DNR reports on extent of soil contamination

Cardwell city Alderman Wanda Lee, Mayor John Prince, City Clerk Mary Vaughn, and Chief of Police Anthony Parker all review a report sent to the city by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Staff photo by Joshua Payne [Click to enlarge]

CARDWELL, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Hazardous Waste Program has reported that the extent of soil contamination to the south of the former Martin Oil Filling Station, former Brewer Brothers Bulk Plant located at 310 and 312 Pool Street in Cardwell, Mo., has been marked and outlined.

Mayor of Cardwell, John Prince, announced at the City Council meeting on Thursday that DNR is looking forward to receiving the report on a sampling of the newly installed vapor monitoring wells and results of the additional site characterization activities to be performed at the site.

A report on the site characterization activities must submitted within 90 days of Dec. 16, 2008, per request by DNR.

Following this announcement, Anthony Parker, Cardwell Chief of Police, gave the council the December police report.

The report included one minor being arrested for DUI and minor in possession, one fire responded to at the Lazy J. Ranch, two 911 emergency calls, and no accidents.

The department was also involved in two Christmas Parades in the month of December, one in Hornersville, Mo., and one in Leachville, Ark., according to Parker.

Chief Parker also thanked Larry Clark for coordinating a Christmas Dinner for the department.

Following the police report, Charles Moore announced the replacement of a pump in lift station number one located by the school.

Lift station number two is awaiting air switches before replacement.

The department also made two street repairs and caught two canines in the city.

In reference to the dogs, Moore said that the pen used to hold the animals needs improvement because more dogs can escape captivity.

City Clerk Mary Vaughn gave her report next, including a find by the internal audit committee. The committee found that one of the city stickers was missing after sales.

"I don't know if one is just missing or if I accidentally gave someone two after the purchase of one," Vaughn said.

The city of Cardwell sold a total of 410 city stickers from January to December, according to Vaughn.

Other information given was that the city's total assets were at $149,874.19, which is up almost $20,000 from last year total.

"Income is up from last year and looking better, we are over our amount projected and under in expenses," Vaughn said.

A proposal to purchase a new battery charger for one of the city golf carts was announced to the council, who approved the purchase with the stipulation that Charles Moore look into the repair and trade-in of the current golf cart charger before the purchase of the new charger.

Another item for approval for the council was the bids for one new pump for lift station number three and one smaller pump to be used in lift station one or two.

Vaughn said that she tried to contact several different places, but most were unwilling to help. The only business willing to give a bid on the pumps was Moss Electric in Hornersville, according to Vaughn.

The pumps will take 14 weeks to arrive and if the big pump in station number three goes out in the process then the city is in trouble, according to Moore.

The bid for the two pumps by Moss Electric will cost the city $16,956 without the price of the 1,000 pound freight included.

The council approved the purchase of the pumps because of the emergency situation that would occur if the larger pump were to malfunction.

The approval of another item by the council was made that would allow the mayor to sign a form for DNR showing that Richard Mara and Charles Moore are contract operators for the city.

Parker approached the council in the last portion of the meeting with two needed purchases for the Police Department.

The first purchase was for two safety vest that are now required to be worn by officials working in traffic or roadside.

The vest would cost the city $80.97, shipping included, to purchase both of the needed items, according to Parker.

The second purchase for the department was the replacement of the current Portable PVT, which is used to give breathalyzer tests to individuals.

The company the item was purchased from wants $100 to look at the machine and then extra money to fix and ship the corrected product, according to Parker.

"The machine cost the department around $299 to buy brand new," Parker said.

The department is without a breathalyzer device at the moment and if this is needed, officers would have to travel to Kennett to have someone tested.

The city council approved and authorized Parker to purchase the needed two vests and buy a new portable PVT, instead of repairing the existing one.

The next Cardwell City Council meeting is set for Feb. 12, 2009. One of the items to be discussed at this meeting will be the hiring of a part-time building inspector to condemn older buildings in the city to be removed. This inspector is needed to protect the city from any future lawsuits having to do with the older condemned buildings.