Our city's history is a work in progress. The archive will serve to record this history as our great town continues to grow and develop.
Look out for an increase of kids along Old Route 66!
The Front Door Student Center, managed by Alter Student
Ministries and the Strafford First Assemblies of God, has
opened the doors. The center gives Strafford teens a
positive place to hang out after school. Inside they are
invited to play video games and pool, a cafe, and a concert
stage.
Don't worry parents, because there are also educational opportunities available inside. The children will have access to tutoring, study rooms, and filtered WiFi internet.
The
annual Strafford 4th of July parade will take place on July
4th, at 10:00 a.m. Participants need to sign in at 8:30,
behind the high school in the parking lot. Groups, floats,
classic cars, animals, tractors and 4-wheelers are all
welcome to participate. A bike judging contest for children
will take place at 9:00 a.m. The parade is sponsored by VFW
Post 7214. Come out and enjoy the fun!
The
Strafford Fire Department will operate two new trucks to
keep up with Strafford's growth. The Strafford Fire
Department Board of Directors unanimously voted for the new
tankers citing the importance of safety for our community
fire fighters. The tankers, capable of holding 2,000
gallons, should be in service by February of next year. The
fire department also acquired two lots of land that will be
used for future station expansion.
On June 2, 2006, the town came together at the Strafford
High School track to raise money for cancer in the 5th
annual Relay for Life. The relay is twelve hour walk in
which teams pace themselves around the track for donations.
When it was all totaled up, Strafford raised over $42,000.
The carnival like event features games, a dunk tank, food
and drink, an auctions, and lots of prizes. Sharon Mickey
was topped the donations collected with over $2500 in
individual sponsorship and $750 in corporate sponsorship.
Plans are already in the works for next year's walk.
Kelly Hunt has been named to new Strafford Area Chamber of Commerce
President. Hunt currently owns and operates the Farmers
Insurance branch across from Kum & Go. Hunt is working to
promote the businesses of Strafford, help increase economic
growth in Strafford, and he is also helping plan this year's
Route 66 Days. The outgoing President is Carla Keiser.
For
35 years,
Exotic Animal Paradise has been a community landmark. On
October 1, the animal and theme park will close its doors
forever. The cost to upkeep the park has forced the owners
to consider other options. They recently sold the park to a
real estate developer who will use the land to build a new
subdivision with a golf course and possibly a family
entertainment center.
Pat Jones, the father of Dallas Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones, opened the park in 1971. Ron and Brenda Armitage currently operate the attraction. The park features animals ranging from ostriches, bears, giraffes, and a white Bengal tiger.
Long
time Strafford landmark, Exotic Animal Paradise, was
scheduled to close later this fall to build a new housing
subdivision. However, new owner Tony Oddo, announced in a
press conference that he is planning on reopening the park
in the spring. He also mentioned that he would like to add
restaurants, mini-golf, a gas station, and hotels to the
area in an effort to keep it open as a vacation destination.
The park attracts over 190,000 visitors a year, and is ranked fourth as the most visited Springfield attraction.
A
grant provided by the Missouri Department of Transportation
(MODOT) combined with other funding will help build
sidewalks along our city streets. Phase One will place a
sidewalk along McCabe Street, providing safer methods for
our children who walk to school. Phase Two, if approved by
MODOT will focus on placing sidewalks alongside other city
streets. City Engineer King Coltran commented, "We plan to
focus now on the center section of town and move out from
there."
Greene
County Voters passed the referendum to carry out a five-year
action plan for parks, open space and greenways. The plan is
derived directly from the most recent Vision 20/20 process.
For more information
visit the election web site or
visit TV23 to view an election video. Thank you
Strafford and Greene County Voters!
The
corner of Pine and Madison will soon find new life as the
Greene County Library has agreed upon a plan that provides
Strafford its first library. The former home of MFA will now
host the library.
The library is projected to be open in September. A $26,300 donation given by Friends of the Library will help furnish the necessary shelves, desks, tables, and computers for the library. Plans for the library consider and preserve the historical importance of the building. The library will also contain a coffee shop.
Hours of operation of the library will be 2-7 p.m. Mondays through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-3p.m. Saturdays. Hours for the coffee shop have not been established.
