By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

There were “two sides to the coin” at the Dexter Library Board meeting on Thursday evening. The board gave a fond farewell to a long-serving member and also greeted a new member to table.

Thursday evening was the final meeting for long-time member Maxine Daniel, who served the library as a board member since 2002. Daniel served a full tenure on the board – nine years. City ordinance stipulates members can serve a maximum of nine years.

“Maxine has been an active patron and has been a valuable resource through the years,” Library Director Pam Trammell said. “It has been a privilege to work with her.”

Trammell had great praise for the men and women who serve on the Library Board. She noted that board members are volunteers, who give freely of their time, talents and energy to the Keller Library.

“Board members are kind of in the background and don’t get a lot of recognition. But they are the backbone of the library. They reflect what our community wants; they create library the community wants and needs,” she said.

Each board member brings their own area of expertise and talent to the board, she noted.

“It’s really fun to watch their vision for the library,” she said.

Longtime library patron Connie Churchill was welcomed as a new board member. Churchill was appointed to the board earlier this summer to succeed Daniel.

Churchill is a Dexter native and supporter of the library and the Friends of the Library. Trammell noted that for several years Churchill narrated the annual Friends Fashion Show.

Current board members include Dr. Tom Blair, Connie Churchill. Dave Ellinghouse, Annis Fortner, Tracy Gant, Bonita Harrellson, Pam Horton, and Lynda Lovins.

Photo Above: Maxine Daniel (left) was honored Thursday evening for her service to the Dexter Library Board and Connie Churchill joined the board as a new member.







Photo Above: The Keller Public Library Board of Directors includes (from left) Dr. Tom Blair, Pam Horton, Tracy Gant, Lyndia Lovins, retiring member Maxine Daniel, new member Connie Churchill, Annis Fortner, Board President Bonita Harrellson and Dave Ellinghouse.(SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller)

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Local Link Of Interest

Keller Public Library

A SMT News Report

A portion of a major rural Dexter roadway is closed for a time today.

The section of Three Mile Road (County Road 637) between the South Outer Road and Grant Street is closed Thursday, according to a spokesman for Liberty Township.

Township crews are replacing a culvert under the roadway just north of the railroad tracks. Three Mile Road has been closed to through traffic until the construction work is completed.

The spokesman for Liberty Township said they anticipate the work to be completed and the road re-opened by early Thursday afternoon.

A SMT News Report

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) said today that the financial situation facing the U.S. Postal Service should force many changes in the way the semi-public entity does business, but should not include service reductions that hurt rural communities.

The Postal Service announced on Tuesday that it was “reviewing” a list of more than 3,700 post offices for possible closure, including a number in Southeast Missouri. Included on the list released Tuesday post offices in Greyridge and Brownwood in Stoddard County, as well as the Southeast Missouri communities of Blodgett, Bragg City, Bragadodico, Canalou, Catron, Dutchtown, Gobbler, Tallapoosa, Vanduser and Whitewater.

“Clearly the Postal Service needs to fix its business model, but reducing mail delivery from six days a week to five, or even three, is not going to win them the customers and businesses they need to turn things around. Neither will the closures of a thousand post offices around the country. The combination of these two strategies mean that Americans in rural communities, especially senior citizens and disabled individuals, will have to travel great distances to get to their mail,” Emerson said.

Emerson noted that, under a scheme to eliminate Saturday delivery of the U.S. Mail, nine federal holidays would have caused three-day interruptions in mail service.

“Bills, checks, medicines and cards from loved ones are some of the most important materials to travel regularly through our postal system. I hate to think about the ramifications of a cut-back on postal service on Americans all over the country, but especially in rural areas, where we represent less than one percent of the cost of doing postal business,” Emerson said.

As Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Emerson included language in her legislation which would both prohibit six day delivery and the closure of rural post offices.

“We rely on our post offices in a way different from people in suburban and urban areas. For instance, our newspapers in rural areas are often delivered by post. I remain extremely opposed to changes and closures that save the post office from being forced to reorganize the things which will truly save money in the longterm.”

