Jack Remembers for March 30th, 2011

My father, Walter “Shorty” Hackley, only had a fifth grade education. His grade cards for those five years were straight “E”s. His father in today’s world, would have been in jail for child abuse. He took him out of school to work in the field. When he was 16, his father died and his older brothers came in and took all the horses and equipment, and left him with nothing.

My father knew nothing but work, and work he did. Seven days a week, 365 days out of the year. He milked cows night and morning, and sold Grade A milk to Adams Dairy in Blue Springs for 47 years. He was instrumental in forming the local Sni Valley Fire District, and when they had the first election and elected three directors, he received more votes than all the other candidates combined. He served twelve years as Secretary/Treasurer of the district. Although he was a religious man, he only took time to go to church Easter and Christmas. He always said he had those two stories down pat.

Even though my dad was a good Christian, he was probably the best cusser I ever heard. I lived in town and drove to the farm one evening at milking time. I met the Methodist preacher, Rev. Fulbright, just leaving. I went in the milk barn where my dad was milking and he was cussing up a storm. It seems as if my dad had bought several bonds that built the new Methodist Church. The bonds were all different denominations and maturities, but all paid 7% interest annually, which was a pretty good investment at that time, and in order to finance the new church were sold to church members and townspeople. When I asked him why he was so mad, he said the preacher had just talked him in to forgiving the interest on the bonds this year, and not only that, forgiving the bond that had matured and was due and payable.

Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075 or jackremembers@aol.com

Courthouse Roof Not Fixed; Who's to Blame?

The Courthouse Roof is not completely fixed according to the commissioners and the present commission was under the impression that the engineer was supposed to oversee the roof project. While it is partially fixed, there are still parts of the Courthouse that leak. But S&V, the engineering firm hired for the project, said that the former commission and clerk were in charge of the oversight and that Frazier Roofing, the contractor, was responsible. New County Attorney David Baird said, "We thought that everything on the roof was done, but now we find out it's not." James of S&V said that he had inspected it visually in December and thought that it was done but "now you say it's not." "Either something has happened since I was here, or there was something that was not caught," he said.

Debbie and James of S&V outlined the history of the project at the regular County Commission meeting Monday. They said that previous commissioners had sought to minimize costs as much as possible; therefore, they would send pictures to S&V so that they would only have to come and inspect the work at critical points. That way, it would save substantial costs on the project. Debbie said that their understanding was that the county would oversee the project and that they would only come when needed. On the other hand, the present commissioners thought S&V were the overseers of the project. However, Debbie said that the original understanding was that the county commission would oversee the project. This, she said, was in accordance with DNR regulations under which the project was done which require a close working relationship between the commission and the engineer. "We have to be able to justify our budget before DNR," she said.

Debbie of S&V said that she didn't know how much has been paid to Frazier; she said that they knew how much was approved, but they did not know what was actually paid. Debbie explained that under the terms of the agreement, S&V came up during critical points of the project. For instance, they came during the installation of the flagpole; if it had not been installed property, it would have fallen sideways and torn up the cupola.

Baird said that, "If there are leaks, then that means that something is wrong and possibly a defect in workmanship," he said. Debbie said that S&V was not an expert in roofing, but in design and construction. James of S&V said that there was a five year warranty and that it would go against Frazier's bond if the work was not done right and that the county could work with the bonding company in that regard.

Debbie produced a bill totaling thousands of dollars which she said that the county had not paid since February 2009 and which she said that the county owes; she said that there were $6,000 in other charges since then that she says the county owes as well. She said that work could not continue on the project until the county made some kind of arrangement to pay. She said that it used to be that the county had always kept them paid, but that the payments had stopped early in 2009. Regarding the payment of the bill, the county had refused to pay it based on what Debbie termed an "inappropriate response;" the county's position had been that S&V had not performed their duties. "We assumed that you were responsible for the oversight," said Debbie. "We trusted Clerk Lisa Hargrave that she was going her job and keeping you in the loop." In addition, she said that Frazier owned the slate that was out in the Courtyard because she said it had been deducted from the bid that they put in. The Commissioners said they thought they had paid directly for the slate and that the county owned it.

Debbie said that there were numerous problems with Frazier regarding the work on the roof; for instance, she said that she had written letters to Frazier asking them to be onsite more and to get their paperwork in order and that some of them had been written at the county's request. She said that their whole premise was that they had been working under the prior agreement with former Commissioner Bill Mozingo and that was what they were going by. "We assumed that you had been told that; we thought Clerk Lisa Hargrave had told you what was going on," she said. She produced the pictures of the work on the Courthouse that had been sent as well as correspondence from both Mozingo and former Clerk Lisa Hargrave showing their roles in overseeing the project.

