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TRENTON
THURS., NOV 24, 2022
REPUBLICAN-TIMES
Old Glory flying at Five Points
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BRIEFS GRVCO Winter Concert
The Grand River Valley Choir and Orchestra will present their winter concert “The Bells of Christmas” at 3:00 p.m. on December 10, in the Trenton R-9 Performing Arts Center. The choir will be under the direction of Conductor Linda Arnold with Sonja Wimer as Accompanist. The Orchestra will be under the direction of Conductor Chris Thomas with Cathie Lowrey as Accompanist. There is no charge for the concert, however donations will be accepted to help maintain the needs of the group. This year’s special collection will benefit the THS Music Department.
TFD Responds to House Fire
The Trenton Fire Department was dispatched at 9:20 p.m. on Thursday, November 17 to 3917 Little Woods Drive, owned by David and Lindsay Ortega, for a structure fire. Lieutenant Jeremy Summers reported upon arrival that light smoke was visible from the outside. The fire was located in the basement level utility room, firefighters used a water can extinguisher to extinguish the fire. There was extensive fire damage confined to the basement utility room and moderate smoke damage throughout the house. There were no injuries reported and the Missouri Division of Fire Safety Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be electrical. The TFD were on the scene for about one and a half hours and were assisted by Grundy County Rural, TPD, Grundy County EMS, State Fire Marshal office and TMU.
“GOD BLESS AMERICA” 16 PAGES + 3
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 159th Year - No. 12
Gallatin City Council Approves Bids The Gallatin City Council met on Monday, November 14, at the GIDA board room. Those present for the meeting were Mayor Barbara Ballew, City Administrator Lance Rains, City Clerk Crystal Dorrel, Public Works Director Mark Morey, Board President Dann McCann, Aldermen Dan Lockridge, Carl McBee, RG Curtis, and Kenneth King. The
meeting was called to order with minutes, transaction log and accounts payable approved. Chief Richards provided an incident report for the month, which included an unattended death, property damage, peace disturbance, trespassing, assault, an animal issue and code issues. There are currently two dogs in the pound. Chief Richards will include an in-
ventory sheet with the next council report. He has also started to organize evidence items that will be transferred to the Sheriff’s office. Public Works Director, Mark Morey, presented the new bid from FTC Equipment which includes the prevailing wage the council had requested. The original bid was $193,525 and the [See Council, Page 2]
GCPA Office to Provide Signage
Kelly Puckett, the Grundy County Prosecuting Attorney and his office assists citizens in the collection and prosecution of bad checks or debit card transactions where payment is not received, but a service or item is provided. This includes, but is not limited to all places or businesses or private transactions such as auctions and garage sales. The office will prosecute at no cost to the business or individual. To further deter criminal activity, the Grundy County Prosecutor's office, upon request will provide individuals or places of business with a sign to explain prosecution will occur on all bad checks and bad debit card transactions. If you have any questions or would like to request a sign please stop by the office located at 115 E. 8th Street in Trenton or you may call 660-359-4888. Citizens may also reach the office via email at dawn_pa@grundycountymo.com or recep@grundycountymo.com.
Otukolo Sisters Store Opens
A Grand Opening was held on November 16 for the new “Otukolo Sister’s Store” located in Suite E of 1601 E 9th Street. Family flew in from the islands of Hawaii and Tongan to support the three sisters, Mele, Vanessa and Nicole on their opening day. The store will sell a vast selection of make-up, scarves,boots, sandals, shoes and unique and beautiful clothing. They will also have a selection of island treats, woven and beaded fabrics and jewelry.
THS Gilded Presents Play
The Trenton High School Drama Club will present “Showdown at the Hoedown” on December 2. The play will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center at Trenton High School. General admission, payable at the door, is $8 for adults and $6 for students and children. The play focuses on a small town in Wyoming that elects its first lady sheriff. The town decides to hold a hoedown in her honor. The villains decide to come to town along with the sheriff’s past to cause a ruckus during the hoedown.
RT/Submitted Photo Tis’ the season! City crew hangs up Trentons warm welcome to the upcoming holidays.
Area School Boards Set Filing Dates Grundy R-5 The regular meeting of the Grundy R-5 Board of Education was held on November 17. The meeting was called to order. In old business, a construction update was heard about concrete work completed at the elementary school. The new doors for the high school and elementary school will be delivered in mid-December. The school is working on replacing all of the present fixture light bulbs with
LED lighting. In new business, the board approved the filing dates for the April 4, 2023 election. The filing begins on Tuesday, December 6 and will continue through December 27. Filing can be done Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The office will be closing at 12:30 p.m. on December 16 and will be closed through December 26. On December 27, the office will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
There are three positions available for three year terms each. The board reviewed the superintendent evaluation with no action taken. A report was given on varsity basketball and the possible hiring of a junior varsity coach with no action taken. Hard surface bus routes were approved. The board approved MUSIC insurance coverage that will run from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2023 at a [See Boards, Page 2]
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Finance Committee Discusses Raises and Way-Finding Signs The Trenton Finance Committee met at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 17 at City Hall. The meeting was called to order. The first item of business was discussion of the six-month budget review. The city revenues are either on target or above with the current budget. The street department budget was based on the sale of 12,000 tons of asphalt and they have currently sold 39,000 tons with more sales to come this year. Gas sales at the airport have been really good this year. Returns on investments are coming up due to interest rate changes. City expenditures are running a little higher due to the increases in prices of fuel and supplies. In the utility department, revenues are currently running better than expenditures which is good. However, there will be expenditures coming up with the pump stations, material costs increases and concrete prices will be increasing to $15 a yard. The committee discussed the possibility of pay raises for the city and TMU employees. Since the sales of asphalt have been greater than expected, there is money for raises in the budget. The committee decided to implement a $1 per hour pay increase for all part-time and full-time city employees and TMU employees, this will include firefighters. The motion will be taken to the next city council meeting for approval. The committee also discussed the information regarding the request from North Central Missouri Development Alliance for help in being a sponsor and helping fund approximately [See Finance, Page 3]