2016 Progress Report

24
Building for the future A special issue from the publishers of the Maryville Daily Forum Friday, January 29, 2016 www.maryvilledailyforum.com R-II building dreams become reality By JENNIFER DITLEVSON HAGLUND Staff writer By securing a Federal Emergen- cy Management Agency grant to design the auxiliary gymnasium at Maryville High School early this year, the Maryville R-II School District will be moving forward with a longterm vision of facility upgrades. Shortly after Becky Albrecht took over as superintendent for the district last summer, she said, “It’s been a long time coming for the people of Maryville.” That was nearly seven months ago. The board began discus- sions about potential upgrades in 2010 when the Maryville R-II Performing Arts Committee set goals for placing a bond issue on the ballot. By 2011, members of the Board of Education were considering kitchen improvements at Eugene Field Elementary School, a dream that has become the new cafeteria and commons area currently in progress. In 2013, district officials com- pleted an online facilities survey that indicated patrons supported a performing arts center, a new caf- eteria at Eugene Field, and a sec- ond high school gym, ranked by importance in this order. The projects gained official community support when approxi- mately 67.34 percent of Maryville R-II patrons voted in favor of a $10.25 million bond issue in the 2014 municipal election April 8. Voting results broke down to 1,235–599. After getting the green light from Maryville R-II patrons, the building projects experienced a 13-month delay due to bids coming in at estimations far exceeding the board’s budget. Early last January, the district ended its relationship with Manning Construction Co., and awarded the bid for construc- tion of the performing arts center with Allison & Alexander General Contractors of Riverside and ac- cepted the bid from Lawhon Con- struction Company of St. Joseph for the project at Eugene Field. Despite the setback, construc- tion on the performing arts cen- ter and the Eugene Field addition began last summer. Completion dates are projected for late sum- mer this year. With the recently acquired FEMA grant, the district has been approved to enter the design phase of the auxiliary gymnasium, ac- cording to Albrecht. The facility is to double as an emergency shelter in times of se- vere weather or other calamity. FEMA has committed $149,347, and the district will be responsible for a 25 percent match at just over $49,000. Once the architects devise a plan and submit it, FEMA will have to decide whether or not the total grant amount will be approved for the construction phase. “We hope to design very soon,” Albrecht said. The total award is about $1 million, and the district will match it with $383,056. “We’re very excited about that.” When functioning as a shelter, the gym will accommodate ap- proximately 1,000 people. It is to be located behind the high school south of the performing arts cen- ter, which is currently under con- struction. At the January board meeting, Maryville R-II voted to continue the relationship with Incite Design Studio LLC of Kansas City for the construction of the new gymna- sium. Incite architects Brian Foxwor- thy and Aaron Harte shared the plan for the gym with the board and other district officials, along with updates on two other build- ing projects, the performing arts center and an expanded commons area and cafeteria at Eugene Field Elementary School. After submitting construction documents to the State Emergency Management Agency sometime toward the end of February or early March for ultimate approval by FEMA, the district will put the project out for contractor bids ear- ly this spring. If everything goes according to plan, the Board of Education will approve the bid in April and the construction of the building will be completed in early 2017. Foxworthy said the poured rub- ber floor will provide more ver- satility for the gymnasium and require lower maintenance than a gym with a wooden floor. Turning to the performing arts center, which Incite is also design- ing, Foxworthy said he is happy with how the structure is coming together. As for the second project, Harte said contractors should be off the job site at Eugene Field Elemen- tary School in about a month. “It will be a finished space be- fore you know it,” Harte said. According to Albrecht, the orig- inal budget for the Eugene Field addition was $1.9 million. The performing arts center has a bud- get of around $9 million. When Albrecht released the figures for both projects in mid- January, $189,726 in change order values left the school in the black. Since then, the amounts have changed some but not much, she said. Although it looks like there is a lot of money left over, the proj- ects still have several months until completion. “It’s good news, but it’s not as good as it might look,” Albrecht said. Albrecht added that she is not worried about adding unexpected expenses. Some of the money that is available now will be used for construction that has been de- layed. For example, a change or- der postponed the construction of a new asphalt parking lot, which will be put in once the gymnasium is constructed. Remaining money will be allo- cated for the building of the gym- nasium. “We did a little planning ahead, and we’ve tried to be proactive,” Albrecht said. TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM Progressing on schedule Construction of the performing arts center at Maryville High School continues on schedule. Superintendent Becky Albrecht announced Wednesday that the Maryville R-II School District has accepted a grant from FEMA for construction of a second new facility at MHS, an auxiliary gymnasium that will double as a severe-weather shelter. WHAT’S INSIDE City of Maryville .................................................................................................... 2A Kawasaki.................................................................................................................. 4A Chamber of Commerce .......................................................................................... 5A CTRIP ...................................................................................................................... 6A Fourth Street Corridor ........................................................................................... 7A Methodist Church ................................................................................................... 8A Veronica Luke Accounting ..................................................................................... 9A Losh Optometry ...................................................................................................... 9A DQ Grill & Chill...................................................................................................... 10A Wastewater Plant ................................................................................................... 11A East Side Development .......................................................................................... 1B Northwest Missouri State ....................................................................................... 3B SSM Health St. Francis .......................................................................................... 4B Family Eye Clinic .................................................................................................... 5B Fountain Park.......................................................................................................... 6B Tri State Auto Family ............................................................................................. 7B Rogers Pharmacy .................................................................................................... 8B Rapid Elite ............................................................................................................... 9B Meyer Auto .............................................................................................................. 10B Ace Westlake Hardware ......................................................................................... 11B

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Transcript of 2016 Progress Report

Page 1: 2016 Progress Report

Building for the future

A special issue from the publishers of the Maryville Daily Forum • Friday, January 29, 2016 • www.maryvilledailyforum.com

R-II building dreams become realityBy JENNIFER DITLEVSON HAGLUNDStaff writer

By securing a Federal Emergen-cy Management Agency grant to design the auxiliary gymnasium at Maryville High School early this year, the Maryville R-II School District will be moving forward with a longterm vision of facility upgrades.

Shortly after Becky Albrecht took over as superintendent for the district last summer, she said, “It’s been a long time coming for the people of Maryville.”

That was nearly seven months ago. The board began discus-sions about potential upgrades in 2010 when the Maryville R-II Performing Arts Committee set goals for placing a bond issue on the ballot.

By 2011, members of the Board of Education were considering kitchen improvements at Eugene Field Elementary School, a dream that has become the new cafeteria and commons area currently in progress.

In 2013, district officials com-pleted an online facilities survey that indicated patrons supported a performing arts center, a new caf-

eteria at Eugene Field, and a sec-ond high school gym, ranked by importance in this order.

The projects gained official community support when approxi-mately 67.34 percent of Maryville R-II patrons voted in favor of a $10.25 million bond issue in the 2014 municipal election April 8. Voting results broke down to 1,235–599.

After getting the green light from Maryville R-II patrons, the building projects experienced a 13-month delay due to bids coming in at estimations far exceeding the board’s budget. Early last January, the district ended its relationship with Manning Construction Co., and awarded the bid for construc-tion of the performing arts center with Allison & Alexander General Contractors of Riverside and ac-cepted the bid from Lawhon Con-struction Company of St. Joseph for the project at Eugene Field.

Despite the setback, construc-tion on the performing arts cen-ter and the Eugene Field addition began last summer. Completion dates are projected for late sum-mer this year.

With the recently acquired FEMA grant, the district has been approved to enter the design phase

of the auxiliary gymnasium, ac-cording to Albrecht.

The facility is to double as an emergency shelter in times of se-vere weather or other calamity.

FEMA has committed $149,347, and the district will be responsible for a 25 percent match at just over $49,000.

Once the architects devise a plan and submit it, FEMA will have to decide whether or not the total grant amount will be approved for the construction phase.

“We hope to design very soon,” Albrecht said. The total award is about $1 million, and the district will match it with $383,056.

“We’re very excited about that.”When functioning as a shelter,

the gym will accommodate ap-proximately 1,000 people. It is to be located behind the high school south of the performing arts cen-ter, which is currently under con-struction.

At the January board meeting, Maryville R-II voted to continue the relationship with Incite Design Studio LLC of Kansas City for the construction of the new gymna-sium.

Incite architects Brian Foxwor-thy and Aaron Harte shared the plan for the gym with the board

and other district officials, along with updates on two other build-ing projects, the performing arts center and an expanded commons area and cafeteria at Eugene Field Elementary School.

After submitting construction documents to the State Emergency Management Agency sometime toward the end of February or early March for ultimate approval by FEMA, the district will put the project out for contractor bids ear-ly this spring.

If everything goes according to plan, the Board of Education will approve the bid in April and the construction of the building will be completed in early 2017.

Foxworthy said the poured rub-ber floor will provide more ver-satility for the gymnasium and require lower maintenance than a gym with a wooden floor.

Turning to the performing arts center, which Incite is also design-ing, Foxworthy said he is happy with how the structure is coming together.

As for the second project, Harte said contractors should be off the job site at Eugene Field Elemen-tary School in about a month.

“It will be a finished space be-fore you know it,” Harte said.

According to Albrecht, the orig-inal budget for the Eugene Field addition was $1.9 million. The performing arts center has a bud-get of around $9 million.

When Albrecht released the figures for both projects in mid-January, $189,726 in change order values left the school in the black. Since then, the amounts have changed some but not much, she said.

Although it looks like there is a lot of money left over, the proj-ects still have several months until completion.

“It’s good news, but it’s not as good as it might look,” Albrecht said.

Albrecht added that she is not worried about adding unexpected expenses. Some of the money that is available now will be used for construction that has been de-layed. For example, a change or-der postponed the construction of a new asphalt parking lot, which will be put in once the gymnasium is constructed.

Remaining money will be allo-cated for the building of the gym-nasium.

“We did a little planning ahead, and we’ve tried to be proactive,” Albrecht said.

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMProgressing on scheduleConstruction of the performing arts center at Maryville High School continues on schedule. Superintendent Becky Albrecht announced Wednesday that the Maryville R-II School District has accepted a grant from FEMA for construction of a second new facility at MHS, an auxiliary gymnasium that will double as a severe-weather shelter.

WHAT’S INSIDECity of Maryville .................................................................................................... 2AKawasaki .................................................................................................................. 4AChamber of Commerce .......................................................................................... 5ACTRIP ...................................................................................................................... 6AFourth Street Corridor ........................................................................................... 7AMethodist Church ................................................................................................... 8AVeronica Luke Accounting ..................................................................................... 9ALosh Optometry ...................................................................................................... 9ADQ Grill & Chill...................................................................................................... 10AWastewater Plant ................................................................................................... 11A

East Side Development .......................................................................................... 1BNorthwest Missouri State ....................................................................................... 3BSSM Health St. Francis .......................................................................................... 4BFamily Eye Clinic .................................................................................................... 5BFountain Park.......................................................................................................... 6BTri State Auto Family ............................................................................................. 7BRogers Pharmacy .................................................................................................... 8BRapid Elite ............................................................................................................... 9BMeyer Auto .............................................................................................................. 10BAce Westlake Hardware ......................................................................................... 11B

Page 2: 2016 Progress Report

When presented with the opportunity to appraise what significant steps the city had taken during the past year, Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel stopped short of declaring 2015 as “the golden age of Maryville,” but not by much.

“It is difficult to contain the excitement for the posi-tive movement of a town that is unified far more than it is divided,” McDanel said.

“Progress in communi-ties often happens incre-mentally, however 2016 is positioned for monumental leaps,” he continued. “Nu-merous opportunities will present themselves over the coming months and I be-lieve it’s our responsibility to seize them for Maryville’s future.”

McDanel emphasized the importance — and the bene-fits — of having a document as detailed as the Maryville Comprehensive Plan in place to provide guidance for the city’s staff in prepar-ing recommendations for action by the Maryville City Council.

“It provides us with a ‘road map,’ and recom-mended directions for mov-ing forward with purpose-

ful initiatives in hopes of advancing our community,” he said.

Looking back on the past year does provide a formi-dable list of achievements by McDanel, his staff, Maryville Mayor Renee Riedel, Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Shipley, and city council members Rachael Martin, Jason McDowell, and Jerry Riggs.

McDanel said it is some-what difficult to rank the accomplishments of 2015 in any meaningful order be-cause “each in its own right is critical to who and what we are, and to where we are headed as a community.”

The largest accomplish-ment of the past year, at least in financial terms, was the issuance of $25.5 mil-lion in industrial revenue bonds to Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation to facilitate the company’s 100,000-square-foot addi-tion to its plant on South Main at the intersection with U.S. Highway 71. The addition will create addi-tional jobs at what is already the city’s largest employer. The expansion occurred just months after the company voluntarily annexed the plant into the city limits.

The second largest proj-ect, from a financial point of reference, was the comple-tion of the city’s new $13.75 million wastewater treat-ment plant just east of the 102 River, on U.S. Highway 136, east of Maryville.

Construction of the new facility was mandated by the Federal Environmental

Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in order

for the city to be in compli-ance with new regulations for the removal of ammonia

from the city’s wastewater. It replaced the city’s older, but still functional, aeration

system of treatment.Undoubtedly the most

recognizable accomplish-

Page 2A Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

City made landmark strides in 2015

JIM FALL/DAILY FORUMCooper crossingImprovements were made to the West Cooper Street crossing of Peach Creek in 2015. Two 54-inch tubes were installed by White Cloud Engineering and Construction Co. at a cost to the city of $45,300.

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— Greg McDanelCity Manager

Page 3: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 3A

ment of the past year was the completion of the Fourth Street Corridor Project, connecting Downtown Maryville with the main entrance to the campus of Northwest Missouri State University.

Cost of revitalizing the six-block section of Fourth Street, which included the redesign of its intersection with Dunn Street, was shared by the city and Northwest. The award-winning coop-erative project received na-tional recognition from the International Town & Gown Association and the Missouri Main Street Program.

Another project closely tied to Northwest Missouri State has been the evolution of the Campus Town Re-development Improvement Program.

During the past year, when the total number of demolitions reached more than two dozen properties since CTRIP’s inception, the program was extended for an additional two years.

The progressive program has resulted in more than $3 million in new multi-unit housing in the areas adjacent to the university campus, improving the city’s hous-ing stock, predominantly for students living off campus.

Major improvements to the city’s infrastructure resulted from the comple-tion of $675,000 worth of new asphalt overlay of city streets, and the letting of more than $600,000 in proj-ects to reduce inflow and in-filtration of storm water into the sanitary sewer system.

“The upgrade of street conditions throughout the community and improve-ments to the sanitary sewer system are two of the coun-cil’s top priorities,” McDa-

nel said. In addition to improve-

ments in the drainage sys-tem at the south end of Peach Creek, the city also stabilized other segments of the drainage basin to reduce flooding and replaced the Cooper Street crossing near Judah Park.

Development of the city’s already extensive trail sys-tem continued during 2015 with a grant award and de-sign of the concrete Spoof-hound Trail to complete the trail connection between Maryville High School and the Munn Avenue trail net-work.

More on the adminis-

trative side of the city op-eration, a third consecutive Government Finance Of-ficers Association Distin-guished Budget Presentation Award was earned, this one based on the presentation of the city’s 2015 fiscal year budget. The award recog-nizes not only governmental budgeting prowess, but also “creating a document that is clear and transparent to (the city’s) citizens.”

“While the award is nice, the process ensures that we are working hard to con-vey our financial position and annual intentions to the community,” the city man-ager said.

Other community high-lights for 2015 were fo-cused around observation of the 20th anniversary of the opening of Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. A day of festivities during the sum-mer “commemorated the past and embraced the future of the park,” McDanel said.

Although it will not open for play until May, the her-alded Watson 9 golf facility at Mozingo was completed late in 2015 and, with the popular Sechrest 18 course, will provide one of the ar-ea’s finest golfing layouts.

Designed by five-time British Open champion Tom Watson the special youth

course will provide an ex-cellent teaching and play-ing opportunity for aspiring young golfers from through-out northwest Missouri and the surrounding region.

Also at Mozingo, two new concrete trail exten-sions were completed with assistance through the Recreational Trails Grant program. The new trails are highly used by visi-tors to the park and high-light scenic views at “The Point.”

In 2015, Maryville also ranked as one of the “50 saf-est college towns in Ameri-ca,” according to a safewise.com report. In addition to

the collective efforts of university, city, county, and state law enforcement groups, the city also boasts strong support services such as Northwest’s Safe Rides program and the Family Center of Northwest Mis-souri.

“The safewise ranking represents the collective hard work of many organi-zations throughout the com-munity,” McDanel said. “I want to express my grati-tude for law enforcement officers in our area, our staff at Maryville Public Safety, and volunteer firefighters for their continued dedica-tion.”

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMPositively 4th StreetMaryville City Manager Greg McDanel addresses a large crowd back in June, including Bobby Bearcat, who journeyed downtown for the grand opening of the new pedestrian corridor along West Fourth Street. In addition to Bearcat paws inlaid into the pavement, the street now boasts a paved pedestrian path, landscaping, vintage-style streetlamps, decorative brickwork, lamppost medallions bearing the Northwest logo, banners, and wheelchair-friendly curb ramps.

Page 4: 2016 Progress Report

Page 4A Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

Maryville R-II School District1429 South Munn Avenue, Maryville, MO 64468-2756 www.maryville.k12.mo.us (660) 562-3255

Maryville R-II . . . Learning, Leadership, Collaboration, Character

EugEnE FiEld ElEmEntary provides instruction for students in preschool through fourth grade. Preschool programs serve both 3 and 4 year old students and provide special edu-cation services as needed. Both full and half day sessions are available. Students in kindergarten through fourth grade are taught in self-con-tained classrooms. All academic classes focus on literacy in math and reading while incorporat-ing other subjects and social skills. Students have exploratory classes such as physical education, computers, library, art, and music. For a nomi-nal fee, before and after school childcare is also available. 660-562-3233

maryvillE middlE School hous-es grades five through eight. It is a “Leader in Me” school and promotes a schoolwide culture of leadership, character, and inclusion. Fun-damental to this philosophy is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Each student is part of an advisory group that acts as a family unit to provide an avenue for mentoring and monitor-ing for academic and social progress. Students at the middle school take the traditional core aca-demic classes, as well as exploratory classes. In

middle school, students have the opportunity to begin competitive sports and performance fine arts. 660-562-3244

maryvillE high School provides in-struction for grades 9-12 through the traditional courses of study but also offers dual credit cours-es and AP for qualifying students. Students have the opportunity to participate in many organiza-tions and programs such as National Honor So-ciety, band, choir, journalism, drama, debate, fo-rensics, academic bowl, and Hound Howlin’City. There are many athletic options, as well: football, cross country, volleyball, golf, tennis, softball, basketball, wrestling, track, baseball, soccer, and cheer/dance teams. Many unique programs are available to recognize student achievements, also. 660-562-3511

northwESt tEchnical School helps students make wise career decisions by allowing them to explore new and emerging occupations. Hands-on training provides a background of practical knowledge and skills. Specialized classes and training is available in the following areas: heath service, family and

consumer sciences, technology, business, build-ing trades, childcare, agriculture, mechanics, welding, and auto collision repair. NTS serves area sending schools in these programs. It serves the community with classes available outside the traditional school day in areas such as personal enrichment, health, crafts, great outdoors, busi-ness, computers etc. Flyers with current offerings are published periodically and always available. 660-562-3022

Through a partnership among school, home, and community, Maryville R-II strives to develop continuous learners of good charac-ter who positively contribute to society. Please join us in our efforts to provide a safe, caring, learning environment where students can reach their potential. Your thoughts and input are always welcome: 660-562-3255 or [email protected]. Additional information about us is available on the school website at www.maryville.k12.mo.us.

Dr. Becky AlbrechtSuperintendent of Schools

Maryville R-II is a comprehensive school system accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Educa-tion and a member of the Midland Empire Conference. It is a designated A+ school and earned 95% on it most recent Annual Performance Report. The district serves just over 1400 students and employs more than 200 people. With a 97% graduation rate, the district sends over 77% of its graduates on to post-secondary education and training.

The district is entering the final stages of a multi-year construction project. An addition to the Eugene Field Elementary will open in the spring. This addition includes a new entry, kitchen, and commons area. At the high school, a new performing arts center is under construction and should be completed for use beginning the 2016-2017 schoolyear. Just recently the district was approved to receive a FEMA grant for a safe room which will also serve as a secondary gymnasium. It is currently in the design phase.

In an effort to continue providing the best educational opportunities available, the district is currently engaging the commu-nity in the development of a new comprehensive school improvement plan. This plan will prioritize district needs and serve as a blue print for district management and the following:

• Early Childhood Education• Career and Technical Education• Special and Alternative Education

• Athletic and Activity Programs• K-12 Education• Distance, Adult, and Community Education

• Fine Arts Education• Practical Arts Education• Academic Enrichment and Acceleration Programs

After five months of rumor, negotiation, and debate the City Council voted unanimously on March 30 to accept an Industrial Development Revenue Bond tax abatement package designed to finance a $25.5 million expan-sion at the Maryville small-en-gine plant operated by Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A.

The expansion adds 100,800 square feet of mostly production space to the facility and will create

an estimated 30 new jobs.Late in 2014, Kawasaki an-

nounced plans to voluntarily an-nex itself into the city limits, citing a desire to be a “good cor-porate citizen.” It was only later revealed that the annexation was part and parcel of a tax deal with City Hall that turned out to be a precondition for the factory’s ex-pansion plans.

Under terms of the agreement, both Kawasaki’s existing facil-ity and the expansion, including

new fixtures and machinery, were transferred to city ownership, with the corporation paying rent equivalent to principal and interest over the 10-year life of the bonds, which were issued by the city and purchased by Kawasaki.

The agreement exempts Ka-wasaki from all real property and personal property (machinery, fix-tures and equipment) taxes for 10 years, with the exception of per-sonal property taxes assessed on equipment in the existing plant.

However, in order to preserve a portion of the revenue streams of various taxing entities, and espe-cially the Maryville R-II School District, Kawasaki agreed to make payments in lieu of taxes equiva-lent to the 2014 assessed valuation of its real property and 50 percent of the property taxes anticipated over 10 years on $18.5 million in equipment purchases for the ex-pansion.

Prior to the climactic council vote, then-Maryville schools Su-

perintendent Larry Linthacum ar-gued that

depreciation on existing Kawa-saki personal property, in addition to the closure of the Energizer battery plant, had cost the district more than a half-million dollars a year in tax revenue.

Josh McKim, executive direc-tor of Nodaway County Economic Development, however, described the abatement plan as “an ideal project” and “economic develop-ment at its best.”

Kawasaki expands, pledges more jobs

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM

Floor spaceDuring the second week in June, Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel, left, and Kawasaki Motors Plant Manager and Vice President Steve Bratt surveyed the vast concrete floor of a 100,800-square-foot addition to the small-engine manufacturing facility located just inside Maryville’s south city limits. Bratt said he expected the ex-pansion to be complete late this year with production in the new space beginning sometime in early 2016.

