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TRENTON
THURS., FEB. 29, 2024
REPUBLICAN-TIMES “GOD BLESS AMERICA”
Old Glory flying at Five Points
republican-times.com
20 PAGES
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 160th Year - No. 26
Council Discusses Sidewalks, Hears Reports by Mark McLaughlin R-T Staff Writer The Trenton City Council met in regular session on Monday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m. Council members in attendance included Lou Fisher, Glenn Briggs, Calvin Brown, Tim Meinecke, Duane Urich and Dave Milika. Council members Marvin Humphreys and John Dolan were absent. Also in attendance were TPD Police Chief Rex Ross, TFD Fire Chief Brandon Gibler, City Administrator Ron Urton and Mayor Jackie Soptic. After calling the meeting to order, Mayor Soptic recognized four Trenton Troop 97 boy scouts, Carson Gladwell, Austin Dodson, Cannon Stamper and Jackson Hanley, and their troop master Jeremy Chambers. The scouts were in attendance as part of their citizenship requirement to attend a city gov-
GCHD Safe Sitter Classes The Grundy County Health Department is offering Safe Sitter and Safe@Home classes for young teens at the Department’s Education Annex, 1307 E. 17th Street, Trenton. The Safe Sitter class, for students in grades 6-8, will be Friday, March 8. The Safe@Home class, for students in grades 4-6, will be Monday, March 11. The Safe Sitter course provides hands-on practice in lifesaving techniques to young teens who are home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting so [See GCHD, Page 3]
ernment meeting. The Board approved the minutes of the February 12 meeting, along with the payment of presented bills. Department reports were heard from Council Member Urich on public utilities. Urich told the Council that the financials were good, the reserves stable, and explained that the Department had deferred the purchase of a utility truck purchased with funds some time ago, but egregious delayed on utilities. City Administrator Urton later related that the provider, Altec of St. Joseph, is very backed up on fully outfitted trucks. Supply chain issues have created a situation where components to complete the trucks come in a piece at a time, and delivery was anticipated in 2025. Under those circumstances, Urich noted that the Department was holding off on executing the purchase. Urton related that work on the
budget, wage studies and advertising for the Phase 2 28th and Washington Street water project were underway. He noted continued work on the Wayfinder sign project, and coordinating with engineers on different water, sewer and electrical projects. Mayor Soptic provided her report to the Council, informing them that the City would be sponsoring “Thanksfest”, honoring local volunteers during National Volunteer Week on Aporil 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the North 65 Center. Soptic added that Trenton banks…BTC Bank, Southern Bank and Farmer’s Bank of Northern Missouri, were committed to serve as principal sponsors. Under new business, Soptic recommended the appointment of Mike Hooker to the Police Personnel Board, which was approved by the council. Urton noted that the time was
coming to renew TAP Grant funding, and sought the Council’s approval to move forward with the new application. Discussion turned to the use of TAP funds for the installation of sidewalks across the Street from Rissler Elementary, noting that the investment would be an 80/20 match with TAP funds. Councilman Briggs interjected a preference that sidewalks be installed on 16th Street from Lord to Oklahoma near Trenton Middle School and Trenton High School. No sidewalks currently exist in either location, and Briggs explained that older students around the Middle and High School complexes frequently walk down the middle of the street. Discussion from the Council and visitors made note that a majority of elementary school parents drive their students to school and [See Council, Page 3]
Building and Nuisance Board Meets The Trenton Building and Nuisance Board met on Monday, February 26 at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The Board was updated by City Building Inspector Wes Barone on the status of a number of community properties in various stages of disrepair, and the progress property owners are making in bringing those properties up to code. The Board first approved minutes of the previous meeting, then moved on to unfinished business. Barone informed the Board that Bobbie Dunkin, owner of a property at 712 Harris Avenue, under a Declaration of Nuisance, had made no progress on cited, needed repairs. The Board moved to extend the Declaration for an additional thirty days. Barone told the board that a property at 2002 Lulu Street, owned by Andrew and Kristin Newbegin, had
Briefs... GHRPC Announces Grant
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, Green Hills Regional Planning Commission (GHRPC) announced the organization is the recipient of a $72K grant which will support the continued work to develop a watershed plan for the Thompson River. This two-year grant will go to the development of a long-term comprehensive plan with the goal of reducing pollution in the Thompson River and improving the quality of the river for recreational activities. This planning process uses a series of cooperative, iterative steps to describe current conditions, identify and prioritize problems, define management objectives, and develop and implement restoration or protection strategies, as necessary. GHRPC will be engaging the public and stakeholders in Livingston, Daviess, Mercer, Harrison and Grundy counties to kick-off the project in the near future. For more information about this project, please contact Green Hills Regional Planning Commission at 660-3595636.
