Around Town: July 3rd, 2024

By: Ernie Wren
What is going on with the old nursing home on South Henry Clay? Darin Ratermann, City Inspector with Community Development provided the answer;

“The new owner of 300 S. Henry Clay, HCR Enterprises LLC, has requested to rezone the property from R-1 to R-3. The intention is to remodel the existing structure, converting the residents’ rooms into approximately 28, mostly one-bedroom apartments. They have been granted permission to do the demolition work necessary to make this conversion, while the rezoning process is progressing. The public hearing will be on July 9th. The details of the public hearing have recently been published in the paper.”

Recently a number of fish were seen floating in the local city pond. Ashland Public Works Director James Creel explained the situation as such:

“Recently, approximately one dozen fish were found to be dead in the Ashland Community Park Pond. While a fish kill event is always concerning, there is a scientific reason behind it; oxygen depletion. The extreme heat we have experienced the last couple of weeks has reduced the amount of dissolved oxygen in the pond. Even with the pond fountain in place and running 24/7, it is difficult to keep enough oxygen in such a small body of water for many fish to survive.

In addition to the recent weather conditions, we also experienced a sudden increase in fish population. The pond was stocked for the Ashland Optimist Club’s Kid’s Fishing Clinic on 6/22/24. The combination of these two factors resulted in a fish kill event. The Ashland Community Park Pond is small, approximately .4 acres surface area with an average depth of about 6 feet.

This pond was not designed or intended to serve as a sustainable fishery, but as a part of the stormwater management system for the Community Park and surrounding areas. For more information on why fish kills occur, please see the publication from MO Dept. of Conservation via the link below: https://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/fishkills.pdf”

Going directly to the source for information helps provide the public with accurate information, and Mr. Creel’s explanation clarified the reasons. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for the city to begin developing the larger city lake across the highway.

Mr. Creel has stated that while development of the larger lake is not on the near horizon, public works may be able to clear some stuff up this fall and winter so that it could be used for a fishing derby in the future.

Great to hear from him on these topics!

The downtown July 4th parade will begin at 9am. The parade route will follow the normal path starting at the primary school then travelling north on Henry Clay Blvd., then going west at the Broadway roundabout, then south on Main Street back to the primary school. Be sure to hydrate in this hot weather!

The Walk In Faith church will also be hosting its July 4th Tractor Show and Community Picnic at The Meadows, 16535 Old 63 South from 10:30am to 12:30pm. This event is free to the public and will feature burgers, hot dogs, drinks and desserts, Flywheel homemade ice cream, a petting zoo, hay maze, and more. Tractors will be judged in four classes: restored, original, furthest travelled, and crowd favorite. This event is a lot of fun, so grab the family and enjoy.

Also on July 4th, the Ashland Optimist Community Swim Pool will be hosting its annual “Freedom Swim” from Noon to 7pm. Anyone can swim for free during these times, and there will be prizes!

Coming up, the Hartsburg fireworks show will be held on July 13th at the Lions Baseball Field in Hartsburg and will start at sundown. The Southern Boone YMCA (sorry about the misnaming last week!), Ashland Betterment Coalition and Eagle Flight Fireworks show is scheduled at the YMCA at 405 Main Street on Saturday, July 20, 2024 beginning at 6:30 p.m. with family activities on the parking lot of the “Y” prior to the fireworks display at 8:45 p.m.

Ever wanted to learn more about making paper? The Mid-Missouri Arts Alliance has a great chance for you to learn. ‘Traditional Basic Paper Making” will also be held on Saturday, July 20th, from 9am to 1pm. You can go to their Facebook page to register or stop by their location downtown.