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

The United States Postal Service announced Tuesday that it is reviewing 3,700 retail locations across the country for possible closure, including more than 160 in Missouri.

Included on the list released Tuesday are facilities in Greyridge and Brownwood in Stoddard County, as well as the Southeast Missouri communities of Blodgett, Bragg City, Bragadodico, Canalou, Catron, Dutchtown, Gobler, Tallapoosa, Vanduser and Whitewater.

In a statement, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said customers are not using offices as much as they used to.

"Our customer's habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business," said Donahoe. "The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive and it will continue to drive commerce, serve communities and deliver value."

In the statement, Donahoe said some communities that lose retail locations might get what USPS is calling a Village Post Office, smaller automated stations or a local vendor that sells stamps and flat-rate boxes. “Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7,” said Donahoe.

For communities currently without a postal retail office and for communities affected by these retail optimization efforts, the Postal Service introduced the Village Post Office as a potential replacement option. Village Post Offices would be operated by local businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and other appropriate retailers, and would offer popular postal products and services such as stamps and flat-rate packaging.

“By working with third-party retailers, we’re creating easier, more convenient access to our products and services when and where our customers want them,” Donahoe said. “The Village Post Office will offer another way for us to meet our customers’ needs.”

By Annabeth Miiler,
ShowMe Times Editor

BLOOMFIELD - The aftermath of this spring’s floods remains a top order of business for the Stoddard County Commission.

At Monday’s weekly meeting Commissioner Frank Sifford reported he would be attending a meeting with the Castor Township Board and officials from Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Castor Township asked that I ride with them to the FEMA meeting," Sifford said.

Sifford said FEMA officials are meeting one-on-one with the townships to examine the roads, bridges and other infrastructure that was affected by the flood.

“Our (the commission's) meeting is on Aug. 3, to talk about the county portion,” Sifford announced.

Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis reported he spoke of Ronnie Ellsworth of Liberty Township, and officials in that township are getting paperwork ready to meet with FEMA officials.

Sifford also confirmed Castor Township has applied to take advantage of the Missouri Disaster Recovery Jobs Program to continue the flood cleanup.

“Henry Kestner told me that IDA office had contact them, and they submitted an application and they may be approved,” Sifford said. The jobs program is administered by the Workforce Investment Board and allows workers who are laid off as a result of the disaster to work on projects at public and non-profit worksites. “Castor Township is interested in it.”

Sifford also reported the Missouri House of Representative Speakers office had contacted the county asking for an estimate of the cost of recovery from the flood.

“It’s hard for us to determine what that would. I did a little calculating this morning – bridges and roads and drainage districts. I made an ‘unscientific estimate’ of $5 million,” Sifford said.

The commissioners agreed to submit the $5 million estimate to the speaker’s office.

Mathis also reported he learned this week that the projected start date for construction of a new bridge on County Road 420 has been set for February 2012.

Board Of Equalization Meeting Scheduled

Missouri Southern Healthcare has requested to meet with the county Board of Equalization on Aug. 1 concerning its personal property assessment.

County Assessor Jody Lemmon met with commissioners last week, informing the board that MSH had not been providing a complete inventory for assessment, only a list of new purchases. The healthcare provider stated in its request to meet with the Board of Equalization that they would continue to work with Assessor Lemmon.

“They have not really turned in a true inventory,” Sifford said.

Mathis instructed Deputy Clerk Ginger Goodman to contact the two citizen members of the BOE – Mary Worley of Dexter and Mike Bollinger of Advance - and inform them of the planned meeting with Missouri Southern Healthcare on Aug. 1.

The Board of Equalization is a Statutory Board that is governed by the Missouri Constitution and Missouri Revised Statutes. It has the responsibility of determining the correct value of real and personal property for individuals, businesses and manufacturers. This board hears taxpayer complaints, reviews the assessments, and issues decisions either affirming or adjusting the assessments returned by the assessor.