FLIP PAGES FOR WEBSITE.qxp_shopper 4-22-20.qxp 2/18/21 10:46 AM Page 1
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
TRENTON
R-T REPUBLICAN-TIMES 75¢
©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 157th Year - No. 48
10 PAGES + 1 INSERT
republican-times.com
County Tackles River Bank Issue
Public Administrator Resigns
Erosion Threatens Highway 6 And, Possibly, Bridge
The first step toward stabilizing the riverbank just north of Highway 6 on the west side of the Thompson River is being taken following a meeting Tuesday morning of the Grundy County Commission, representatives of the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation and other stakeholders. The meeting drew more than a dozen interested parties and was moved to the thirdfloor courtroom to accomodate the crowd. The concern is that the roadway on the west end of the bridge may be damaged from the erosion of the bank on the northwest corner of that area. The bridge itself is in good shape, but could eventually be affected. If the road is damaged, it could take a decade or more for the Missouri Department of Transportation to get the project on its priority list and do the work. Commerce in Trenton and Grundy County would surely be affected if that occurred. While funding is avail-
BRIEFS Grundy County Public Administrator Jill Eaton has resigned from her position, effective Feb. 26. The Grundy County Commission accepted the resignation Tuesday “with reluctance” and will appoint someone within the next two weeks to administer the office until Gov. Mike Parson appoints a new administrator to serve until the November 2022 General Election. Resumes for the temporary position are being accepted by the county commission until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Those interested in being appointed to the position by the governor may contact the Republican or Democrat central committees or the governor’s office directly. Those who choose to run for the office in the November 2022 election would file for office in February 2022 to be included on the August 2022 primary election ballot, vying for the right to be included on the November ballot. Mrs. Eaton, who was re-elected in November 2020, has taken a position as the Grundy County probate clerk and will continue working in the courthouse.
Google Maps Photo
The river bank just north of Highway 6 on the west side of the Thompson River is rapidly eroding, causing concern that there will be damage to the highway, and possibly the bridge, in the future. The Grundy County Commission met with representatives of the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation and other stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
able through the Natural Resource Conservation Service and MoDOT to help with the stabilization, the county commission has been concerned that the county will be stuck paying for a project they can’t afford that should be paid for by the state since the road and the bridge are both state properties. When all was said and done Tuesday, the county agreed to
remain in the NRCS Streambank Stabilization Program for the time being, with the IDC to repay MoDOT for engineering costs for the project. Background The issue involves an area on the northwest side of the bridge that is eroding and threatening to eventually affect Highway 6. Commissioners began discussing the issue with the IDC in late Septem-
ber and in October voted to enroll in the Missouri Department of Transportation costshare program, which had been presented by the NRCS. The commission planned to request funds from other entities to help pay for the project or withdraw from it at a later date, if need be. While planning the 2021 budget, the issue again was discussed and on [See RIVER, Page 5]
Building Board Agenda
The Trenton Building and Nuisance Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at city hall. The meeting will not be physically open to the public but can be accessed on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82103331010. Items listed under old business include declaration of nuisance at 604 Linn St. owned by Duane Lahn; findings of fact on property at 1000 Rural Street owned by Smartbeltz LLC; and a certificate of existence of a dangerous building at 1117 Main St., owned by John Woodland. Under new business, the board will hear an update on current structures, including requests to release on property at 3400 Serendipity, owned by Albert and Meletta Hines and property at 3307 E. 10th St., owned by Jang H. Lee; and 401 Monroe St., owned by George and Paula Ellis.
R-6 Board Extends COVID Leave
The Pleasant View R-6 Board of Education met Tuesday evening, hearing a construction update and approving the extension of COVID leave through the end of the school year. According to information provided by the district, the board heard a construction update, learning that all work on the third, fourth and fifth grade areas was completed in January. Under new business, the board heard an update on employee health insurance, with quotes to be ready by April 1 for presentation at the April board meeting. The board also agreed to extend it’s COVID leave policy, which provides 80 hours of leave for each employee, through the end of the 2020-21 school year. Superintendent Rebecca Steinhoff gave a report, which included several dates of importance, including the fifth and sixth grade basketball schedule. Following an executive session, the board accepted the resignation of Meghan McLain as school custodian. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9.
