Carthage, Jasper County
Jo Ellis: City leaders share Christmas wish lists
Dear Santa,
I know the kids come first, and I hope all of them get at least one of their major wishes fulfilled this Christmas. But if you can find a spare moment, please give some attention to these wishes expressed by the department heads of Carthage city government. I promise you they’ve been working hard all year.
I think you ought to consider fire Chief John Cooper’s wish for a new fire substation. He’s been talking about it for about 40 years now — as long as he’s been with the department. The city already owns property at Airport Drive and Missouri Street, so all you would have to do is provide the money for construction. John was hoping you could help some of that stimulus money flow this way, but already $165 million of the $210 million available to Missouri has been awarded, and we haven’t seen a plugged nickel yet.
It seems that you favored St. Louis with $13 million and Kansas City with $10 million, and we’re needing only around $489,000. Actually, John says he could build it for $300,000, except if we build it with federal money, the feds require some extra safety features that jack up the cost.
Police Chief Greg Dagnan says he knows your resources are limited, but he wishes you could reach down into the bottom of your bag and find a couple more dispatchers. He normally has a dispatcher for each of the department’s four shifts, and when one is gone because of vacation or sickness, he has to take an officer off patrol duty, which means the residents aren’t getting the protection they deserve.
He also needs more IT help. Boy, those guys are expensive! FYI, Santa, IT means information technology. But you probably know that already, as long as you’ve been in the business.
Parks Director Alan Bull wants you to know, Santa, that your reindeer are welcome to take a breather and nibble the grass in our really nice parks. Just don’t expect to use the facilities, because we don’t have any at Kellogg, Carter or Griggs parks, and we need another one at Fair Acres. Alan gets more complaints about the lack of restrooms than anything else. Four prefabricated restrooms around his Christmas tree would make him flush with happiness.
City Clerk Lynn Campbell is a bit nervous about a major change coming up at the first of the year when city court personnel come under her supervision. One full-time court clerk and one half-time worker will have offices in City Hall, with the actual court hearings being moved to Memorial Hall. Lynn says her one wish is that the transition goes smoothly. She’s a nice girl and doesn’t ask for much, so please work your magic.
Bob Williams, supervisor of Carthage Water & Electric Plant, is thinking about global and environmental issues and how they affect Carthage. His wish is for the federal government to back off the actions it is contemplating for regulating carbon dioxide. He knows there are good reasons for limiting carbon emissions (he understands you have to fly through them, Santa), but he is concerned that such regulations might wreck the economy. He’s optimistic though, if the global warming issue isn’t over-hyped, that scientists and technicians can come up with prudent solutions that will, over time, correct the problem.
Tim Hill, street department supervisor, has only one request, Santa. He wants his stocking to be filled with a nice, warm winter. I think that’s the wish you may be most likely to grant. And Tim’s a really nice guy, too.
Tom Short, the city administrator who oversees all departments, says the many different needs of the city are all important, and that money from sales taxes or matching grants would solve many problems. His biggest wish, therefore, is for the overall economy to improve and bring in more tax dollars. Maybe we should “Shop Carthage First” when we can.
So, Santa, as you fly over Carthage this year, breathe deeply of our fresh, clean air and think kindly of us. We’re not whiners. We’re all just little kids at Christmas, dreaming of you, or maybe our own sugarplum fairy.
- Carthage, Jasper County
-
-
State budget cuts reduce county funds
County officials are bracing for more state budget cuts to translate into a loss of county revenues.
In an effort to balance Missouri’s budget, the state earlier this year cut the amount it reimburses county assessors for work to determine property values. The budget approved by lawmakers for fiscal 2011 calls for cutting the amount the state reimburses counties to house prisoners bound for state lockup. -
Open house to celebrate projects at courthouse
Projects completed last year at the Jasper County Courthouse will be celebrated in ceremonies Thursday in the courthouse lobby.
County officials will join representatives of local chambers of commerce and others for a ribbon-cutting and open house to mark the opening of a Route 66 display in the lobby and a new “peace star” atop the building. -
Jo Ellis: County home to rare yellowwood tree
In late spring, drifts as white as snow fill the gutters and curbs on the east side of the Jasper County Courthouse. It isn’t snow, of course; it’s the fallen petals of the yellowwood tree that grows squarely in front of the door to the Jasper County Extension office.
-
Jasper County Commission gets building project update
Plans to close out one building project and start another were reviewed by the Jasper County Commission last week.
Darieus Adams, Western District associate commissioner, met Thursday with officials of the firm who designed a $292,400 project to upgrade the lighting and make other changes to make four county-owned buildings more energy efficient. -
Two men running for associate judge in 39th Circuit take case to court
Two men running for associate judge in Missouri’s 39th Circuit began battling it out in a Jasper County courtroom this week.
Jasper County Circuit Judge Gayle Crane heard arguments Wednesday concerning the disclosure of documents sought by Robert “Bobby” George, Aurora, the current Lawrence County prosecutor. -
Unveiling ceremony celebrates CHS tiger
Kandy Frazier, Carthage High School principal, summed it up once the new addition to the CHS campus was unveiled Thursday.
The bronze tiger sculpture created by Carthage artist and sculptor Bob Tommey, she said, is the kind of work that would be found at a big university. -
Carthage sheltered workshop employees protest manager
Workers at Innovative Industries in Carthage ended a walkout Tuesday after protesting the hiring of a new general manager to oversee the sheltered workshop.
-
Carthage hot rod bound for Australia
Don and Rosemary Going’s 79-year-old Chevy pickup has enough life left in it for one more journey. It will be a doozy of a trip, though. The 1931 truck, modified as a hot rod, will begin this week traveling halfway around the world, to the land Down Under.
-
Historic homes offer challenges, but most owners have no regrets
When Marty Ann and Ron Petersen Jr. still lived in Ron’s boyhood home, they would walk through the historic neighborhoods for which Carthage is famous.
“We kept saying, ‘One day, we’re going to live in one of these big houses,’” Marty Ann recalled. -
Unveiling ceremony to bring sculpture to Carthage High
When it is unveiled Thursday at its Carthage High School home, it will be the end of a long journey for the Carthage tiger crafted by artist and sculptor Bob Tommey.
Tommey envisioned the sculpture and built support for it at football games, Maple Leaf parades and other events. - More Carthage, Jasper County Headlines
-
