Submitted Article
news@showmetimes.com
Schultz Surveying and Engineering Helps
Pave the Way to Improve Carter County Roads
Poplar Bluff, Missouri – Schultz Surveying and Engineering, Inc. (SSE) was chosen by Carter County to design road paving improvements to County Road (CR) K-259. The work included designing the roadway, grading, drainage, and paving. SSE owner Stan Schultz said, “We have helped several counties obtain funding to pave busy county roads and were very excited to be able to help Carter County improve this highly traveled road. The better grading and drainage along with the new pavement will greatly improve the safety for residents.”
Back in 2010 SSE Project manager Marvin Nesbit started working to secure funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to pave CR K-259. Carter County had never received any funds for roadwork and most observers thought none would be available. The application came back approved and everyone was pleasantly surprised when $325,000 was committed to the project. Marvin added, “Obtaining funding to improve this county road was not easy but it was well worth the effort. Thanks to the CDBG funding, Carter County was able to provide a local match of culverts, grading and labor, which provided the necessary funds to pave all two miles of K-259.”
A floodplain presented an environmental issue that slowed the process down but once all those issues were addressed Pace Construction was awarded the paving contract, which required laying 3 inches of asphalt on a 20 foot roadbed. They used 3,700 tons of new asphalt on the 2 miles of road surface.
Nearly 6,500 people call Carter County home and many of them commute to Poplar Bluff for work. CR K-259 is one of the highly traveled interconnects residents use to go from Highway K to Highway 60. Easter District Commissioner Eddie Ballard mentioned, “It’s been costing us more and more to keep K-259 maintained and in a safe driving condition. The new pavement will be a big help to all those who use the road on a daily bases.”
Besides dealing with the floodplain issue there were two low water crossings and numerous culverts that were installed. “This was one of the simpler road projects I have worked on but helping rural counties track down funding and improve safety on their roads is very important to our company. Carter County had hundreds of people traveling K-259 each day and this new road will lower maintenance costs and improve safety,” said Nesbit.
Commissioner Ballard concluded by saying, “We couldn’t have gotten this project funded and built without Marvin and the engineers at SSE. It’s so wonderful to have this road paved, making commuting to work better for our citizens and this will also save our county many dollars in maintenance expenses over the coming years.”
Schultz Surveying and Engineering is a Missouri based Civil Engineering Company with offices in Poplar Bluff, Branson, Lake Ozark and Doniphan. They have provided drinking water and wastewater design services to over 58 communities in Missouri. To date, they have helped those communities obtain over $124,000,000 in public funding. They have helped design roads for cities, counties and MoDOT including Hwys. 67, 60, and 13 to name just a few. They have several large state of the art USACE validated testing labs and are one of the select companies that have been approved for a Blanket Purchase Agreement with the USACE. They have also provided surveying services to a variety of clients from utilities, MoDOT, USACE, cities, corporations, small business, and individuals. SSE is a HubZone certified company and can be found at www.schultzengineering.com
Submitted by Jill Temples
SMT Writer
Missouri- Colonel Ronald Replogle, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, reminds Missouri’s travelers to make safety part of their Labor Day weekend. Col. Replogle strongly urges the use of seat belts when traveling in any kind of vehicle and life jackets when on a Missouri lake, river, or stream.
In 2012, seven people were killed and 413 injured in Missouri over the Labor Day holiday in 1,086 traffic crashes. One person was killed or injured every 11.1 minutes. Of that total, troopers worked 201 traffic crashes, which included 144 injuries and four of the fatalities over the 2012 Labor Day holiday. Troopers arrested 147 people for driving while intoxicated during last year’s holiday weekend.
The 2013 counting period for the Labor Day holiday will be from 6 p.m., Friday, August 30, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 2.
The Highway Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) over the Labor Day holiday weekend. All available officers will be patrolling Missouri’s roadways enforcing Missouri’s speed limit, seat belt, and alcohol laws, in addition to being available to assist motorists.
Troopers throughout the state will participate in a 20-Mile Trooper operation on August 30 and again on September 2. This operation will include Interstates 35, 44, 55, and 70, and U.S. Highways 60 and 61. Troopers will be targeting all traffic violations, and be especially vigilant of aggressive driving violations.
Col. Replogle reminds the public that the Labor Day holiday is a busy boating weekend. Two people were injured in two boating crashes, and one person drowned during the 2012 Labor Day holiday. Troopers arrested seven people for boating while intoxicated during last year's counting period. In an effort to increase safety on our state’s waters, all available officers will be working over the holiday weekend. Missouri’s boaters are asked to do their part by remaining alert for other boats and swimmers, and being courteous on the water. With more boats on the water, it is even more important to pay attention when operating a vessel.
Remember: If you choose to drink alcohol, don’t operate a vessel. Alcohol consumption slows reaction time. Pay attention to the boats around you and ask your passengers to assist with this. Evasive maneuvers should be made early and deliberately. Check your vessel’s navigation lights before heading out at night, and be sure to have spare bulbs on board. Avoid overloading your boat with too many passengers, and observe Missouri’s nighttime speed limit of 30 miles per hour on the water.