Debbie characterized Mozingo as being in desperation mode at one point; Frazier's bid was much cheaper than any of the other bids and she said that he feared that if they lost the Frazier bid, they would not get the project done. The county, at that time, had negotiated a raise in Frazier's bid because working with the slate roofing would cost more than had been anticipated.

Debbie then said that the present commission was in the dark regarding major aspects of the project. "You don't know how much money is left on this project," she said. She said that the project involved a loan with a payback period that they didn't know about and that they also needed to get with Mark Miles of DNR, who is in charge of historic preservation projects like the Courthouse Restoration Project; she produced a copy of the DNR loan and the letter of approval for the loan for the project.

She then talked about the county's relationship with S&V. "We can't have a working relationship with you if there is no trust involved," she said. Debbie said that the county had to make sure that Frazier was doing their job. "When you have someone like Frazier who is licensed by the state, you don't have to oversee them as much," she said. But she said that Frazier was "notorious" in dragging their feet in signing needed paperwork "and we have the paperwork to prove it." "You got the cheapest contractor that you could find and this is what we had to deal with," she said. Subsequently, after going into closed session that afternoon and meeting with Attorney David Baird regarding potential pending litigation, the commission decided to continue their relationship with S&V, saying that they were privy to a lot of information about the project that the county didn't have.

Second Time Around

Charles L. “Rusty” Chester could be sitting back enjoying his retirement, but instead he is going into business for himself, opening a new law firm. “I want to try to mirror my Grandfather and Uncle, Dr. Ralph Kelley and Dr. Gilbert Kelley by serving the community as a lawyer,” said Rusty Chester.

After retiring from a successful practice as a lawyer with a large law firm, Chester is opening a new office on the square in Savannah. He learned about Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation (NWMEF) through the Savannah Chamber of Commerce and credits NWMEF with providing him the guidance and confidence he needed to go into business for himself. Chester said his greatest joy is helping people meet their law related needs. He also has some sage advice for anyone thinking about starting a business. “Above all, trust in God. Pursue something you like to do within a structure you are able to handle, profitably,” Chester said.

Chester believes his biggest struggle will be performing all the activities that the administrative staff, secretaries, paralegals and associates did at the large law firm, but is excited about meeting and serving more people personally.

If you are interested in starting or retaining your own business, Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation (NWMEF) is here to help. NWMEF is an economic development project trained by the Sirolli Institute which serves six counties including Andrew, Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway and Worth. Services are offered free and are strictly confidential. NWMEF is a not-for-profit organization. For more information, contact Annette Weeks, facilitator, at (816) 262-5158 or facilitator@nwmef.com. The Resource Board is comprised of more than 70 volunteer board members from each county as well as regional representation.

Rusty Chester Law Office, 108 S. 5^th Street, is celebrating a Grand Opening hosted by NWMEF and the Savannah Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, April 5 with the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend.

Waterfowl workshops planned for hunting seasons and zones

The Missouri Department of Conservation is holding workshops statewide to gather hunter ideas about the timing of duck season and where waterfowl hunting zone boundaries should be located.

Workshops for northwest Missouri are scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. at the following locations:

· Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge on April 4. The headquarters is five miles south of Mound City, just off Interstate 29. Take exit 79 and drive 3 miles west on Missouri 159. For information call 816-271-3100.

· Chillicothe on April 5 at the Comfort Inn, 250 W. Business 36. For information call 816-271-3100.

States set their waterfowl hunting seasons, zones and bag limits within a framework established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The framework is based on waterfowl population surveys on breeding grounds in the northern United States and Canada.

Every five years, states can adjust existing duck zones and seasons. MDC will consider this year season dates and zone boundaries for the 2011 through the 2015 hunting seasons. Hunters attending workshops will have a chance to express their experiences in past years and their preferences for the next five waterfowl seasons.

Prayer for Serenity by Eunice Jones

The late Eunice Jones left behind a whole collection of poetry. She won first prize in a high school competition and had a love for poetry ever since. She won awards for her work from the Missouri Arts Council in the 1980's and 1990's. Here is a sample of her work:

I've dwelt too long with sadness

He haunts my every hour

Wouldst I could soar in gladness

Escape that awesome power.

'Though storms may break tomorrow

With cruel torrential hail

And crash my world to pieces

In wildly shrieking gale

Just for today, Oh blessed sun

Shine soft as thistle down.

Serenity...encircle me

Within your golden crown.

