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TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021
TRENTON
R-T REPUBLICAN-TIMES 75¢
©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
10 PAGES
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 157th Year - No. 73
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BRIEFS Public Hearings Set
The Trenton Planning and Zoning Commission will hold two public hearings at 7 p.m. Monday, June 7 at city hall. One hearing will be from Dewayne Slater in care of Jason Lassiter for a conditional use permit to allow for a bed and breakfast on property located at 412 E. Ninth St., the former Slater Funeral Home. The second hearing will be on a recommendation to the city council to designate a portion of the downtown historic district as a historic district within the meaning of the Trenton city code.
Humphreys Alumni Is May 29
R-T Photos/Ronda Lickteig
Parker Christy, left, was named the valedictorian of the Grundy R-5 High School Class of 2021, with Cooper Lewis, right, named the salutatorian. Thirteen students received diplomas during commencement exercises held Saturday afternoon at the school.
Christy, Lewis Are Top Students Grundy R-5 Sends Off Class Of 13 Students At Ceremony On Saturday Having just completed a school year unlike any other in recent history, the 13 members of the 2021 graduating class of Grundy R-5 High School celebrated their accomplishments during a ceremony held Saturday afternoon in the school gym at Galt. The speakers for the ceremony, which also included a presentation of awards and
senior video, were valedictorian Parker Christy, who ended his high school career with a grade point average of 4.069 on a 4.0 scale, and salutatorian Cooper Lewis, who earned a GPA of 4.045. Both young men thanked their families and the community for their support over the years as they sought to reach their goals in high school. Christy said his parents “lit a flame” in him early on and constantly stoked that fire “wisdom and brilliance” and set high expectations for him, which spurred him to do everything he could to honor them in the best way possible. He told his classmates that the leaders in their lives have given them three main major life skills.
“Those skills (being) hard work, extreme dedication and teamwork. These traits were constantly on display no matter the occasion or challenge and we all have grown and learned from them. Through the years that I have spent at Grundy R-5, I have realized that these really are what make dreams and goals possible,” he said. He encouraged his classmates to not be afraid to reach for new heights as they move forward in their lives. “Grasp on to your future and give it all you’ve got because every single one of you are capable of extraordinary things. Put forth your best effort and if you don’t succeed, get back in that boxing ring and [See GRADUATION, Page 5]
R-5 Board Accepts Bid For Bus Barn Two Contracts Offered For Open Positions
The Grundy R-5 Board of Education met Wednesday, accepting bids for multiple items, including a bus barn, and offering contracts for two positions. According to information provided by Superintendent
Phil Fox, the board met with a representative from the city of Galt regarding wastewater runoff in the sewer system. Fox said the district will determine alternatives to the present water disposal methods and correct the problem. Under old business, the board accepted a bid from Noah Swartzentruber to construct a bus barn. The bid was for $96,000. Other bids accepted included a propane bid from MFA for $1.399 per gallon; from MFA for diesel fuel at a cost of $2.29 per gallon;
from Galt Hometown Grocery for bread; and from Prairie Farms for milk. The milk bid was .3307 cents for 1 percent chocolate; .3028 for 1 percent white; .2923 for skim; and extra milk at 25 cents, which is the same. Grundy R-5 approved the bus mechanic agreement with the Princeton R-5 District, with Grundy R-5 paying $12,000 per year for mechanic work and maintenance of the buses. A proposal to purchase playground equipment for the new preschool at a cost of
$14,840 from Children’s Specialists Equipment of Nixa was approved, as was the district offering voluntary student accident insurance for the 202122 school year. The coverage is offered by Ryan Blankenship Insurance of Park Hills. A work release program for seniors was approved for next year. It will be supervised by teachers in the vocational agriculture and business departments. The board discussed the addition of track to the 2021-22 cooperative agree[See R-5, Page 3]
R-T Photo/Seth Herrold
TRENTON HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR CONCERT The Trenton High School and middle school Spring choir concerts were held on Friday night at the Trenton High School Performing Arts Center. Above, the combined Trenton High School Gold Rush and concert choirs perfrom to close out the show. The concerts were performed under the direction of Trenton Choir Director Tyler Busick. Additional pictures from the event appear on page 4.