“The Patrol encourages everyone to have a safe Labor Day holiday,” said Colonel Replogle. “Please buckle up in your vehicle and wear a life jacket on or near water. If you witness criminal activity or experience an emergency—whether you're on a highway or on the water— call the Patrol's Emergency Report Line at 1 (800) 525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. If your celebration includes alcohol, designate someone else to drive, whether you are in your boat or your car. Please don't become a statistic.”
For further information please contact: Capt. J. Tim Hull
Q8192013 (573) 526-6115
Submitted by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
National: The dog days of summer might be almost over, but today is a very special day for your pet! Annually celebrated on August 26, it is National Dog Day.
This day encourages dog ownership of all breeds, mixed and pure, and embraces the opportunity for all dogs to live a happy, safe and “abuse-free life”.
Dogs give us companionship, they keep us safe and they aid those in need. It is a goal, for many on National Dog Day, to find homes for all dogs in need of a loving family. The goal of the National Dog Day foundation is to rescue 10,000 dogs each year.
It's great to be a dog today! Give your do a hug and a special treat. They are truly "A Man's Best Friend!"
For more information on National Dog Day, see:
http://www.nationaldogday.com/
National Dog Day, an “unofficial” national holiday, was founded in 2004 by pet lifestyle expert and author Colleen Paige.
Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Cape Girardeau, Missouri – The famous Toby Mac will be performing live in at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau on Friday, December 13th. Tickets for this great show are now on sale, so don’t miss your opportunity to save some cash by ordering them ahead of time.
The Hits Deep Tour will include the main headliner: Toby Mac, along with a lot of other popular Christian singers and artists including: Mandisa, Brandon Heath, Chris August, Colton Dixon, Jamie Grace, and Capital Kings. Although the lineup is made up of mostly new Christian artists, the event will still be lively and unforgettable for all of the fans.
Toby Mac first made his appearance in the music world with the band DC Talk, but later pursued his very own solo career. His difficult business decision turned out to be a great success. Starting all the way back in 2001, Toby Mac produced his first solo album called Momentum, after the successful release, he continued to pursue his own music and produced six more albums. His albums include multiple singles, including City on Our Knees, Get Back Up, Me Without You, and Made to Love.
His albums and singles quickly drew the attention of churches, Christians, and radio stations. He has been nominated for numerous awards throughout the years for every single one of his albums. His newest album Eye On It has already gained incredible publicity after being produced in 2012. The brand new album has won Toby Mac the Christian radio station, KLOVE’s, Artist of the Year Award. The success for the album kept climbing and ended up winning a Grammy. His previous album, Tonight, was labeled as number 6 on the Billboard 200, but that was just the beginning. Eye On It swept right passed the number 6 spot and landed in number 1.
He called his newest album his labor of love, because it was difficult to write because of how personal it became. When Toby first decided to take his career solo, he knew he wanted to give people strength, hope, and faith through his music so that the lyrics could be a stepping stone for their relationship with God.
Each song on the album of Eye On It was written or co-written by Toby. Each song speaks of a different battle that he has had to overcome in his lifetime. This album mostly focuses on family, faith, and God. And although the concert will showcase his new music, he will still play some of the old favorites from his previous albums.
Don’t miss your chance to see the show! If you want to see Toby Mac perform live at the Show Me Center, you can order tickets from the Show Me Box Office, order them online at showmecenter.biz, or call 573-651-5000.
Written by
Dee Loflin SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri - "Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own!"
Some of us might just remember those lyrics, a song sung by many including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and even Elvis Presley.
If you were out late Monday evening then you would have viewed an almost perfectly round moon in the night sky. You couldn't help but sing those lyrics!
Tonight it will be a Blue Moon that lights up the night sky! But it won’t be a Blue Moon by the most popular definition of the term – the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month. Nor is the moon likely to be blue in color, as that’s caused by exceedingly rare atmospheric conditions.
Rather, the August 2013 full moon will present the third of four full moons to fall in the same season. A season is defined as the period of time in between a solstice and an equinox – or vice versa. This full moon is the third of four full moons to take place between the June 2013 solstice and the September 2013 equinox. That makes the August 2013 full moon a Blue Moon!
Although the full moon happens at the same moment worldwide, the clock reads differently by time zone. The moon turns full in Missouri on Tuesday, August 20, at 8:45 p.m. Astronomically speaking, the moon is full when it’s most directly opposite the sun for the month.
Many of you may not be familiar with the definition of Blue Moon as the third of four full moons in one season. But this definition actually preceded the more modern definition of a Blue Moon as being the second of two full moons to occur in one calendar month.
In both instances, the Blue Moon is a calendar oddity caused by the 19-year Metonic cycle. There are 235 full moons in 19 calendar years, but only 228 calendar months (or 76 three-month seasons). Therefore, it’s inevitable that 7 out of 19 years will feature two full moons in one calendar month. And it’s also inevitable that 7 out of 19 years will have four full moons in one season.
Now that's a lot of full moons! However they occur we are sure that tonight's moon will be big, bold and beautiful! Let's celebrate the August 2013 Blue Moon – the third of four full moons to take place between the June solstice and the September equinox!