shown “progress” in repairs in the Public Hearing phase. The Board voted to extend the status for an additional thirty days, and Barone noted that he believed repairs would be completed. In a Findings of Fact process, Barone identified a property at 500 East 8th Court, owned by Sailokeini Talivakaola, as having made no progress on required repairs. Barone told the Board that the property owner lived in California and was not showing much interest in fixing the property. The Board voted to identify the property as Existence of a Dangerous Building, and started the clock ticking towards an imposed resolution down the line. Fred Griffin, owner of 2102 Park Lane, appeared with family members on a property that had drawn an Existence of a Dangerous Building status. The status was determined in the
January meeting, and Griffin noted he had missed the meeting, confused about the date. He told the board that much progress had been made. He was told that the property status would require a court appearance, but received encouragement from the Board to keep the positive momentum of the repair project moving forward. In New business, the Board received an update on current structures. Barone discussed a property at 2315 Lulu, brought to the Board’s attention by citizen complaints. He noted that the property was rough inside and out, and had no utilities. The Board carried over the declaration of the property as a nuisance. A property at 412 East 10th Street, which had received an Existence of a Dangerous Building status, was re[See BNB, Page 2]
Area School Boards Approve Calendars, Bids, Discuss Budgets The Pleasant View RVI, Grundy R-V, Spickard R-II, Laredo R-VII, TriCounty R-VII, Princeton R-V and Gallatin R-V school boards recently met in open session. Discussions included the 2024-25 school calendars, budgets and bids. Pleasant View R-VI A regular session meeting of the Pleasant View RVI School Board of Education was held on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 in the school cafete-
ria. The consent agenda, consisting of the agenda, minutes from the previous meeting, financial statement and bills, was approved. Community Club President Mikael Ledford gave an update on the Community Club. Teachers Hayley Anderson (4th), Kylie Davis (6, 7, 8), and Taran Loyd (special education) gave updates on the school year. In old business, school
improvements were discussed, with no action taken. Bids were opened regarding new roofing on several different areas of the school. A bid from Troyer Roofing & Coating in the amount of $3,478 to place the roof on the area over the janitor's room off of the school gymnasium was approved. Under new business, the school reviewed the CSIP scoring, with no action [See Boards, Page 2]
Kiwanis to Host Trivia Event There is still time to get your family, friends, coworkers or just the smartest people you know together to form a team for the 6th Annual Kiwanis Trivia Night. Slated for Saturday, March 9th at the Black Silo Winery, the event is guaranteed to be a fun night for trivia buffs and those just looking for an enjoyable evening supporting a great cause. The contest will get underway at 6:30 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Concessions will be available. There will be four rounds of trivia with fifteen questions in each round. Teams will also have a chance to earn points by participating in the Team Spirit contest; whereby teams are encouraged to decorate their table and dress according to their selected team name. Additional points will be awarded to the top three teams who best depict their chosen theme. Each team will consist of 6-8 adults (18 and over). Entry fee for a team is $120. Kiwanis Club members are currently reaching out to area businesses to help with sponsorship of the event. Sponsorships available include sponsoring a round, prize money sponsorship, as well as items for a silent auction to be held in conjunction with the event. Teams may register online by going to https://tinyurl.com/TrentonKiwani TriviaNight or they can find a link to the registration site on the Trenton Kiwanis Club Facebook page. Once registered, teams will be invoiced and can pay online with debit or credit card. Teams needing to register with a paper copy or who need to pay with cash or check can see Kara at Dave’s Body Shop in Trenton. Team space is limited, so be sure to register early. Early registrants will be given preferential seating. Due to space limitations, admittance will be limited [See Kiwanis, Page 2]