For
the first time in 35 years, Exotic Animal Paradise has
closed the doors to the public. The new owners will be
meeting with employees of the animal park to discuss the
plans for the park. The animals are scheduled to be
auctioned on October 14, and the new owner as speculated
that he might interested in keeping the park open. There has
been no confirmation to date of the possibility of reopening
the park.
Since this story first ran, an update was recently published
by The News Leader. Pressure from the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) due to park violations of federal laws
eventually led to the agreement of the park closing. Recent
changes in federal regulations have led to several closings
of parks like Exotic Animal Paradise around the country.
USDA regulations went as far as requiring all automobiles to
keep their windows rolled up when driving through the park. All
of the park's animals have been recently auctioned.
Strafford Passes Fair Housing ActThe Board of Aldermen recently passed Strafford's Fair Housing Act. The law is available for your viewing through Sullivan Publications Web site. The Web site features all of Strafford's municipal code. To view the Fair Housing Act and other codes, please visit Sullivan Publications.
Click
on the
QuickCode link or the QuickCode online iconThe Fair Housing Act is filed under Chapter 230: The Human Rights section of the code. Please see Article I: Discriminatory Practices.
This
past week, the board of aldermen passed the 2007 fiscal
budget for the city. Included in the budget is a 4 percent
for city maintenance employees. City police received a 5
percent raise for the year. The pay increase was across the
board for all city employees.
The Strafford Senior Center will hold their bazzar on November 18, 2006. The times of the bazaar is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Strafford Senior Center is located at 210 West. Baumgarner. Please call 736-98989 for additional information.
Congressman
Roy Blunt announced a federal grant that will help fund
Strafford's new Howard Smith Community Park. The federal
grant will cover $55, 556 of the estimated $111,112 price
tag for the park. The grant will help cover the cost of
playground equipment, parking lot, sidewalks, and a splash
pad. The new city park will be built on the southeastern
side of Strafford.
Be sure to leave a few minutes earlier for work.
Resurfacing of Interstate 44 from Strafford to Springfield
is underway. The project should be finished around the first
of November. Alternate routes include Old Route 66 and the
north Outer Road.
Expect detours at the I-44 and US-65 interchange. Interchange improvements will force ramp closures over the next several weeks. Please check the MODOT Web site for additional details.
Both Sophia Alexander and Chelsea King will be running the bases for the Drury Lady Panthers softball team next season. The senior standouts signed letters of intent this morning at the high school gymnasium.
The
Strafford High School volleyball Lady Indians reached the
MSHA Class 2 state championships this weekend at Central
Missouri State in Warrensburg, MO this past weekend. The
Lady Indians finished third in the tournament. The team set
a school record of 30 wins this season. They are coached by
longtime Strafford coach, Jerry Schneider. This was Coach
Schneider's 22nd season.
The
City of Strafford works hard with Southwest Missouri K-9s in
preventing euthanasia of stray puppies and dogs found by our
animal control workers. We ask during this holiday season
that if you are considering a new pet, please be sure to
consider adopting one of these lovable dogs. For more
information, please visit
Petfinder.
The city Web site now has a page dedicated in finding a home for the stray dogs that are found in Strafford. Please take a few minutes to look at the beautiful dogs that are needing a home. For more information about adopting one of these animals, please contact Petfinder or city hall.
If you would like to assist the city in finding homes for these stray animals, we are looking for a local volunteer to take digital photos of these animals. We would like to assist in the adoption process by creating a stray animal section on our site. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Clayton Bowler. A digital camera would be required for any volunteer.
Strafford
families were invited to seek warmth and shelter in the
Lucille Cogdill Early Learning Center as an ice
storm dumped on the Ozarks over a period of two nights. The
center was one of the few places in the city with power.
Power outages blackened most of the city during the storms
as Empire Electric tried to get the power back into
Strafford Homes. The weather didn't cooperate, and most of
Strafford remained without power during the second night of
storms. Strafford looked like a war zone as fallen trees
littered the yards of most Strafford residents. The early
learning center remained open throughout Sunday afternoon as
threatening weather approached the Ozarks.
