1,750.22. There were 80 properties offered for sale, including 44 beyond the third sale. Of those properties that were sold, Trenton Township had 5 first sales, 2 third sales and 2 beyond the third sales; Franklin Township had 1 first sale, 1 second sale and 1 third sale; Lincoln Township had 1 first sale; Madison Township had 1 first sale and 2 third sales; and Wilson Township had 1 first sale.
Coun ty Commis ssio on Me eets The Grundy County Commission heard several reports at its meeting on Tuesday. Presiding Commissioner Phil Ray said work continues on the Sand Hill bridge near the junction of NE 110th Avenue and NE 10th Street in Marion Township. The crew is working to armor the embankment with shot rock after damages that were incurred during the 2019 flooding. A draft plan involving a tabletop emergency preparedness exercise is to be released next week for review. The exercise will take place later in the year. Pre-approval was given to the Spickard R-2 School District, the Pleasant View R-6 School District and North Central Missouri College to receive CARES Act money for expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 funding is also being utilized by the Grundy County Ambulance Service to provide PPE for personnel, including eye protection and powered air purifying respirations. The Grundy County Health Department reported two new positive COVID-19 cases in the county since last week. The health department is urging the public to continue taking necessary precautions. The agenda for the Tuesday, Sept. 1 commission meeting includes a report from the road and bridge crew at 8:30 a.m., a report from Emergency Management Director Glen Briggs at 9 a.m., CRF allocation approvals at 9:30 a.m., a report from Ambulance Supervisor Steve Tracy at 10 a.m. and a report from the health department at 11 a.m.
What’s Inside... The THS football program opens its season tonight (Friday), hosting Brookfield. See page 2 of today’s RepublicanTimes for a preview of the contest, featuring the return of THS graduate Scott Stevens, who is now Brookfield’s head coach.
Trenton Republican-Times “News Every Day...When YOU Want It”
NICE
www.republican-times.com
As expected, fall enrollment numbers at North Central Missouri College are down, but the college has started the semester off on a good note with no COVID-19 cases reported on campus. Enrollment numbers were presented during a Tuesday evening meeting of college trustees. NCMC President Dr. Lenny Klaver said at this time that headcount, not including high school students, is down 8.4 percent while credit hours are down 4.7 percent. Overall enrollment, including high school students, is down 14.3 percent and credit hours are down 8.1 percent. It is expected the numbers of high school students will improve as dual credit forms are received. Dr. Klaver said the college has made it through the first week of classes with no oncampus cases of COVID-19 reported. He and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Kristen Alley both reported on the steps being taken to minimize the chance of an outbreak on campus. Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Tristan Londre reported the Student Support Services program has been notified it has been awarded another five-year federal TRiO grant, which will amount to about $1 million over the grant period. Dr. Londre also reported the nursing program will be undergoing a virtual CNEA accreditation visit on Oct. 2528. The accreditation, which is not required but would be considered a distinction, is for the associate degree nursing program. Trustees heard an update by Chief Information Officer Jennifer Triplett on the infrastructure refresh proposal. She requested a special meeting in September to consider finalized proposals for replacement/upgrade of NCMC’s data center hardware, wired and wireless network, firewalls and video surveillance system. After looking at initial proposals, it is estimated the project will be in the $1.3 million range. Personnel items were approved, including the employment of Angela Heins of Chillicothe as the TRiO administrative assistant, beginning Aug. 24 at a salary of $13.23 per hour. Bailey Weese of Maryville was hired as the nursing and health sciences administrative specialist (Maryville location), effective Aug. 10 at a salary of $12.79 per hour. The board approved a contract change for Stacey Russell, student support services academic advisor, from 30 hours per week to 37 hours See NCMC, Page 5
What’s Inside
Sports.............................page 2 Agriculture....................page 3 Op/Ed ............................page 4 Community/Local.........page 5 Calendars ......................page 5 Comics ...........................page 6 Dear Annie ....................page 7 Crosswords....................page 7 NASCAR .......................page 9