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The filing deadline for seats on the Holden R-3 Board of Education and Holden City Council arrived at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and although a number of people will be vying for three vacant school board seats, write-in votes will be required in order to fill four vacant seats on the city council.

According to R-3 board secretary Patty Raker, as of press time Tuesday, seven individuals have filed to fill three vacant school board seats. They are incumbents Jeff Miller and Dale Jarman and newcomers David Loveall, Sheila Christopher, Neal Zentz, Rodger McConville and Renita Dougherty. The seven will be voted on in elections this April, and the three candidates with the most votes will take the vacant seats.

According to officials at city hall, of the four vacant council seats, councilman Cecil Bloss and Jim Nipko are the only incumbents to file for their seats. Newcomer Robert Graham has filed to run against Nipko in Ward II. Council seats currently held by Dwight Anstine in Ward III and Chad Manford in Ward IV remain empty with no one filing for election this April as of press time.

According to Mayor Terry Hedglin, those seats will be determined by write-in votes. Citizens living in Wards III and IV are encouraged to write in a candidate who they feel would best serve interests in their area on the council.

The individuals in those wards who receive the highest number of write-in votes will then be given the opportunity to accept the position.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

HOPE Board President Bob Mickey advised the board he believed the organization should hire an executive director to oversee the facilities and programs HOPE offers, during the board’s monthly meeting Tuesday night.

“I believe we need one person coordinating everything, including all of the programs offered, as well as the the operation of both the Community Service Center (CSC) and the Community Activity Center (CAC) buildings,” said Mickey.

The CAC activities are coordinated by volunteer board members, and it is pretty self-sufficient, according to Mickey, who works closely with the CAC board.

The HOPE board members agreed that there is no need for two directors, saying that one can oversee the operation of both buildings.

Secretary Charlotte Timmons, who has access to the description for the executive director’s position, will research the information and present it to the board.

Mickey also asked for volunteers to serve on a selection committee for the position. The committee will be comprised of treasurer Dorothy Salsman, board member Aline Kirchhoff, Timmons and Mickey.

“The director should coordinate both buildings, all events, activities and programs, as well as promote the HOPE organization in the community, attending meetings and researching grant availability,” added Mickey.

In other business, Mickey presented a report on the NAP (Neighborhood Assistance Program) donations generated from the banquet held in November.

Mickey said he was pleased with the donations HOPE received, but hopes they will continue to get more participation in the program. The board reminded the public that NAP tax credits are still available and contributors have the opportunity to have their tax dollars stay within their community. For more information on the NAP program, contact the HOPE Center at 732-4357 or any of the board members.

The board also discussed purchasing new tables needed for activities at the CSC and the CAC. Board member Patricia Williams informed the group that she has been in contact with CAC volunteer board member Rusty Hartwell, and he agreed that the CAC would split the cost of the tables with the CSC. Salsman, however, reminded the board that there is $2,000 in the NAP budget for new tables.

After some discussion on cost, availability and delivery, the board agreed to order 22 new tables from Walker’s Variety Store. Walker’s offered the lowest prices for the tables and the fastest delivery. The delivery date was important because according to Kirchhoff, the tables are needed for the upcoming Harvester’s Food program.

HOPE office manager Crystal Harper submitted the CSC financial report for December. She also brought several issues to the board for resolution including a concern about QuickBooks Pro 2001, the system that CSC currently uses for bookkeeping and payroll.
“QuickBooks no longer updates our program. To subscribe to their payroll updates, we need to upgrade our QuickBooks Pro Program at a cost of $200,” said Harper.

The board agreed that the CSC needed to update the program and approved the $200 expenditure.

Harper also reported that a technician checked the security system at the CSC and the cameras are now working properly and are able to record.

Kirchhoff voiced concerns about the possibility of a break-in, wondering if the insurance coverage they currently have is adequate.

After some discussion on this issue, board member Gregg Montgomery suggested they seek additional quotes on content coverage and discuss their options at a later meeting. The board agreed to obtain additional quotes and make a decision at that time.

It was also noted by the board that trash service for the CSC and CAC has increased from $65 to $95 per month. Williams explained the increase was due to the size of the dumpster. The board authorized Harper to obtain bids from different trash collectors, noting that they do not have a contract or obligation to the current company.