Governor
Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency for much of
southwest Missouri as he
toured neighboring Springfield on Saturday afternoon. The
governor, a Strafford native, ordered the Missouri National
Guard to help many Missouri communities clean up from the
storms. Many
areas in the Ozarks will qualify for federal disaster relief
due to the severity of the storms. Mayor Myrl Bowler will
work with state officials to insure the city receives
federal help to uncover from these recent storms. Earlier in
the week, the mayor was finishing up work for federal
assistance for the ice storm that hit the area in December.
City workers worked throughout the weekend to see that
streets were clear of fallen debris. The main streets were
cleared first, and the side streets will be cleaned
after that. "With the number of trees that were down, it's
going to take time to get all the streets cleared," said
Mayor Bowler.
City worker Jarrett Burke claims the damage in the city is so intense that it could take a good month before the city is cleaned up from all the fallen trees. Burke reminds people to be careful around the trees. "The ground saturation mixed with the weight of the iced branches lead to another dangerous condition that needs to be considered in the days after the storm."
A series of meetings will begin on March 3, to discuss a possible transition of Strafford's fire department to an all volunteer department to a combination of full-time and volunteer department. The meetings will occur at the fire station located on Highway YY and Missouri State Highway 125. The first meeting will begin at 6:00 PM.
Senior
Citizens living in Greene County may qualify for storm clean
up. The county approved $50,000 to help aid in clean up
after the ice storms that disabled southwest Missouri in
early January. To qualify you must be a Greene County
resident and at least 60 years old. The county will conduct
an in-home assessment to determine eligibility. If you need
assistance, please call June Huff at (417) 862-0762.
Planning
and Zoning approved the final details to bring Camping World
to Strafford. Camping World will begin building next to
McDonald's later this year.
Camping World is the nation's largest supplier of RV and camping accessories. The retailer was founded in 1966 by David Garvin and have over 50 stores in 27 states. The Strafford store will be the first Camping World retail store in Missouri.
The
general municipal election for the City of Strafford will be
held on April 3, 2007. At that time, the city will go the
polls to elect the mayor and aldermen for two year terms.
Fire
Chief Jerry Schiman spoke to the board and made his
recommendation for the future of the department. Schiman
would like to see the tax payers approve a tax levy that
would allow the district to hire 15 firefighters, 1
daytime officers and a full time secretary. For Schiman
to see his plan become a reality the voters will need to
approve a 55 cent tax increase.
The
annual Strafford Relay for Life will take place the evening
of June 1. The event begins at 6:00 PM at the Strafford High
School football field. Last year the
city raised over $42,000 for cancer research. Let's come
together as a community and try to beat last year's amount.
A dollar store is set to open in Strafford in the next couple of months. The store will soon open its doors in the new strip mall next to Cowan's General Store.
When the polls closed at 7:00 PM yesterday evening, Strafford elected a new mayor. Tom Vicat will take office on April 16 during the Board of Aldermen meeting. John Vicat won his bid for reelection in Ward 1. Susan Krieger and Kelly Brown ran unopposed in the races for Ward 2 and Ward 3 seats.
Tim Knox and Clayton Bowler spent many hours revamping a cleaner and faster loading Web site for the city. "We have watched Strafford grow over the past few years and realize the importance the Web site plays not only as a portal of information to the people living in Strafford but also as a tool to promote economic growth in the city," says Bowler. "As Strafford grows, the Web site will play an important tool for companies considering opening their doors in Strafford."
The new site was a donation by the recently formed SpringSource Media and Design. There was no cost to the city in developing the new look. The original site was designed by Bowler as part of an internship with the city. SpringSource is a Strafford company that is developing Web sites and marketing materials throughout the country for a variety of industry.
The
Strafford Board of Aldermen decided on two important dates
for the city. City Cleanup Day will be held April 28, 2007.
The city-wide garage sale will take place on May 5, 2007.
You are required to apply for a
garage sale permit to
participate. (A correction was made to this story on
3/23/2007, and you must apply for a garage sale permit to
host a garage sale on May 5. This day does not count against
your two allowed sales per year)
For
thirty years, kids around Strafford and the Ozarks enjoyed
Exotic Animal Paradise. Last October, it closed its gates
and sold off the animals. Six months later, the park has
dropped the Exotic from its name and has opened with a new
logo, new Web site, and new animals for more generations of
children and their families to enjoy. The park also has
go-karts, miniature golf, bumper boats, petting zoo, driving
range, restaurant, and shopping. For more information, visit
the
Animal Paradise Web site.
