On the Edges

Music & memorabilia business opens online

A musical hobby has turned into an Internet business called Showbiz Music & More, located at 123 S. Main in Nixa. Owned by Richard Lawson and Michael Curtis, the Internet business buys and sells music CDs, albums, eight-track tapes, posters, old music magazines and all types of music memorabilia, according to Lawson.

Lawson and Curtis started their business in May and have a retail operation, but Lawson said he expects to close that operation to focus on Internet auctions and consignments.

The company's web-based "store" is under construction.

Lawson said that two of his clients are Sony Music and MTV, who often search for out-of-print music over the Internet and buy through E-bay. If you have old music or memorabilia to sell, call 724-8951.

City seeks administrator, airport planner

The Ozark Board of Aldermen voted recently to start advertising again for applicants for the job of city administrator, according to Mayor Roger Fortner.

"We are not putting a deadline on it, but we're aggressively looking at applicants," Fortner said.

Advertisements state that the city employs 55 people and has a budget of more than $4 million.

The salary for the position is $48,000 to $60,000 per year.

The Board of Aldermen has voted to extend principal payments until June 2000 on a $1.2 million loan for 80 acres of land purchased in December 1998.

"The airport project is coming together pretty well. We will be making a selection on which firm to go with for an airport plan within a few weeks," Fortner said.

Five companies from across the Midwest are competing to write the airport plan, which has to be finished before any federal funding can be applied for.

"The planning phase will take nine to 10 months (to get the document done), and during that process we are going to be working with the state to find funding to help the project move along faster. The state might be able to release funds ahead of that time. But federal funding is not available until an airport plan is complete," according to Fortner.

Chamber to hold Christmas party, auction

The Republic Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its second annual Christmas Party and Auction at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 at the American Legion building. The cost is $10 per person. Dinner will be catered by Brown's Kitchen, and a cash bar will be available. Call 732-3356 by Nov. 19 to register.

City ready to expand sewage treatment

Voters approved a half-cent sales tax on Nov. 2 to help repay $1 million in general obligation bonds, part of a $2 million plan to expand the city sewage treatment plant and add phosphorus removal equipment. The vote was 136 yes and 49 no, a 73 percent approval.

In August voters authorized issuing $1 million in revenue bonds.

The bonds are to be repaid by higher water-use rates, which is part of the same project, according to City Administrator Larry Martin.

Rogersville city leaders will evaluate all the funding options available for phosphorus removal and begin applying for state and national funds.

"As we get answers in alternative financing we'll continue with engineering. We want to take advantage of every funding source available," Martin said.

Meanwhile, the construction project to triple the size of Rogersville's wastewater treatment plant may begin in spring 2000, with a 12- to 16-month construction process.

Martin said the city is waiting for final statements from the Department of Natural Resources, adding that the remaining engineering plans are being completed.

"We want to look at all the new technology options in wastewater and nutrient removal so we're not wishing we'd done something differently 10 years from now," he said.

With increased wastewater treatment capacity coming, Rogersville is ready to look at economic development proposals, some of which have been awaiting the passage of the wastewater treatment proposal.

"The Board of Aldermen definitely indicated they want to proceed in the direction of seeking retail development. Also the city is actively searching for one or two medium-size companies with 50 to 150 employees.

"We have a broad and diverse work force that's underutilized locally," Martin said.

The Board of Aldermen is working with private landowners to develop a small industrial park and to provide the needed infrastructure.