By Christi Stowe
News Editor

Following a brief public hearing during which only minor opposition was heard, the Holden City Council approved a request during their regular meeting last Tuesday night from Ron and Opal Haverich to place a modular home on property located at 204 North Elm Street.

According to Mayor Terry Hedglin, only one neighbor to the property raised opposition to the proposal during the public hearing, and he voiced concerns about the possibility of decreasing property values in the area if the modular is placed.

However, Hedglin pointed out the Haverichs followed the appropriate procedure for requesting to place the home, contacting neighbors and providing the council with photos and a floor plan of the property. The request was approved with councilman Karl Timmerman abstaining.

In other business, the council approved a change to plans for re-construction of the roof atop City Hall. According to the foreman for Dragon Lady Construction, a defect was noted in metal ordered for the roof shortly after it arrived. “I just don’t like the looks of it,” he explained. “It looks awfully wrinkled to me.”

It was the recommendation of the foreman that 26 gauge pro-panel be ordered in place of the metal previously chosen. The pro-panel, another type of metal roofing material, will, in his opinion, look more attractive and cost much less. The metal that has already arrived will be returned to the manufacturer.

In other business, a number of resolutions were approved by the council Tuesday night. A resolution for the City of Holden to participate in the Missouri Community Assessment and Planning Process through the Warrensburg Area Economic Development Corporation (WAEDC) was approved.

The council first chose to draft the resolution after hearing information presented by WAEDC chairperson Jean Othic in May. According to Othic, Holden’s partnership with the group would make the city eligible for training assistance and grants as well as assist Holden in designing a vision for the future of the city and attracting future residents and industry.

According to Othic, she has been working with the city to develop the old Rose Chemical site, which has been designated as the city’s industrial park. Othic pointed out that in the past, the city has had difficulty attracting industry because of a lack of land ready for development. However, with the Rose Chemical site cleaned up after a number of years spent contaminated, the land is ready for development, according to Othic.

In addition, Othic, along with Mayor Terry Hedglin, have been working with the CMSU Creative Engine to develop a brochure, website and new logo for Holden, which Othic hopes will assist in getting Holden’s information out to potential developers.

Othic has been working with the Holden Area Chamber of Commerce for the past year gathering information about the City of Holden, which she feels will be useful in the process.

Participation in the process is of no cost to the city, and the program is recognized statewide as a valuable planning tool for Missouri communities.

In other resolutions, the council approved a request for an easement for an access tract to the swimming pool currently known as The Water Hole, LLC. According to Hedglin, the pool has been sold, but the new owners would need the easement to allow customers to access it through the city park.

Councilman Brent Brown said he was opposed to granting the easement at this time related to an overdue water bill in the amount of $1,300 to $1,500 on the part of the previous owners.

Councilman Charles Shore said, in his opinion, there was no obligation to the new owners to pay the bill or take responsibility for it in any way.

Timmerman suggested perhaps the city should grant the new owners a license for access instead of an easement because in the event the new owners do not pay a water bill or become a problem for the city in some other way, the license could be revoked, whereas an easement is permanent.

Hedglin said he was aware of the outstanding water bill, and to his knowledge, it is to be paid at closing of the sale of the pool.

Council person Roseann Ferguson questioned Brown as to whether or not the city is “so rough on everyone who owes a water bill.”

“It’s $1,300,” Brown exclaimed. “I’d hope we would be this rough.”

Ferguson made a motion to approve the easement, which was seconded by Shore. The motion passed with Brown and Timmerman voting nay.

In other resolutions, the council approved a resolution allowing the board of public works to enter into a contract with Hogan’s Painting and Sandblasting for improvements and repairs to the city’s water tower located at Market and Twentieth streets.

The improvements, which are expected to cost a total of $8,200, will include a new vent, an aluminum ladder gate for safety, a cable-type safety climb with a full body harness, a climbing mechanism to shell ladder and roof ladder, installation of a foam gasket to the roof man-way, the closing of four cathodic holes with a 3/16 inch steel plate, priming and painting of new steel and areas on exterior burnt by welding and solid welding of the roof ladder.

In other business, Hedglin took a moment to recognize area emergency services for work that was done during a tornado that struck south of town on June 4. “Everybody from the police department, fire department, Johnson County Ambulance District and sheriff’s department kept us all safe,” Hedglin commented. “If it had been just two miles north, we would have really had a terrible disaster... I just want to make sure these departments know how much we appreciate all they do, not only now, but always.”