The First Baptist Church Relay for Life team will be sponsoring a gospel sing fundraiser on Friday, April 27th. The evening will begin with entertainment provided by Lonesome Hallow. This group of doctors will sing bluegrass gospel. After a short intermission and concession time with homemade baked goods, the Dean Family will take the stage. Admission will be free. Donations will be taken for the Relay for Life team. The concessions will also be offered on a donation basis. The sing will be at the First Baptist Church located at 400 South Madison. The sing begins at 6:30 PM. For more information call Terri at 736-3277.
Strafford
Relay for Life Teams to Hold Garage Sale to Benefit the
American Cancer Society (April 12, 2007)Teams participating in Strafford's annual Relay for Life to benefit cancer research will be holding a garage sale on May 5, 8:00 AM at the Max Evans Gymnasium next to the high school. Proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
The City of Strafford is holding its annual city wide garage sale on Saturday, May 05, 2007. It is being held in conjunction with the Relay for Life Yard Sale at Strafford Schools. Over 54 residences have signed up to be placed on the map. Maps will be available after 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 03, 2007, at most retail establishments in Strafford, MO. The map will also be posted at City Hall, 126 S. Washington, Strafford, MO.
Tom
Vicat took office at Strafford's new mayor at the Board of
Aldermen meeting this evening. Vicat outlined his vision for
Strafford in a letter he
wrote following the election earlier this month. The new
mayor wants to protect the property values of Strafford
homes by insuring ordinances are enforced throughout the
city. The new mayor will also follow through with existing
improvements going on throughout the city while also
implementing a list he gathered during his campaign.
Strafford also has one new alderman. Kelly Brown will represent Ward 3 with longtime Strafford resident, Eddie Cruse.
Outgoing
Mayor Myrl Bowler worked with the the board of education to
open the old locker rooms of the old gym when severe weather
hits the Ozarks. The school board voted to allow the gym to
be open, and it will be the responsibility of Strafford's
emergency management departments to open and run the shelter
in case of bad weather. School Superintendent John Collins
noted, "The police and fire have keys to the gym and they
are welcome to open it for the public; we want to do what we
can to help the city and the residents."
Part of the agreement with the city is that the city must respect the rules of the school including no-smoking. The shelter is located on the northwestern corner of the gymnasium.
The Strafford Fire District will begin taking bids for a 1980 one ton duel-wheel GMC truck. The truck is available to view at the Strafford Fire Station next to the post office. Please mail your bid to P.O. Box 9, Strafford, MO 65757. Bidding will stop on May 12 at 9:00 AM.
Alumni from Strafford High School should sign up now for the annual alumni banquet. The banquet will be held the evening of May 19, at the Lucille Cogdill Early Childhood Center. Tickets are $10 and reservations and payment should be mailed to Jeanette Forney, 8706 Farm Road 80, Strafford, MO, 65757. Female alumni should include their maiden name with their registration. For details about the banquet or scholarship fund, call alumni president Robyn (Bott) Vicat at (417) 736-9518.
Use extra caution if you are heading north of Strafford on Missouri 125. Road workers will be patching the stretch of road between Strafford and Fair Grove. Traffic will be down to one lane on sections of the road.
Strafford
Indian baseball standouts Tyler Goodin and Trent Oxenreider
will play baseball at The College of the Ozarks in Hollister
next season. Goodin, a left-handed pitcher, posted an
impressive 12-1 record as a pitcher for the Indians. He is
5-0 this season. Trent Oxenreider catches for Goodin.
Oxenreider has .450 batting average this season.
Congratulations to both standouts!
In an opportunity to promote seat belt use, Strafford police will be participating in the national program designed to promote seat belt use. Your chances are 1 in 32 of dying in a car accident if you don't wear your safety belt. Beginning Monday, Strafford police will be strongly enforcing Missouri's seat belt law.