Poems by Ms. Jones and many other local writers are in the book "Streams of Poetry" by Carol Parman. To order, write her at RR 4 25533 170TH RD, GRANT CITY, MO 64456.

Northeast Nodaway Girls 6th in Early Bird

Northeast Nodaway's girls finished sixth in the Worth County Early Bird while the boys got eight points in track action Thursday. It was a vast improvement for the boys, who did not start picking up points until the latter part of the season last year.

Taryn Farnan finished fifth in the High Jump with a leap of 4'2". She said that was a disappointment for her, since she has jumped as high as 4'6" last year.

Michelle Schulte, trying the Triple Jump for the first time ever, got second with a jump of 30'9 1/2. She was one foot behind Rachel Thomsen of North Harrison, which has had a lot of strong jumpers in recent years. Schulte also placed fifth in the Long Jump with a jump of 13'4".

The girls 4x800 Relay Team of Katrina Freemyer, Kerrigan Adwell, Shayna Dougan, and Claudia Wiederholt finished third with a time of 12:54. That was 1:20 behind Worth County's winning time.

Sage DeLong was 5th in the 200 Meter Dash with a time of 25.53. That was 1.39 seconds behind Eli Mullock's winning time of 24.14.

Taking fourth in the 300 Hurdles for Northeast's girls was Morgan Porter. Running for the first time in varsity action, the freshman finished with a time of 59.15.

Kevin Stoll was third for Northeast in the Boys 300 Hurdles. He finished with a time of 51.82, slightly over five seconds behind Bryce Ross' winning time.

The highlight of Northeast Nodaway's afternoon was Michelle Schulte's win in the 800. After finishing second at state last year in the 800, she was a favorite this year, but got a strong challenge from Abbe Gibson of North Harrison. Schulte fended off some challenges from Gibson but shortly after the first lap, Gibson got neck and neck with Michelle before she turned on the afterburners and pulled away for the win. As the tiny but deadly Schulte girl said afterwards, "I wasn't going to let her pass me." She finished with a time of 2:40, well ahead of her initial time last year in the 800.

Tiger Girls 4th in Crowded Field at Early Bird

Worth County's girls finished fourth at the Worth County Early Bird in a crowded field. Maysville won the event with 95 points while Stanberry was second with 91. North Harrison had 89 while Worth County followed with 86 points. King City was fifth with 72 in the crowded field.

Rebecca Moore was the surprise winner of the Discus throw with a personal best throw of 89'6". That put her five feet ahead of Sydney Stoll of Stanberry. Brooke Gilland was 5th with a throw of 71'5".

Katie Mullock was 5th in the Long Jump for the Tigers with a jump of 13'3 1/2".

Worth County finished 1-4 in the Pole Vault. Claire Andrews won the event with a vault of 8 feet, six inches ahead of Amy Gully of Albany. Lauren Null finished fourth with a vault of 6 feet. The Tigers figure to pack a punch in the Pole Vault this year as Lauren has vaulted as high as 7'6".

Worth County won the 4x800 Relay with a time of 11:31.00. The team was Kristen Andrews, Liz Novak, Lauren Null, and Kiley Reynolds. They finished ten seconds ahead of Maysville as Lauren Null held off the Maysville runner in the final leg and won going away.

Worth County figures to be strong in the 100 Hurdles as both Jessica Garrett and Brooke Gilland are back. They finished 2-3 in the event with Garrett getting second with a time of 18.58 while Brooke Gilland got a time of 18.59. They were four tenths of a second behind Maysville's Mary Jane Kapp.

Katie Mullock picked up some points in the 100 with a time of 14.37, good enough for fifth. She was one second behind the winning time of Chandelar Carey of North Harrison.

Kiley Reynolds was third in the 200. She finished with a time of 31.08, 2 1/2 seconds behind the winning time of Chandelar Carey of North Harrison.

The 4x200 Relay Team of Claire Andrews, Kiley Reynolds, Brooke Gilland, and Katie Mullock finished third with a time of 2:00.43. That was half a second behind the Albany team in a close three-way race between Worth County, Albany, and Stanberry.

Worth County also placed third in the 4x100. The team of Claire Andrews, Jessica Garrett, Brooke Gilland, and Kiley Reynolds finished with a time of 57.74, 1.8 seconds behind the winning Maysville squad.

Lauren Null was second in the 3200. She ran for a time of 16:17.00 in the first time she ever attempted the race.

Worth County was third in the 4x400. The team of Kristen Andrews, Claire Andrews, Liz Novak, and Katie Mullock finished with a time of 4:43. That was nine seconds behind the winning Stanberry team.