In committee reports, Brown told the council he had heard concerns voiced by several citizens about the city’s new fire truck leaving town to answer calls out in the county. However, he was informed by Hedglin and other council members that the truck was intended for the purpose of rescue when its purchase was approved by voters. “We were going to have to replace the rescue vehicle,” Hedglin explained. “We bought this particular truck because it could be used as a rescue truck.”

In addition, Brown informed the council the city’s new sewer lagoon project is ahead of schedule.

After the floor was opened to citizen comments, Jenny Sollars of the Holden Area Chamber of Commerce addressed the council regarding intentions of the chamber. Sollars reminded the council of several upcoming chamber sponsored events, including the downtown park, rodeo, fireworks and Holden Fall Fiesta.

In addition, Sollars told the council the chamber had met with the school board to discuss future plans for the city and school district. According to Sollars, the chamber and school board hope to get the city’s assistance in placing signs in town that direct visitors to the school and making improvements to Clay Street.

The next regular meeting of the Holden City Council will be July 12 at 7 p.m.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

HOPE Coalition Executive Director John Roberts discussed a number of issues concerning both the Community Service Center (CSC) and the Community Activity Center (CAC) with the HOPE Board of Directors at their regular meeting last Tuesday evening.

The volunteer board for the CAC had previously requested 12 new scooters, tinted windows, and repairs on a faulty basketball goal lift system. According to Roberts, the new scooters have been ordered and the windows have already been tinted to cut down on the glare to the basketball courts.

The problem with the lift system is still an issue, and Roberts said he had contacted the manufacturer who has agreed to replace the faulty gear boxes for labor only. “However, we will have to rent a 36 foot scissor-lift for the repairs to be completed,” Roberts told the board. The board agreed to approve an expenditure to have the gear boxes fixed correctly so that both basketball courts in the CAC building may be utilized.

In other maintenance business, Roberts addressed the previously discussed concern of purchasing an outdoor ladder to access the top of the building to repair and maintain the heating and cooling units at both the CAC and CSC. Several bids were received, and after some discussion, the board approved an expenditure of $1,700 to have the ladder installed.

In other financial business, Roberts informed the board that a penalty for failure to submit tax form 990 for the tax period of December 31, 2003 has now been formally rescinded.

News was also received that a formal extension of the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) was received. The extension lasts through June 30, 2006. HOPE has $125,338.26 in NAP tax credits to sell by that time, according to Roberts.

In other NAP business, Roberts said secretary Dorothy Salsman is in the process of seeing the NAP audit/review is prepared with assistance and direction from Judy Edmonds. Thus far, the HOPE committee has met and completed the first step of the process of obtaining all quarterly reports, as well as the NAP register. This is for the 2000-2003 NAP project. “HOPE is keeping NAP officials informed of their progress,” Roberts added.

In other business, the board discussed insurance liability at both the CSC and the CAC. Board members questioned how private events would be covered in the event of an accident. Roberts reported that after checking with the insurance company, any event sponsored by the HOPE organization would be covered by their insurance. However, private individuals must provide their own coverage to use the facilities. There were some questions on different events held at the CAC such as sporting activities, and the board suggested their insurance agent be invited to attend a meeting and clarify all questions pertaining to coverage. Roberts agreed to contact the insurance representative and extend an invitation to the meeting.

In related matters, Roberts told the board the building insurance would be due before the board met again, and he had asked other companies to submit bids.

In other CAC business, volunteer board member Rusty Hartwell asked the board to set guidelines outlining appropriate usage of the CAC building. Hartwell asked the board to set a policy on the use of the building for benefits, amount to be charged, supervision of the event, janitorial service, advanced scheduling, and liability. The board discussed forming a committee to look into these questions. Board member Jane Christenson suggested a volunteer member from the CAC be on the committee as well, to obtain their input. Roberts said he will talk to some people about this committee, and the board will address the matter at a later date.

In other business, Roberts shared with the board that he attended a grant-writing course in May. “I came away being cautiously optimistic about our ability to secure grants and am anxious to get started,” he said. “We first must figure out what we want to do for the community and then write the grant. We need to look into what future programs we want HOPE to be a part of.”

In addition, Roberts said he would like to get other organizations involved in partnership with HOPE, specifically teachers. He said he will contact some teachers who might be interested in working with HOPE.

“There are funds available that we should be able to tap into, and we should not overestimate the impact of grant income on our organization,” added Roberts. He went on to suggest HOPE put together a four-person committee to undertake this effort of planning and new grant proposals. The board chose to table the issue for now, but revisit the recommendation at the next meeting in July.

In committee reports, board member Patricia Williams reported there is still a dire need for electrical repair in the CSC. “We need to get those old light bulbs out so they will quit drawing electricity. It’s also too expensive to run the air conditioning, so we have fans running in the building, said Williams.