Landes Resigns Position
Submitted Photo
Seven Trenton High School Choir students have been selected to the Northwest Missouri All-District Choir following virtual auditions. Those selected include, from left, Trager Leeper, Caleb Johnson, Mari Atup, Jaica Clark, Jonin Villacampa, Trent Villacampa and Victor Johnson. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the usual All-District Choir Concert will not be held this year. Juniors and seniors who were selected will have the opportunity in March to audition for the Missouri All-State Choir. Tyler Busick is the THS vocal music director.
Utility Committee Recommends AMI Cost To Implement New System Would Be Around $403,000
Following action taken at a meeting Tuesday evening, the Trenton Utility Committee will recommend to the city council the purchase of an advanced metering infrastructure system (AMI) that will automate the city’s electric and water meters.
According to Trenton City Administrator/Utility Director Ron Urton, the utility committee reviewed the proposals of two firms that have systems installed in north Missouri. The committee agreed to recommend the city go with a proposal from Tantalus, which would allow Trenton Municipal Utilities to keep most of its existing water and electric meters and replace them as they reach the end of their life cycle. The cost to implement the system is estimated at approximately $403,000. The other proposal considered by the committee was submitted by Sensus and would require TMU to replace all of the electric and water meters at one time or operate two different recording/billing
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE Temperatures slowly begin to warm up in Trenton with Saturday’s high set for 34, Sunday seeing 36 and Monday reaching 42. There is a chance of rain turning to snow on Sunday. Monday’s high in Trenton was 0 with .9 of an inch of snow. Tuesday hit 12 with another .3 of an inch of snow and Wednesday’s high was 23 with a low of -3 and .4 of an inch of snow. There was no report from the Government Weather Station near Spickard.
systems. The cost to implement that system was estimated at $916,000. Urton said the main issue causing the city to look at the AMI system is the age of the current meter reading system, which is a drive-by system. The current system is no longer supported by the company with upgrades and in general, he said, drive-by systems are becoming obsolete, with the industry moving to AMI systems. In his report, Urton discussed how the recent cold weather has affected the electric department, noting that on Monday and Tuesday, TMU was called upon by Missouri Public Energy Pool (MoPEP), [See TMU, Page 5]
Micah Landes, the executive director of the North Central Missouri Development Alliance, has resigned from her position. Mrs. Landes, who began her duties in Sept. 2017, will continue in her position through Friday, March 5. NCMDA Board President Phillip Ray said the board will be actively pursuing a replacement, seeking a candidate from the local or regional area, if possible. The NCMDA promotes economic development in north Missouri and is supported monetarily by Grundy County and the City of Trenton as well as a variety of organizations, businesses and individuals within the county.
Active Cases In Single Digits
Active cases of the COVID-19 virus have fallen to single digits over the past week. As of Thursday morning, there were five active cases of the virus, down from 15 reported in the Republican-Times on Thursday, Feb. 11. There are currently 811 confirmed cases, up four from last week, with the number of probable cases remaining steady at 241, for a total of 1,052 cases. The county has added one death to the number attributed to the virus, with that total standing at 40. Grundy County Health Department Administrator Elizabeth Gibson said the office is continuing its second-dose clinics for the next two weeks.
BRACKETOLOGY... High school basketball district tournaments are set to begin next week. Brackets have been announced for Trenton as well as surrounding schools Grundy, Princeton, Mercer, Gilman City and Tri-County. SPORTS, PAGE 2
Trenton Republican-Times “News Every Day...When YOU Want It”
SLOWLY WARMING UP
republican-times.com
WHAT’S INSIDE
SPORTS ..........................PAGE 2 AGRICULTURE ................PAGE 3 OP/ED ...........................PAGE 4 CALENDAR .....................PAGE 5 COMICS ..........................PAGE 6 CROSSWORDS ................PAGE 7 CLASSIFIEDS..................PAGE 8 NASCAR ......................PAGE 9 AREA ............................PAGE 10