Due to recent announcements by the Center for Disease Control on the suspension of flu vaccine manufactured by Chiron Corporation, all influenza vaccination clinics previously scheduled by Johnson County Community Health Services (JCCHS) have been cancelled.

JCCHS will, at this time, be limiting JCCHS flu vaccinations to those adults who have chronic health conditions or are 65 years of age or older, said Judy Schache, Public Health Nurse at JCCHS.

According to Schache, the flu is a serious illness for everyone. However, “Healthy people have stronger immune systems than the young, elderly or those with chronic disease,” Schache explained.

JCCHS will be administering flu vaccine, to the high-risk populations, on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Johnson County Community Health Services office, located at 429 Burkarth Road in Warrensburg.

“At this point, we have no guarantee of receiving further vaccine,” Schache said. “We are trying to obtain more doses.”

The suspension on the adult doses of Chiron flu vaccine is expected to affect the number of pediatric doses that will be available. Parents are encouraged to talk to their physician to determine if their child should receive the vaccine. A doctor’s order will be required to receive the vaccination.

Schache provided some non-vaccine ways to prevent infection of the influenza virus, obtained from the CDC’s website for the flu, www.cdc.gov/flu.

According to the CDC, the flu can still be prevented by carrying out some simple actions that help stop the spread of germs. These actions include:

•Avoid Close Contact- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too.

•Stay Home When You Are Sick- If possible, stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

•Cover Your Mouth and Nose- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

•Clean Your Hands- Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

•Avoid Touching Your Eyes, Nose or Mouth- Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.

According to the CDC, other good habits, such as getting plenty of sleep, engaging in physical activity, managing stress, drinking water and eating good food, will help you stay healthy in the winter and all year.

JCCHS expects to receive additional guidance from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as well as the CDC in the future. JCCHS staff participated in a conference call on October 5, with the CDC, DHSS and Local Health Departments to discuss the situation.

For further information, contact JCCHS at 1-888-747-6121.

Tim Daniel, Missouri Director of Homeland Security will present a program on Homeland Security at the Hallar Community Building on October 19 at 2:30 p.m.

Prior to Mr. Daniel’s program, there will be a presentation on Flight Across America by Gilbert Powers, who participated as the flag bearer for the State of Missouri during the September 2002 first anniversary events in honor of those who lost their lives in the September 11 attack on America.

The event is being hosted by the AllTogether Homemakers’ Club of Holden, in cooperation with the Johnson County Emergency Management and the Johnson County Clerk’s office.

Lucille Jennings, program leader for the club said, “We are very excited about having Mr. Daniel and Mr. Powers come and present this program, and we are inviting the public to share in this important event.”

According to County Clerk Gilbert Powers, “It is not everyday that the State Director of Homeland Security comes to your community, but when he does, he has something important to say... I have heard this presentation, and it is an important message for every citizen of this state to hear. In these times of terrorist threats and heightened alerts, we need to know what that means to you and I, and what we as everyday citizens can and should be doing to protect our community.”

Powers said this program is a two-part presentation. The first part could be titled “The Cause,” and the second part “The Effect” of the events on September 11, 2001.

Flight Across America was part of the healing process after September 11. Pilots from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico flew their respective flags to the memorial events in Pennsylvania, the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and Ground Zero in New York City.

The public is invited to attend. A reception with refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the presentation.

Through the generosity of Marilyn Mickey-Clay, chairman of the board of the Farmers and Commercial Bank, and a lot of planning and preparation by Verna Jenkins and other members of the Chamber of Commerce, Holden will soon have a beautiful downtown park.

Mickey-Clay owned the area which will be used, having bought the land from the former owners of the Thrift Shop which burned several years ago.

“I like the idea of a downtown park because it supports the effort to restore the downtown are,” she said. “When finished, it will be an attractive asset for the community.”

A main feature of the park which will be called “Mickey-Dillon” Park, is a water fountain which will also be donated by Clay.

The park will also feature a number of plantings in addition to brick pavers which are being sold to help finance the project.

According to Jenkins, a 4x8” engraved brick can be purchased for $40. Two lines increase the price to $55 and three lines make the cost $80.

Anyone interested in purchasing an engraved paver is encouraged to call the chamber of commerce office at 732-6844 or Jenkins at 732-4888. See advertisement in this week’s Image.

In addition to the fountain, trees and other plantings, patio tables and chairs will be available for those who wish to relax or possible eat lunch in the park. The area will also be enclosed with wrought iron fence which will be locked at night.

Although the project will be an expensive one, Clay and Jenkins are confident the paver project will be a successful one.

“People ususally respond to a project like this because the pavers can be used as memorials to family memers and friends,” she said.

Space will also be available, she added, for local groups to help with plantings to complete the landscaping.

A website has also been created for the park at www.holdenchamber.com/edc/park.htm.

By Rusty Hartwell
Publisher

The Holden R-3 Board of Education made a decision to sell the old, currently vacant, intermediate school buildings by sealed bid, during their regular session, Monday night.

The board had tabled the issue during their regular meeting in September, to give the city, as well as others in the community, time to express any interest in the property that may exist.

“I’ve had some conversation with representatives of the city,” Superintendent Dr. Lindell Harrison said. “But, there has been no commitment of interest.” Harrison said he felt the board needs to move forward in regards to selling the property.

“We are currently working on title research to sort out platte and land descriptions... It should take three or four more days,” Harrison said. “We just need to do something fairly quickly.”

Much of the board had expressed concern during September’s meeting, in regards to winterizing the building. Several members had said they didn’t want to see windows on the buildings boarded up.

Harrison suggested a sealed bid might be the easiest way to sell the buildings, but gave the board the option of auction and listing the property with a realtor, as well.

Board member Pat Zvacek asked Harrison what the advantage of sealed bid would be, as opposed to auction. “It’s not really a strategy at all... People know what they’re willing to pay,” Harrison explained. “It’s just the simplest way, I think, to do it.”

Concern was expressed by board members that if the property were sold at auction, there would not be an opportunity to screen buyers based on what they intend to use the property for. “Keep in mind, hopefully a person who would do a sealed bid would have a specific intent for the buildings,” board president Jeff Miller said. “We would hope they would maintain the property at least at the level it is now... We wouldn’t want it to become an eyesore for the community.”

There was some discussion among board members as to the best way to sell the buildings, and whether or not they could regulate buyers based on their intended use for the buildings. Board member Dale Jarman said he didn’t think, once the buildings were sold, the board could do anything to regulate use of the buildings. He suggested the only way to accomplish that would be through city zoning.

“As a board, we voted to get out of the buildings,” Miller said. “We don’t need them anymore.”

Dale Jarman made a motion to sell the buildings via sealed bid. Pat Zvacek seconded the motion, which carried 6-1, with Jim Wallace voting nay.

In other business, Dr. Lindell Harrison presented the board with the September enrollment count for the district. According to Harrison, enrollment is at 1,467, up 75 students from the same time last year. The report reflected heavy growth at the second and ninth grade levels.

“Our high school is already out of space,” Harrison said. “Based on the number of students in eighth grade, we’re going to be in worse shape, next year.”

Harrison said, if the high school does indeed receive the 25 extra students that are now waiting at the eighth grade level, into the freshman class next year, another modular unit may need to be added at the high school.

According to Harrison, there is a trend toward growth at the kindergarten level, as well. There are 104 students enrolled in kindergarten this year. That number is up from previous years: 82 in 2003, 86 in 2002, and 76 in 2001. “If we get that kind of enrollment next year, we could outgrow the elementary school pretty quickly,” Harrison warned.

Harrison also told the board the middle school is out of space and class sizes have been made larger to accommodate the growth.

In other reports, professional development committee chairperson, Lana Hopping, presented the budget for the professional development plan to the board. Hopping explained a large percentage of money allotted for the plan had been used to purchase “Classroom Instruction That Works,” a professional development tool, for the faculty.

According to Harrison, the PDC can look forward to an increase in budget in the near future, because at lease one percent of state aid funding must be used toward professional development.

Parents of students in the Holden R-3 School District, as well as interested citizens, in general, will have an opportunity to give their input to the board of education, in regards to the search for a new superintendent.

On October 14, an open community forum will be held at 6 p.m. in the middle school library to give citizens a voice in the superintendent selection process.

The district’s current superintendent, Dr. Lindell Harrison, presented his letter of retirement to the board, during their regular September session. His retirement will be effective this summer.

According to Holden R-3 Board of Education President, Jeff Miller, with the assistance of the Missouri School Board Association, the board has published a notice of the district’s vacancy and provided brochures for applicants, giving more information about the district.

The application deadline for the position is November 3. According to Miller, this will give the board and MSBA a more than adequate length of time in which to review applicant qualifications and make a decision.

The board will meet in special executive session on November 17, to screen applicants for the position.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor
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