Around Town: Aug. 21, 2024

By: Ernie Wren
A quick shout out to Barrett Glascock for receiving the Optimist East Missouri District’s “Outstanding Member” award. You can read more about it in today’s Journal feature, I wanted to showcase it here as well. It is great to have known many of the men in this town who have built our community up to what it is today. Men like Bob Sappington, Lahmon Wren, Marvin Sappington, Billy Joe Sapp, and many others. To that category I add Barrett for his many years of service, and continued service to the community. We enjoy what we have in Southern Boone thanks to their efforts.

Speaking of Optimists, the public is invited to join members at the Ashland Optimist Club’s “Diamond Anniversary Celebration” on Sun., Sep. 29. Doors will open at 5pm, dinner will be served at 5:30pm, followed by a program honoring the club’s history. It will be a wonderful dinner and a terrific opportunity for community members to learn what the Optimists do as “Friend of Youth.” Consider joining the largest civic organization in Southern Boone! Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 or below. Reserve your seat by Sep. 14 by sending payment to Ashland Optimist Club, PO Box 201, Ashland, MO 65010, or PayPal @ashlandoptimistclub. Or stop by South County Realty (next to Casey’s) to purchase tickets and congratulate Barrett Glascock at the same time!

Now that MoDOT has installed great sidewalks that extend west on Broadway from City Hall, it would be great to see Ashland install sidewalks north to south, and east to west throughout the main parts of the city. The paving on north Main St. is also nice.

In communicating with Kyle Michel, City Administrator about the sidewalks and paving of North Main in front of the funeral home and Tire Pros, Kyle shares this, “The sidewalk project along Broadway is a MoDOT project stemming from their last resurfacing project back in 2021 or so. The project was intended to address ADA improvements along the corridor with the existing sidewalks within MoDOTs ROW or where existing sidewalks failed to meet ADA standards as a result of MoDOTs resurfacing work. There are no other plans to add new sidewalks along Broadway at this time. With regards to N Henry Clay, this section of road is chopped up between private driveways, public ROW, and City street. There are no plans to improve this area at this time. There is a lack of collective buy-in from the impacted properties and a lack of funding to advance improvements. The length of that stretch is roughly half the length of the Perry Avenue extension so that should give you an idea of how much funding would be required to build a street through that corridor.”

The Cattlemen Days Rodeo is this weekend on Aug. 23 & 24! Check out their website or visit their FB page “Cattlemen Days Rodeo” All active and retired military members can stop at the Callaway Bank in Ashland to pick up FREE TICKETS to the rodeo for Friday, August 23rd, or get them at the gate.