BLOOMFIELD — Stoddard County Commissioners received word an environmental review will need to be completed for the new Nestle Purina facility during Monday morning’s meeting.
According to Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Executive Director Hannah Burnett, the Department of Economic Development requires the new facility to be included.
When the clearances are updated, it will be sent to the state office. Once completed, a request to release funds can be submitted to the Department of Economic Development.
“It could be up to 60 days,” Burnett said. “It all depends on the turnaround of clearances from the state office.”
The environmental review of the new facility will not impact the expansion work, Burnett said, but it will delay the road project by the Missouri Department of Transportation slightly.
Burnett is scheduled to provide commissioners with an update of the progress during the April 15 meeting.
Emergency Management Agency Director Kent Polsgrove updated commissioners as a part of his monthly report.
Last month’s storm siren test was successful with the exception of Dudley.
According to Polsgrove, the batteries have since been replaced and the siren is working. All maintenance of the sirens is handled by the cities.
Storm spotter information was also distributed to city clerks last week with each community required to have spotters.
In the event of bad weather, Polsgrove will notify fire chiefs, who will then send our their storm spotters.
With the severe weather season approaching, Polsgrove reported he attended a weather service workshop.
A public survey conducted in the region was presented on how citizens receive their storm warning information.
According to the survey, 35 percent of people get their storm warning information from local media, 34 percent from mobile phone alerts, 16 percent from outdoor sirens and 15 percent from other sources, which included weather radios, phone calls from family or don’t pay attention.
“That’s about 70 percent depending on their phones for weather information,” Polsgrove said.
What weather alerts would look like in 10 years was also discussed during the workshop, Polsgrove added.
With towns in charge of their siren maintenance, he questioned what the warnings would look like when they are not able to afford siren replacements.
Ten years ago, people did not use their cell phones to receive weather information like today, Polsgrove added.
The county will be seeking request for proposals for its financial auditing services for 2017-18, which will be due by April 15.
According to County Clerk Cecil Weeks, state statute requires the county to have an audit if the previous two years had expenditures of grant money over $750,000.
During last week’s meeting, Weeks reported that amount was not granted in 2018, but over $1 million was awarded in 2017.