Board member Fred Christenson asked about using the big exhaust fan which Williams was unaware of. Christenson said he will attempt to get the fan working in the building.

Board member Scotty Walker informed the board that an offer had been made to fix the electrical problems free of charge. The board agreed this was a good idea and board member Aline Kirchhoff said she will contact the individual.

In new business, the board discussed changing their regular meeting date due to conflicting schedules with board members. After some discussion, the subject was tabled until further information could be gathered from members.

The regular meeting was adjourned, and the board went into executive session. The next regular meeting of the HOPE Coalition Board of Directors will be July 14 at 7 p.m.

By Dana Neubert
News Staff

Holden residents, young and old alike, will soon be splashing, sunning and swimming when The Waterhole, Holden’s only public swimming pool, re-opens Monday, June 27 under the ownership of Rhonda and Missy Wilt, of Holden.

The swimming pool was previously owned by Scott and Lori Perkins and Mike and Rhonda Wakeman, who put it up for sale after the last swimming season. It has been a part of the summer tradition for Holden’s children and youth for a number of years.

Rhonda Wilt, who currently serves as president of the Christian Youth and Family Alliance, said the idea to purchase the pool sparked from her love for Holden’s children and youth. “I am already involved with the kids through CYFA,” Wilt explained. “I am hoping to have something for the kids to do to keep them off the streets... We just love the kids. That’s what we’re really about.”

After mulling the idea over in her mind, Wilt enlisted the assistance of her daughter, Missy Wilt, to purchase the pool. Missy agreed, and now is considered the business co-owner. Rhonda’s husband, Don, who is retired, is completing a lot of needed improvements to the pool and anticipates helping to man it during its operational hours.

He has already spent time cleaning out and power washing the pool, and has begun re-painting the bottom surface. In addition, the Wilts have five children, many of whom are teenagers. They, too will be getting in on the family business, putting in a number of hours manning the concession stand and eventually becoming lifeguards.

Wilt said The Waterhole will be operated as a family atmosphere. “It will be a very positive environment. We will use good Christian morals,” Wilt said. “There will be no alcohol allowed and no cussing.” Wilt said an adult will always be present during the operational hours of the pool. “I don’t want this place to be run by kids,” Wilt explained. “I think always having an adult present will be a big plus.”

In addition, the pool will have a fully functioning concession stand, where tropical snowcones and other goodies will be sold. “We are hoping it will help balance some of the costs,” Wilt explained.

Wilt hopes to be able to make a number of improvements to The Waterhole in the coming years including new diving boards and the addition of a kiddie pool. “We won’t have a diving board this year,” she explained. “They are in need of repair and no one will repair them because of the liability. They cost about $3,000 each... We may invest more in it next year, but this year we just can’t.”

In addition, Wilt, who is the unit coordinator for the medical/surgical unit at Western Missouri Medical Center has gained experience in grant writing through her nursing career. She hopes to be able to someday obtain a grant through the Arthritis Foundation to enclose the pool for year-round use. If she is able to accomplish that, Wilt said water aerobics and therapy classes will be offered with a focus on those suffering from arthritis and fibromyalgia.

The Waterhole will be open from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., seven days per week, and may be rented for private parties from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. each day.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

The much-awaited opening of Eagle Crest, a new housing development in east Holden, was recently announced as phase one of the development is now ready for new homes.

According to Marilyn Mickey-Clay, 27 lots are available in the first phase with 41 additional ones planned for the future.

The development features various lot sizes, all with city utilities. In addition to curbed streets, Clay says signage is on order and a number of trees will be planted along the main entrance. Landscaping will also begin soon.

“We will also have a green area within the development that will feature a walking trail which is something a number of people have mentioned as a positive feature,” Clay added.

Clay says construction on a model home and several spec houses will begin soon. Although the development caters primarily to builders, Clay says individuals can purchase lots as well as long as their plans are approved through the architectural review committee.

“Once there are enough homes in the development, those decisions will be turned over to a home owner’s association,” she added.

The price of the lots are from the mid $20’s to the mid $30’s depending on the size and location. Spec homes will be priced at approximately $150,000 and above depending on the square footage and features.

In addition to new homes, the Farmers and Commercial Bank also plans to build their new, main banking facility on the east side of the development’s entrance. A commercial lot, just under three acres, is also for sale on the west side.

Clay encourages anyone interested in the development to contact her or Bob Mickey at the bank, 816-732-5516.

“We’re very pleased to be involved in providing more housing opportunities for the community. We have worked very hard to make the development something its residents and the community as a whole can be proud of. It has taken longer to complete than we had anticipated but it will all be worth it when construction begins.”