The Humphreys Alumni Banquet for former students and classmates will be held on Saturday, May 29 at the Humphreys Community Building. The event will begin at noon and those attending are asked to bring light refreshments. Tea and lemonade will be provided. For more information, call 660-265-4555.
New Four-Way Stop
As of May 17, there is a four-way stop at the intersection of 22nd Street and Pleasant Plain. The change was announced Friday by Trenton City Administrator Ron Urton and concerns about the intersection had been discussed at the May 8 city council meeting by resident Scott Newkirk, who said vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed through the intersection, which had only been a two-way stop, with traffic on 22nd Street required to stop. Urton’s news release said officers with the Trenton Police Department would be monitoring the area and educating motorists about the new signage.
Lifeguards Still In Need For Season Park Board Increases Pay Rates In Hopes Of Garnering Interest
The Trenton Family Aquatic Center is scheduled to open for the season on Saturday, May 29 and members of the city’s park board took action Friday morning to help ensure there are enough lifeguards to operate the facility. During a special meeting at the Trenton Park Department office, the board voted to increase the pay rate for the manager, assistant managers and lifeguards. Pool Manager Taylor Richman will earn $12 an hour while assistant managers Sarah Spencer and Carly Spencer will be paid $10.25 an hour. The pay rate for lifeguards will increase to $9 per hour. There has been difficulty this year in securing certified lifeguards and it is hoped that by increasing the pay rate, there will be more applicants. One step the board took Friday morning is to offer a stipend for training. Lifeguards can earn stipends of $75 per year for the next two years to help pay for training if they are employed for the season at the TFAC and meet minimum requirements that will be set by the manager. In addition, the board plans to offer another certification class in Trenton so it was noted that persons who are not yet certified are encouraged to apply for positions. With the expectation that
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FINAL FOUR...
Showers and thunderstorms are likely throughout the week. The high in Trenton on Thursday was 70 while Friday hit 71. Saturday saw a high of 56 with .06 of an inch of rain falling and Sunday’s high was 61 with a low of 53 and .46 of an inch more rain. The high on Wednesday at the Government Weather Station at the Barton Farm Campus was 61 with a low of 50 and .42 of an inch of rain falling.
The Trenton High School track and field teams have four athletes left after Saturday’s Class 3, District 8 Meet in Chillicothe. Kristi Ewing, Ava Simpson, Gracyn Rongey and Shay Westerhof all advanced to sectionals. SPORTS, PAGE 2
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RAINY WEEK
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the pool will open on time, the board set the prices for the 2021 season. Daily passes will stay the same as they were two years ago which, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the last time the facility was open. Children 23 months and younger will be allowed in free, with those age 2 to 55 paying $5 per day and those 55 and over paying $2.50. A non-swimmer will be allowed into the facility for $1. Season pass rates were increased, with a single pass set at $110, while a family of four can purchase a pass for $225 and add up to two additional persons for $60 each. A lap swim pass, which is good from noon to 1 p.m. each day, is $25 as is a senior pass, for those age 55 and over. Pool parties, which run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will cost $300, an increase over the 2019 season. Lessons will be offered if there are enough lifeguards and will cost $35 for Level I, which is a four-day session, and $55 for levels 26, which are eight-day sessions. Board members are hopeful that enough lifeguards will be found to operate the entire facility, but if there is a shortage of personnel, it will likely mean that certain areas of the facility will be open on a rotating basis. For instance, it’s possible the diving boards and slides would not be open at the same time, but both would be open at some point during the afternoon. Pool hours will remain as they have in the past, 1 to 6 p.m., with the lap swim scheduled for noon.
WHAT’S INSIDE
SPORTS ..........................PAGE 2 LOCAL ......................PAGE 3 & 4 COMMUNITY ..................PAGE 5 CALENDAR .....................PAGE 5 COMICS ..........................PAGE 6 CROSSWORDS ................PAGE 7 CLASSIFIEDS..................PAGE 8 AREA ............................PAGE 10