Salsman reported that she and Fred Christenson have been working on the new budget and will complete it when they get the final CAC report for December. Salsman has also been working with Harper and reported they are keeping track of the many different reports and the dates they must be completed.

Salsman has also received information on the NAP budget revision, along with other grant information and added she will review the NAP guidelines with the NAP committee.
Mickey added that Shelly Tilden has offered to assist HOPE in researching and completing available grant applications. At Mickey’s request, Timmons agreed to contact Tilden for more information.

In other business, Williams stated, “The Boy Scouts have now removed all of their tables from the CSC, and we now have a large, empty room available that we could possibly rent.”

Board member Scotty Walker advised the group there is a great demand for large areas to rent, and added that a 10 x 30 space rents for as much as $90 per month. The board agreed to look further into the possibility of renting the space.

Mickey also reviewed the election of officers which took place in December, and the officers were installed. Officers for Hope Coalition for 2005 are: president, Bob Mickey; first vice-president, Jane Christenson; second vice-president, Aline Kirchhoff; secretary, Charlotte Timmons; treasurer, Dorothy Salsman.

By Dana Neubert
Staff Writer

A request by Acting Police Chief Rick Martin to allow the police department to utilize $13,000 that has been set aside for a new police car at their own discretion was approved during the regular meeting of the Holden City Council January 11.

According to Holden Codes Enforcement Officer Mike Wakeman, who was present at the meeting, there is not an emergent need for the car at this time. However, unless the department is allowed to purchase the car using the money at their discretion, in the event one of the police vehicles would need to be replaced immediately, the department would be required to wait until the next council meeting after the incident for approval.

According to police committee member Dwight Anstine, plans in place for the department have been to purchase a slightly used police car for the department and pass on one of the cars currently owned by the department to Wakeman, who is driving a police car with over 200,000 miles on it.

According to Wakeman, the car, which was originally purchased from Farmers and Commercial Bank for $500, is beginning to have trouble. “It burns more oil than gas,” Wakeman said. “We’ve gotten three years out of a $500 car... It’s good. It’s just getting tired.”

Wakeman told the council there were no plans to run right out and purchase another police car. However, he and Martin would like to know that in the event a major mechanical incident occurs with the car Wakeman is currently driving, they have the approval of the council to move forward and replace it.

After a motion by Anstine, the request received approval 7-1 with only Councilman Brent Brown in opposition.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

A city appropriation for nearly $60,000 is expected to solve city hall’s ongoing roof problem. A bid from Dragon Lady Community Roofing to replace the current roof with an all-metal pitched roof was approved during the regular meeting of the Holden City Council on January 11.

Options for repairing the roof were first discussed in September, when the council received two bids from local contractors, who proposed to repair portions of the roof and replace others using materials similar to those the roof is currently constructed of. Both of those bids were nearly $30,000 with varying warranties on products and workmanship.

At that time, the council chose to table the issue until more research could be done on the matter, fearing the repetitive high expense of future repairs.

When the council revisited the issue in October, Councilman Karl Timmerman presented them with what he and Councilman Mark Todd considered to be a much more cost-effective solution. “Mr. Todd made a recommendation that I thought made good sense,” Timmerman explained. “He asked, since we’re talking about $30,000, how much would it cost to put a pitched roof on there and shingle it.”

Timmerman explained to the council that if the current roofing system were kept and repaired, the city would be looking at the same cost again in 10-15 years to do the same repair work. “My recommendation is that we go ahead and ask for bids and see if it would even be feasible to put a pitched roof on there, and put regular 30-40 year shingles on,” Timmerman advised, “because all of these systems (current bids) will require re-doing in 10-15 years... If we can put a pitched roof and regular shingles on for about the same amount of money, we won’t have to replace it for 30-40 years.”

The council chose to follow Timmerman’s advice, and soon after placed a request for bids into local newspapers, but did not receive any interest in the project until recently.

During last Tuesday’s meeting of the council, bids were opened from R&D Maintenance, who proposed to construct a pitched metal roof with work to begin two weeks after acceptance. The cost of the work would be $55,000.

Another bid was received from Dragon Lady Community Roofing, who proposed to construct a pitched metal roof for $59,080.80.

