50 years ago

Sept. 22, 1976

— New HUD Project Requests Being Developed In County

With over a quarter of a million dollars spent in Barry County projects during the past two years, communities will soon be getting in line for further assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The HUD grants have poured $296,810 in federal funds in projects benefiting five communities during the period since 1975. County and community officials were in meetings last week with HUD officials to determine interest in a 1977 program, according to Howard Bounous, county clerk. In addition to the clerk, county officials attending included Presiding Judge Nolan McNeill and George Ulmer, engineer. City officials in the meeting included Mayor Bill Hemphill of Purdy, Mayor Boone McQueen and Dr. R. A. Mutrix of Wheaton. Bounous explained this week communities, which will make applications on an individual basis, have until November 30 to make their desires known. From the initial request lists, priorities will be established by the federal agency. The clerk also said his office had available a lengthy list of improvements eligible in small communities under the HUD program. Since 1975, Purdy, Monett, Cassville, Wheaton and Exeter have participated in the program through the Barry County court. As the supervising agency, the three-member court handled development of the requests, seeing them through awarding of contracts. Projects included in the past programs have included a community center and park improvements at Purdy costing $42,810; community center and office building remodeling in Cassville costing $76,000; community center in Monett at a dollar figure of $82,000; sewer and street improvements at Wheaton with $23,000 expenditure and new well and pump at Exeter costing $73,000. Officials noted the Cassville project is nearing completion with check-off of the building status scheduled this week between Ulmer and the contractor, Lester Prewitt and Son. The four other projects are completed and functioning according to Ulmer. The lengthy process of making application for communities wishing to take part will receive assistance from the county agencies involved. The HUD program makes federal funds available for projects within rural communities which do not have the fiscal capability of achieving priority programs. Bounous said local officials have no determination of the priority of fund releases in the state. County officials expect from three to six projects to be submitted for the 1977 program from Barry County within now and the deadline date.

40 years ago

Sept. 24, 1986

— Eagle Rock In State Funding Program; Commerce Helping

The Table Rock Lake community of Eagle Rock has become involved in the Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program for improvements to their area. And, Commerce Bank of Barry County is a healthy first contributor of $10,000 to the effort. Presentation of the funds will be September 26, at the Eagle Rock Community Center. In a public program, Commerce’s Eagle Rock banking center manager Gary Dunnam will make the presentation to Paul Bledsoe, president of the community’s Chamber of Commerce. Bill Easley, president of the Cassville bank which has the facility at Eagle Rock, said the funds would be presented to the community to “do with as they see fit in the development of the area.” Commerce has operated a facility at Eagle Rock for eight years. The unincorporated community between Roaring River State Park and Table Rock Lake has been in the process of improvements for several years. Most recently, those efforts have been expedited, spearheaded by both a C of C and Community Association. Community folks taking a lead in the state NAP program have been Imogene Dunklin, executive director of application, Roy Smith, vice-president and Claudine Jenkins as secretary of the board of directors. Jewell Farwell is project director. Programs in the community have an extensive list of debt repayment and new projects that are estimated to run in the neighborhood of $63,000. Further into their schedule of projects are physical improvements to their property and exercise equipment that would cost another $26,000. Rounding-out library and cultural arts plans is an expenditure of just under $10,000. Eagle Rock community improvements are based around the center located on Highway 86 just north of a development area and the lake reservoir. Once the site of a rural school, the property is under long-term lease with the Cassville R-4 school district. The one-time Eagle Rock rural school district became part of the Cassville schools in a reorganization program in 1971. The ambitious program of the community over a period of time will be establishment of a library and cultural arts center at the development area of the old school and two other buildings provided by past efforts. Included would be central heating and air conditioning. The center area is used extensively for Eagle Rock projects, including the annual fall Arts and Crafts Festival. Sidewings, floor coverings, roof repairs and other capital projects are in a middle phase of the program. The major effort will be targeted for between building covered walkways, parking lot improvements, debt retirement, stage and bleachers, sound system, outside barbecue meal service to elderly, security system, and other factors. The Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program was designed by the state Community Economic Development and provides for businesses helping their community efforts through financial contributions. In partial recognition of the assistance, tax credits are permitted.

— Property Value Review By Assessor’s Office Underway

Complying with Missouri law that real estate parcels in a county must be reviewed for assessment value every two years, Glen D. Nicoll, Barry County assessor, has sent crews into various communities to begin the task. The assessor said this week he expects to complete the job in six months. “A pair of part time employees in the field and two extra clerical workers are needed for the review,” Nicoll said. Field supervisor Wayne Johnson and Nicoll will assist Charles Saunders and Patrick McLean. Nicoll said the crews were in rural Purdy this week and will work the McDowell and Jenkins communities next week. Review will be accomplished completely in the over 22,000 parcels between now and the January 1, 1987 deadline. Included will be depreciation rates to commercial buildings. Nicoll also said the state law requires approximately 7,500 parcels of agricultural land to be refigured with new values. He speculated new legislation required would reduce these values for 1987. Added personnel and expense to the county, which has been in delicate financial conditions since reassessment costs of approximately $1 million were absorbed over a three-year period, this time will be reimbursed by the State of Missouri. Nicoll said the reimbursement, up to $60,000 would be based on $3 per parcel for the first 20,000 property listings. Beyond that, there is an on-going formula under which the state will bear costs. Nicoll, who has been assessor since 1970, most usually has run unopposed for the office. Asked this week if the added expenditure could in any way damage the county’s financial condition, the assessor replied, “No, state reimbursement could actually help in relieving some other expenses of this office.” The assessor was also asked if the reassessment up-date costs and program could become a legitimate political issue this election? Nicoll responded that it “should not be, it is just following the letter of the law and that’s what public officials are supposed to do,” he responded. State mandated reassessment has been credited with being a major factor in financial problems being experienced by rural county governments. Increased valuations, which were followed by levy rollbacks, did not produce more than natural growth amounts of revenue for government agencies. Prior to reassessment Barry County’s assessed valuation was just over $50 million. The 1986 assessed valuation figure was $132 million, says deputy assessor June Smith. Windfalls of tax revenue to agencies of government were not possible under the program which originated out of legal action filed in St. Louis. Missouri Tax commission review of all tax levies are required prior to public hearings held by all agencies.

