The Missouri Rural Water Association welcomed hundreds to its 17th Annual Bootheel Expo on Monday and Tuesday at the Black River Coliseum.
This year’s attendance totaled over 440 and included representatives from drinking water and wastewater utilities, office professionals, and exhibitors who provide goods and services to water/wastewater utilities, according to a press release from the MRWA.
Activities started Monday with an exhibit hall and audiovisual equipment setup. This was also a day of training for utility board and council members. Ten decision-makers from various systems in the area learned about regulatory requirements governing their water utilities, the Missouri Sunshine Law, governing open meeting requirements, finance and budgeting best practices, and other practical matters related to their leadership roles in publicly operated utilities.
With conference functions kicking off Tuesday, this year’s Expo opened with an expo welcome from MRWA Executive Director Howard Baker. Following the welcome, attendees joined colleagues in drinking water or wastewater sessions. A separate track addressed the concerns of office professionals. During a legal session, these administrators or administrative assistants learned about current regulations and discussed hot topics in water and wastewater.
Expo attendees participated in breakout sessions that provided information on drinking water treatment, water distribution and wastewater collection and treatment. .
Skills demonstrations still find their place during MRWA conferences. The MRWA Rodeo, sponsored by Kubota, allows individuals to test their skills against others in the industry while completing intricate tasks with a mini excavator bucket. Mark Skinner with the city of Cape Girardeau took first place with a time of 2:19, winning $200 for his effort; Corey Alford with the city of Oak Grove came in at second place at only six seconds behind first place with a time of 2:25, winning $100; and Jason Burge with the city of Malden at only five seconds behind Alford at 2:30 came in third winning $50. Ed Thompson and Dan Base of Kubota were on hand to present the winners with cash and plaques.
Besides formal training and networking with each other, conference participants have ample opportunities to win cash and door prizes, as well as collect resources and giveaways from vendors. These extra activities create a fun atmosphere amidst the formal training.
The Expo concluded with the registration prize drawing, where each registered attendees was entered to win. This year’s prize was a 58” HiSense 4K UHD Roku TV and the winner drawn was Mark McDowell of Risco. McDowell is employed by St. Jude Industrial Park in New Madrid.