According to Holden Codes Enforcement Officer Mike Wakeman, both companies received a list of specifications required by the city on the project, which included specific requirements regarding warranty, building codes, insulation factors, time frame, insurance and bonding. “It was all laid out for them very specifically,” Wakeman commented.

Representatives of Dragon Lady were present at the meeting and available to explain to council members the details of their proposal, including warranties. R&D Maintenance did not send a representative to the meeting. Thus, the council was unable to ask questions of them at that time.

According to representatives of Dragon Lady, the metal roof in their proposal comes with a five-year warranty on workmanship and a 20-year warranty on all metal parts.

Councilman Karl Timmerman questioned the company’s representatives about the durability of the roof and the possibility of hail damage.

“The roofs are made of 26-gauge steel... In a hail storm you might get some dings in it, but the finish typically stays on very well during hail storms,” the representative answered. “If it’s put on right, I’ve seen them (the roofs) go 30 plus years... We’ve been on some buildings (with metal roofs) that are approaching 50 years old.”

The representative added that Dragon Lady Community Roofing has been in business since 1994 and has performed a lot of work throughout the Midwest. He also assured the council they make every effort to ensure the safety of their employees as well as citizens who may be using the building at the time the construction is being performed.

In addition, company representatives explained that once the roof would require repairs, the only repairs typically necessary are a restoration process, which he said involves sealing leaky seams and applying an acrylic top coat to the roof. According to Dragon Lady, the typical cost of those repairs is around $1.75 per square foot. The Hallar Building is an 8,700 square foot building. According to Timmerman and other council members, that cost is far below the ordinary roof repair costs expected with the current structure.

According to information presented at the meeting by Dragon Lady, another advantage for the city to approve a metal roof for city hall is frequent inspection. By policy, representatives of Dragon Lady promise to come in and inspect the roof at least once per year, fixing any problems at that time.

After a motion by Councilperson Roseanne Ferguson, it was approved unanimously to award the bid to Dragon Lady Community Roofing. Work on the roof can begin once a contract drawn up by City Attorney Audara Charlton is signed at a brief special meeting this week.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

The Holden City Council approved an agreement between the City of Holden and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in regard to fines incurred as a result of a molasses spill last summer, during their regular meeting January 11.

According to the settlement agreement, provided at the meeting, the city will pay a fine of $1,750 plus $3,305.09 in costs to DNR. According to Mayor Terry Hedglin, the costs will be paid by the Board of Public Works, who will then be reimbursed by O&M Enterprises, who has agreed to take on the entire cost of the incident.

Councilman Mark Todd asked Hedglin why O&M couldn’t pay the BPW first. “I would like to see payment before we write a check,” Todd said.

Hedglin essentially dismissed Todd’s concern, stating, “The money will all go out the same day... There will be a paper trail and everything. I will give documentation to reassure the council and Mr. Todd that everything went the way it should.”

A motion by Councilman Dwight Anstine to approve the agreement between the city and DNR was approved with councilmen Todd and Cecil Bloss abstaining from the vote.

In other business, Hedglin reminded council members and others in attendance that the filing deadline to run for city council in April is January 18. He also reminded everyone that city business licenses were due on December 31.

In reports, Councilman Brent Brown told the council he had made some progress on researching the possibility of a sound ordinance specified by decibels for the city. However, he said he is still researching the matter.

Brown said he found one company who is selling a very good decibel meter for only $350, much lower than the cost he initially expected. He added that under the advice of Holden Codes Enforcement Officer, Mike Wakeman, he intends to research the possibility and cost of purchasing a meter from a law enforcement equipment company.

In other reports, Councilman Jim Nipko read aloud the city’s dog and cat ordinance, stating that, in his opinion, there are areas of the ordinance that need to be strengthened. Specifically, Nipko said, there is no definition in the ordinance as to what “keeping” an animal really means, leaving it open to interpretation.

Nipko suggested that perhaps instead of limiting the number of dogs or cats someone may have within the city to two, the council should consider requiring anyone within the city who has more than two dogs or cats pay a surcharge at the time of annually licensing, in the amount of $10 for each cat over two and $25 for each dog over two. “This will ensure the city is getting some money to help handle additional complaints,” Nipko said.

Nipko told the council he had been in discussion with City Attorney Audara Charlton regarding the matter and intended to request she look into adding his proposal to an ordinance draft to be presented at the next council meeting in February.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor