Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Branson sets legislative agenda

The Branson Board of Aldermen recently passed a resolution approving its 2001 legislative agenda for the upcoming Missouri General Assembly session that runs from January to May. Branson is one of 11 members of the Springfield /Branson Area Salute to Missouri Legislators coalition that sponsors events in Jefferson City where local leaders can visit with state officials on community-wide legislative issues.

Legislative issues that will be supported by the city of Branson are:

Initiatives to improve Missouri's transportation system, including efforts to develop appropriate and equitable revenue distribution sources, and equitable revenue distribution formulas to keep pace with pressing needs statewide;

initiatives to increase funding for tourism promotion to attract more visitors to Missouri each year;

a uniform building code for areas of the state not covered by a locally adopted code;

legislation that simplifies annexation procedures for cities;

legislation that mandates maximum levels of phosphorus and nitrates for Missouri lakes, rivers and streams;

legislation that will enable affordable health-care plans for small businesses;

legislation that will allow a city to provide water service within annexed territory of a water district when the city is ready, willing and able to provide water service, and when the water district declines to do so;

legislation addressing state regulation of time-share sales;

legislation to allow other cities, in addition to St. Joseph and Arnold, to contract with private water companies to deny water services for the non-payment of sewer bills outside the city limits;

legislation that will promote economic development by emphasizing education and job training.

Legislative issues the city will oppose are:

The enactment of a public employee collective bargaining law;

any legislation that allows for the expansion of legalized gambling in Missouri;

legislation that would interfere with municipal authority to determine personnel or merit system rules and regulation;

any reduction of local regulatory authority over developers;

exempting any further items from the local option sales tax;

further preemption of municipal zoning authority;

any restrictions of the purposes or types of development permitted under the Tax Increment Financing law;

efforts to eliminate, without a replacement source of revenue, the local gross receipts tax.

Holiday events kick off in area

The "Old Time Christmas" runs through Dec. 30 at Silver Dollar City. The festival will offer music, foods and handmade crafts from Bethlehem, Jerusalem and throughout Israel. The Living Nativity, a new presentation in the park's Red Gold Heritage Hall, will be staged in a "theater in the round" style. The event will include actors and live animals along with the smells of bread, olives and Middle Eastern spices, the sound of traditional music and demonstrations of the ancient art of making papyrus paper. The city is decorated with more than 3 million lights including a five-story Christmas Tree decorated with 200,000 lights.

The Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre also has added four new scenes to its Trail of Lights this year. Guests can drive through two and a half miles of lights in their own vehicles before stopping at Inspiration Tower to see the area's largest Christmas tree.

Other area holiday lighting includes the free drive-through Branson Area Festival of Lights in north Branson at Branson Hills Parkway and U.S. 65, and the newly purchased lighting displays on Historic Downing Street in downtown Hollister.

Joplin

Certified metalwork training given

Franklin Technology Center and Missouri Southern State College now has certification by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills for programs in metalworking training.

Only schools who meet all of NIMS quality standards are awarded certification. NIMS establishes national industry skill standards in metalworking.

Students in these programs will be able to take performance examinations following their training at Franklin Technical Center or Missouri Southern to qualify for NIMS credentials.

Degree seeking students can transfer credit hours earned at Franklin Technology Center to the program at Missouri Southern State College.

Hospital earns marketing honors

Freeman Health System's marketing department recently earned two marketing honors at the 2000 Show-Me Excellence Awards, presented during the Missouri Hospital Association's 78th Annual Convention and Trade Show.

"Freeman Nurses" billboards received a first-place award in the "Advertising Special Visuals" category, and a story about the Joplin Community Clinic received a third-place award in the "Writing" category.

The billboards are currently displayed on Range Line in Joplin. The story was on the cover of a recent edition of Freemanews, Freeman's quarterly newsletter.

The Show-Me Excellence Awards are presented annually by the Missouri Association for Healthcare public relations and marketing to recognize quality performance in the profession of health care public relations.

City parks to be improved

The city of Joplin has hired a Kansas City consulting firm to prepare site plans for five city parks.

On Nov. 20, the Joplin City Council approved a contract with Bucher, Willis & Ratliff to conduct site-plan reviews at five area parks.

A recently completed parks master plan, also done by Bucher, Willis & Ratliff, recommends that the city concentrate on maintaining and upgrading its current parks system. The firm will inspect each park, hold public meetings for residents' comments, and provide final design and cost estimates for each park.

Monett

Chamber hires new director

The Monett Chamber of Commerce has selected Shirley McElmurry to be its next executive director.

McElmurry, who will assume the position on April 1, succeeds Gary Nodler, who plans to retire.

For the last four years, McElmurry worked for McElmurry Consultants of Odessa, Texas. From 1989 to 1995 McElmurry was the director of the Midland Chamber of Commerce, Midland, Texas, and head of the chamber's convention and visitor's bureau.