30 years ago

Sept. 17, 1996

— Major construction projects move forward on schedule

This summer’s dry weather has a positive side. The lack of rain has allowed three major construction projects in the Cassville area to move ahead on schedule.

Barry County Jail

The 4,000-square-foot addition to the Barry County Jail is only six weeks from completion. David Cox, a foreman for Branco Construction, said the block work is finished, the detention modules are secured, the preliminary wiring and plumbing is roughed in, and the iron work is done. Final roofing work will begin this week. Presiding Commissioner Cherry Warren said once the roof is on, the project “should come to a head pretty fast.” Warren said the project is still within the original contract price of $529,000 plus architectural fees. “I think we’re very close to the contract amount,” Warren said. Once the jail addition is completed, there will be room for the county to house 16 additional prisoners. Commissioners pointed out that the addition was designed for ease of expansion. “The next go around would be to add eight more modules and 32 more beds,” Warren said.

Roaring River Lodge Complex

Excavation work has dominated crews at the site of the new $4 million lodge complex at Roaring River State Park. Steve Helm, project supervisor for Edgewater Construction, said at present his men are working on a new highway entry system. He said turn lanes for both lines of traffic on Highway 112 and a new highway entrance will be installed for easier access to the new lodge. Excavation for the main drive to the lodge has been completed. Foundation work for the building is scheduled to begin next week. “We’ll work at an accelerated schedule to get it (the lodge) up and out of the ground before cold weather hits,” Helm said. Helm said the project is on schedule so far. “We suffered a couple of minor delays, which are expected at the front end of a job this size,” Helm said. A construction crew of about six people has been working on the project for 62 days. When the project is moving forward at full speed, Helm said he expects to employ as many as 40.

Barry Electric Headquarters

Bill Shiveley, general manager at Barry Electric, said construction at the co-operative’s new headquarters is within one day of the proposed construction schedule. According to Shiveley, water and electrical lines are in, the site pad is finished and the west highway entrance is completed. Crews have also poured the floor for the wire storage building and poured the walls for the transformer dock. In the next week, construction crews are scheduled to begin pouring column footings and grade beams on the west wall of the warehouse. “Someone has been working everyday since we broke ground in July,” Shiveley said.

— Overall visitor numbers on Table Rock are increasing

Visitation numbers are down at Corps parks in Barry County. Visitor numbers at Table Rock Lake through the month of August reveal that over 1.8 million more people were attracted to the lake area this year than last. The numbers, provided by the Army Corps of Engineers’ office in Branson, show an approximate 21 percent increase in visitation on the lake. From October, 1995, through August, 1996, a total of 9,327,376 people visited Table Rock as compared to 7,448,357 for the same period last year. The biggest increases in visitor numbers could be traced to Table Rock State Park and Kimberling City State Park, two Corps-operated public use areas near Branson. According to Jeff Farquhar, park ranger in charge of reports and analysis, the increase in visitors could also be attributed to the fact that the Corps now counts attendance on the Branson Belle in its overall visitation figures. The paddleboat accounts for about 40,000 visitors each month. Despite the overall increase in visitors, Corps-operated parks on the Barry County portion of the lake have experienced a decrease in visitor numbers. Farquhar provided visitation numbers for Big M, Campbell Point, Eagle Rock, Viola and Viney Creek public use areas, all of which showed drops in visitor totals. Numbers used are for an 11-month period ranging from October through August. Total visitation at the five parks stood at 201,895 in 1996, a 7.8 percent decrease from the 219,053 visitor total in 1995. Big M’s and Eagle Rock’s park usage decreased by 8 percent. The visitor total for both parks was 39,768 for the period of October 1995 through August 1996 as compared to 43,403 during the same time last season. Campbell Point numbers reflect an 11.2 percent drop in use of the public park. Visitor numbers in 1995 were 72,526 as compared to 64,402 this year. Viney Creek’s visitation levels remained almost steady. There was a difference of only 175 visitors between the 1995 and 1996 seasons. During the first 11 months of the 1995 season, there were 31,475 visitors at Viney Creek as compared to 31,300 this season. Overall visitation at Viola lowered by 5.6 percent from 28,246 in 1995 to 26,657 in 1996. Farquhar said even though visitation numbers are down at these parks, total fees are up. He said a stricter enforcement policy on user fees has resulted in more fees collected but may have affected visitation numbers by turning some park users away. Farquhar added that the lake’s operating level has been almost perfect all year.