Page 5: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 5A

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LACLEDE CHAINMANUFACTURING

COMPANYLaclede Chain Manufacturing Company hasorigins dating back to 1854, making us the oldestdomestic chain manufacturer. We started business as ablacksmith shop in St. Louis, Missouri, manufacturingwagon hardware for the wagon trains heading west.Chain was made, as it is today, from drawn rod or wire,the difference being that it was formed with a blacksmith’shammer and individually welded and joined over ahearth and bellows. By the 1890’s, the company grewinto an industrial concern selling chain and hardware ona national basis. The Maryville, Missouri manufacturingplant has been continually operating since the 1920’s.Currently production is performed by electric forming andwelding equipment both domestic and European.

Laclede Chain is proud to havequality people producing quality chain

for all of North America.

By CHRIS ROUSHStaff writer

The Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce has a new home.

After months of remod-eling, the chamber moved in mid-October to 408 N. Market St., just across the street from its old quarters next door to the Maryville City Hall.

For the first time in more than 100 years, the cham-ber owns its own building, and Executive Director Jor-dyn Swalley said the move

marks the beginning of an era.

“I think one of the things about the new setup is it is a smaller area, so we can utilize more of the area compared to the oth-er building, just because it was so much bigger,” Swalley said.

“We had a lot of wasted space, and we had stuff that we had gathered for 20 years. We got the chance to get rid of that, to clean up and organize ourselves.”

The new location, which is the former law office of

Scott Ross and Doug Thom-son, is also home to Nod-away County Economic Development and the local Missouri State License Bu-reau operation.

Earlier in 2015, Swalley said there is still a certain amount of uncertainty with regard to the license bureau, which provides the cham-ber with a large percentage of its revenue — more than $20,000 a year.

Operation of the license office is subject to a bid-ding process every three years, and the chamber has

had competition in the past. The chamber is currently in the second year of its bureau contract.

For the time being, the license bureau and NCED will continue to pay rent to the chamber, and that mon-ey will go toward paying off $151,000 in loans taken out to purchase and remodel the building.

Swalley said she is excit-ed about the possibilities the restructuring has created for the business advocacy orga-nization.

“It’s refreshing,” Swal-

ley said. “It’s nice to know that our chamber is trying to find better ways to help our members and better utilize the money we do have from our membership.

“We are utilizing that in a better way than we were before. It gives us new ideas about what we could do with that extra money we’re saving now.”

Swalley said the move wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her staff, the staffs of the bureau and NCED, and the commu-nity at large.

Now that the new office is up and running, she said she is looking forward to plan-ning upcoming chamber events.

“We’ve done quite a bit this year, but I think one of my main things is work-ing on our events,” Swalley said.

“We just got a new website and a member-ship management system, and that’s one of the new things coming up this year that I want to push to our members because they can utilize it.”

Chamber positions itself for the future

FILE PHOTOOpen for businessMore than 30 local business, civic, and education leaders gathered in October for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the move of the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce into its own building on the west side of North Market Street. The storefront suite of offices also houses Nodaway County Economic Development and the state license bureau.

Page 6: 2016 Progress Report

Page 6A Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

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Since the Campus Town Re-development Program began in 2013, Maryville has continued seeing economic growth and in-creased tax revenues associated with new construction of apart-ments and duplexes.

The program has also provided improved housing options for stu-dents at Northwest Missouri State University.

CTRIP started as a means of removing dangerous or derelict structures by way of encourag-ing development in what the Maryville City Council defined as the Campus Town special overlay area.

Campus Town comprises about 40 bocks located primarily east of the Northwest campus and west of Main Street. Most of the area con-sists of rental housing occupied by students.

Julie Tobin, co-owner of Shir-ley’s Realty, said those neighbor-hoods have seen a lot of change for the better in just a couple of years.

