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TheSalem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting Tuesday evening at the city hall council chambers. At the meeting, Alfred Hughes talked with the aldermen about his desire to hold outdoor contemporary Christian music and bluegrass gospel shows every first and third Saturdays starting March 22^nd and lasting until the end of September at his property and surrounding lands with permission from the neighbors. He said he is doing this so that the youngsters in the neighborhood on Eighth Street between Jackson and Washington have an alternative choice to drugs and get them involved in Christianity. Since it is on private property, the board has no authority to approve or not approve the event, but Mr. Hughes wanted the city to know what was going on at the property before he began holding the events. The board then approved the consent agenda that showed an increase in sales tax for the month of January before Alderman Jim McDaniels asked about the culverts at the city park. The city has cleaned the ditches out as far as they could before the ditch became too wet to do any good. The city will continue that work once the ditch either freezes or dries out. McDaniels stated that he talked with Mike Fiaoni from the Department of Conservation and Dave Massengale from the US Forest Service about transplanting the three to four inch trunk ash trees that are at the treatment plant. These trees would be professionally removed and then planted properly in the city park all for $1,900. Massengale stated the transplanting needs to be done before April 15^th during the dormant stage for the tree. The board will put the item on the agenda for the next meeting. Alderman Jackson asked about the utility bill for Marion Whitfield when the residence where she was living caught fire and the meter was pulled. The property then had to be renovated and the owner put the utilities into his name while the work was being done. Whitfield then went to move back in and put the utilities in her name, but was charged a deposit. This was because there was a break in service and that is what the ordinance requires. City of Salem Parks and Recreation Director Greg Nash asked the city to help with the building of batting cages and after a discussion; they felt that the best area might be beyond the center field fence at the Red Field. Mayor Gary Brown said that 42 people dropped off items at the recycle day held this past Saturday. They collected a yard and a quarter of magazines. The mayor said that MoDOT says that the city of Salem and Dent County has $93,706 of money in the MoDOT accounts. The mayor asked MoDOT to use the money to remove the crown from McArthur and they will look at that. He went on to say that he and City Clerk Mary Happel would be at the MML legislative session later today. The board approved Bill #3120 that proposes a settlement with AT & T Mobility for back taxes in the amount of $243,481.52. According to City Attorney Mark Weaver, this had to be approved if the city wants to have claim to these funds where the litigation ends. The board approved a request to work with Archer Engineering and the MRPC to prepare the paperwork and plans for the Safe Route to School Grant, and the board instructed City Clerk Mary Happel to create a list from the active accounts receivable of utility bills that have been uncollected for over five years for removal from the active account. She will prepare the list for aldermen approval at the next meeting. After the bills were approved, the meeting went into closed session.

Due to a large number of influenza cases being reported in Dent County and the surrounding areas, the Dent County Health Center is offering flu vaccinations at no charge on a walk-in basis (Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:15 pm) until the vaccine supply is exhausted. There is a limited supply of the vaccine and it will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you need further information, you can call the Health Center at 729-3106, EXT 111.

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