Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Association names new officers

The Downtown Branson Main Street Association announced its new officers and directors at its 13th annual meeting Feb. 23. New officers are Steve Hartley of Dick's Old Time 5 & 10, president and chairman of the board; David Arney of Akers & Arney Insurance, vice president and Phyllis VanderNaald of the DBMA, secretary-treasurer.

New board members are Sandy Bruns of First Community Bank and Roger Edney, a downtown Branson property owner. Other board members are Dick Hartley of Dick's Old Time 5 & 10 and Wilma Hamilton of Orphanage Dolls.

The DBMA also presented awards of recognition including the Ambassador Award given to State Rep. Judy Berkstresser for her support of the Main Street Program and for downtown Branson's tourism marketing efforts. The Charlie Reish Vision Award was given to Skaggs Community Health Center for recognition, in part, of its construction of a new clinic as a major investment in the downtown economy.

The Branson Veterans Task Force received the Ken Awbery Community Pride Award for its effort to make Branson a nationwide "home" for veterans. Steve Hartley was honored with the Service Award for his contribution to past DBMA projects.

City receives clean audit report

The city of Branson has received a "clean" audit report for its 2000 fiscal year Oct. 1, 1999, to Sept. 30, 2000 from the auditing firm of Berberich Trahan. The firm's auditor Karen Keehn reported to Branson city aldermen that the city complied in all material respects with requirements applicable to laws, regulations and grant requirements, and no weaknesses were noted.

According to a city news release, Keehn told aldermen, "Although Branson's census is around 5,000, the number and complexities and significance of the transactions that Branson has certainly relate to a city with a much higher population."

Realtors complete food drive

Nearly 2,000 cans of food were donated in February by members of the Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors in Stone and Taney counties. The food drive was initiated by Branson Realtor Dick Hall, who pledged to match the donation of canned goods by other area real estate agents and brokers. The food will help stock local food pantries hard hit during the seasonal unemployment months of January and February.

According to the Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors, the canned goods will be given to Christian Action Ministries, Christian Associates of Table Rock Lake and the Salvation Army.

Cracklin' Rose' slated for Palace

The new musical production "Cracklin' Rose" will be performed at The Grand Palace Theatre beginning in April and later this year at the Remington Theatre, both in Branson. The show, featuring dancers and a seven-piece orchestra, will pay tribute to songs made famous by Neil Diamond such as "Kentucky Woman," "I Am I Said," "Song Sung Blue," "Heartlight" and songs from his movie "The Jazz Singer."

"Cracklin' Rose" will open April 6 with show times at 2 and 8 p.m. at The Grand Palace.

Beginning Sept. 9, show times will be at 2 and 8 p.m. through October, and 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. during November and December at the Remington Theatre.

Home sales set record in area

Sales of homes in Stone and Taney counties set a record in 2000, up 6.6 percent over 1999. According to Cooper Appraisal of Branson, data supplied by the Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors showed 1,192 homes were sold last year compared to the previous record of 1,118 houses sold in 1999. Specific markets with the highest sold-versus-listing ratios were Shell Knob lakefront and lake-view properties, and the general area of Kimberling City, including Reeds Spring and Branson West.

The general and lakefront areas of Blue Eye ranked fifth and sixth. Following in seventh, eighth and ninth places were properties in the general area of Branson, including Hollister, Kimberling City lakefront properties and Forsyth properties including Merriam Woods, Kissee Mills and Kirbyville.

According to Cooper Appraisal, Tri-Lakes area home sales appeared to be doing much better than overall averages last year from across the United States. Information gleaned by Cooper Appraisal from the National Association of Realtors indicates that nationwide home sales were down 3.2 percent last year as compared to sales in 1999.

If the national economy does not fall into a recession this year, the NAR predicts the "continuing declines in mortgage interest rates, (and) existing home sales could rise 2.1 percent." According to Cooper Appraisal, NAR President Richard Mendenhall anticipates a 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate to average around 6.75 percent in 2001. Cooper Appraisal stated in its quarterly newsletter that lowered interest rates could contribute to another year of strong home sales in the Tri-Lakes area.

Joplin

Ozark Air Lines discontinues service

Ozark Air Lines has announced plans to terminate service to the Joplin Regional Airport effective March 8, citing low passenger counts.

Columbia-based Ozark Air Lines added Joplin to its schedule less than a year ago, providing jet services between Chicago and Dallas/Ft. Worth.

The airline plans to work with customers holding tickets after March 8 to arrange flights with other airlines.

Firm celebrates NEAR landing

The Power Systems Department of Eagle-Picher Technologies LLC recently celebrated the touchdown of NASA's Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft on the surface of the asteroid Eros, more than 196 million miles from Earth.

A nickel-cadmium battery built by Eagle-Picher's Power Systems Department, located in southern Colorado Springs, Colo., powers the NEAR spacecraft.

The battery was built and delivered to the John Hopkins University Laboratory in 1995. The spacecraft was launched February 1996.

During the past year, NEAR has returned scientific data including more than 160,000 photographs of Eros' 21-mile length.

Eagle-Picher Technologies has its headquarters in Joplin.

Hampshire to add plant

Hampshire Pet Products, based in Joplin, has purchased 20 acres in Camanche, Iowa, with plans to build a 100,000-square-foot dry pet-food plant. The firm expects to be manufacturing and shipping by Dec. 1. Hampshire will invest nearly $10 million in the Camanche plant, which will employ 40.

Hampshire Pet Products was formed in early 2000 to compete in the private-label segment of the pet-food industry.

The company's first plant, a 105,000-square-foot pet-biscuit plant in Joplin, is close to completion and will be operational by May.

The Joplin plant, which will employ 40 people, represents an $8 million investment.

Chamber recognizes local industries

Leggett & Platt Inc. and P.K. Insulation Manufacturing Co. were selected as the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce's 2001 Industries of the Year.

P.K. Insulation received the award in the small firm category, for companies employing fewer than 100 people.

P.K. Insulation, which employs 13, was founded in 1974 as an exclusive supplier of thermal insulating cements to Eagle-Picher Industries Inc. Three years later, the company expanded its line of insulating cements and began selling directly to the industrial trade.

The company moved to its current location in the Joplin Southern Industrial Park in 1985, and it began manufacturing cellulose insulation for residential commercial construction. The company is now a major consumer of newsprint and other waste paper.

The chamber's other honoree, Leggett & Platt, a Fortune 500 company, employs more than 31,000 people worldwide and has annual sales of $4 billion. The Carthage company has been in business for more than 117 years, and makes residential and commercial furnishing components, among other products. Leggett & Platt has strongly supported local causes and organizations, including Missouri Southern State College.

MSSC reports enrollment up

Missouri Southern State College haD its largest spring enrollment since 1993.

Spring enrollment is 5,340, an increase of 247, or about 5 percent, compared to last spring. Students enrolled in a total of 60,347 semester hours, the largest number for the spring semester in the history of Missouri Southern State College.