“Safety belts clearly save lives. But unfortunately too many folks still need a tough reminder, so we are going to be out in force buckling down on those who are not buckled up,” said Strafford police Chief Justhan Webster.
Rain
Forces Relay Participants Inside (June 4, 2007)The weather put a damper on the city's Relay For Life Event. Threatening weather moved the event into the high school's gymnasium. Official numbers for amount collect for the American Cancer Society will be noted once they are made official.
Strafford Alderwoman Susan Krieger was recognized for her service to the community with the Missouri Silent Hero Award. The award presentation took place at Strafford City Hall on Saturday, and numerous state officials attended. Strafford resident Alice Delcour nominated Krieger for the award.
The city's aldermen have asked City Engineer King Coltrin to take bids for a pipe system and and larger ditches to prevent the drainage problem on the city's north side. The water will be moved to a collection site.
If you are planning on participating in the 4th of July parade, please be at sign in at the Max Evan Gymnasium at 8:30 this Wednesday. Veterans, children, cars, and floats are invited to participate. Festivities include:
The board of aldermen approved a plan to resurface Pine Street from 125 to Jefferson Street. This will be one of the largest road project for the city in a while. The business along Pine Street will be given plenty of advance notice before the project begins. City maintenance supervisor John Dudley said the street will be closed for at least half a day.
The city also approved new pavement for Washington and Dogwood as well as a new parking surfaces for Croxdale Community Park and the Police Department.
Farm Road 84 repaving has been delayed until the drainage repairs have been made. The city will work with the Missouri Department of Transportation for other improvements around the city.
Susan Krieger is busy working on the Northstar School Historical Project. Any former student who attended the school and would like to share a story or photos, please contact Susan at (417) 736-3429.
The new city well at Howard Smith Park has been tested. The well is pumping 550 gallons of water per minute. The city's water supply should be healthy for years to come.
Please remember city employees read water meters between the 20th and the 24th of each month. Please be sure your dog isn't a nuisance to city workers while they are reading the meters.
Strafford residents will receive an information packet in their July water bills after the board began conversations with Southern Missouri Natural Gas to expand their services into Strafford. A representative of the gas company estimates that the average four-person home in Strafford would average $90 a month to heat their homes with natural gas.
The annual Strafford Route 66 Days will take place September 8, 2007. The event will include a car show, rides and attractions, live entertainment, craft fair, games, tractor pull, and the One-Day Route 66 Museum. For more information, visit the Strafford Route 66 Days official Web site.
The City of Strafford is accepting sealed bids for miscellaneous surplus property. This property will be sold “as is” and the City of Strafford reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
Please submit all bids to the City of Strafford City Hall, 126 S. Washington, P.O. Box 66, Strafford, MO 65757, in a sealed envelope with your name, address and telephone number on the outside of the envelope. Bids will be accepted until Thursday, November 01, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. The bids will be opened on Friday, November 02, 2007 at 11:30 a.m. The Board of Aldermen will award the bids at their Regular Meeting on Monday, November 05, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. Visit the City Surplus Auction page for more information.
Strafford’s
Board of Aldermen at their October 15th meeting appointed current Mayor,
Tom Vicat, as the City’s part-time City Administrator for an indefinite
term, effective immediately. Accepting the position required Vicat to
resign as Mayor. With Vicats’s resignation, Barb Helvey, President of
the Board, assumes the position of Acting Mayor until the April 2008
elections.
For the past several years, the Board of Aldermen has agreed unanimously that Strafford needs a City Administrator to help develop and direct a plan to enhance the City’s image and economic development; however, the position was not filled because of budget constraints and the salaries requested by past applicants. Since Vicat was elected Mayor, he has assumed the duties of a city administrator. His work ethic, ability to communicate with citizens, and handle the everyday problems in running a city has been exemplary the past six months.
Vicat is a retired businessman and has agreed to accept a fraction of
the salary of past applicants. Vicat says, “There are good things
happening in Strafford and we must keep the momentum going.” He also
said, “In working with our excellent Board of Aldermen, it is my goal to
move Strafford forward from the bedroom community image into a more
vibrant growing town with new businesses that will help keep Strafford
dollars in Strafford.”