“A lot of rentals are geared to-ward students, and unfortunately in the past a lot of landlords did capitalize on renting them without doing the improvements a land-lord should do regularly,” Tobin said. “I have seen a tremendous improvement in upkeep by land-lords in recent years.”

According to City Manager Greg McDanel, Maryville has had a problem with absentee landlords.

“We just have to continue to deal with it,” he said. “There’s not a silver bullet for the issue.”

CTRIP, however, while not a sil-ver bullet has at least hit the target. It works like this:

Owners of substandard or di-

lapidated structures inside Cam-pus Town boundaries can apply for CTRIP assistance that elimi-nates up to $20,000 in tipping fees normally charged for dumping de-molition debris at the city’s solid waste transfer station.

In addition, qualified landown-ers are granted a waiver for rede-velopment permit fees.

“The $8,000 to $15,000 isn’t monumental, but it’s an incentive they’ve never had before,” McDa-nel said.

Julie Tobin and her husband, Kurt, took advantage of the incen-tive to build rental properties on the 800 block of North Walnut. She said she was surprised at how quickly they filled the units by merely advertising the floor plan.

The Tobins said they have watched how, in recent years, students and their parents have proved willing to pay more for up-dated living spaces.

“I really do feel that student housing is improving because they’re trying to get rid of the un-safe properties that probably aren’t suitable for college students,” Ju-lie Tobin said. “If they’re not safe for a family, they’re not safe for a college student.”

Julie said that in years past groups of students would go to-gether on renting houses in other parts of town because they wanted something nicer than what was available closer to campus.

CTRIP was approved by the City Council in 2013 on a two-year trial

basis at about the time the council also adopted a new comprehensive plan for growth and development. It was renewed last year.

One reason, McDanel said, is that CTRIP has made a significant impact on the community’s tax base with properties previously as-sessed at $2,500 now valued at ten times that amount.

Approximately 75 percent of real property tax revenue goes to the school district, and the rest is divided between the city and county.

McDanel said it might get to a point where the city no longer needs to incentivize the construc-tion of rental homes, noting that when CTRIP began there were 30 structures on the municipal demo-

lition list. Most of those buildings have since been removed.

“We’re going to get to a point in the community sooner rather than later when we’ve removed all those (structures) that are really considered unsafe and dangerous, and we’re going to have to target a secondary group of houses that maybe, instead of demolition, there’s some incentivized program for repair,” McDanel said.

Moving forward, McDanel said he expects there will be conversa-tions this year focused on property rehabilitation.

Another potential avenue for development incentives could in-clude downtown in an effort to im-prove both retail spaces and upper-story apartments.

CTRIP effort reveals multiple benefits

JIM FALL/DAILY FORUMIn with the newDuplexes and apartments like this one on West Fifth Street have been sprouting up in residential neighborhoods to the east of North-west Missouri State University thanks to a City of Maryville initiative that waives demolition and construction fees for landowners and developers who tear down substandard structures and replace them with new buildings.

Page 7: 2016 Progress Report

By TONY BROWNNews editor

The sound of smooth jazz and the smell of sizzling hotdogs and hamburgers filled West Fourth Street on the evening of June 15 beneath the gateway arch of the newly completed streetscape linking down-town Maryville with the main entrance to Northwest Missouri State University.

At least 400 people, many of them families with young children, turned out for a “block party” celebrating completion of the $1.9 mil-lion project, which took three years to plan and more than a year to finish.

As heavy clouds and the threat of rain gave way to bits of scattered blue sky, university President John Jasinski and City Manager Greg McDanel both ad-dressed the large crowd.

Both men spoke of how the project moved forward largely because of unprece-dented cooperation between City Hall and the university administration, including a significant financial contri-bution from Northwest that helped cover design costs.

Jasinski said the new avenue, which includes a paved pedestrian path, landscaping, vintage-style streetlamps, decorative brickwork, lamppost medal-lions bearing the Northwest logo, banners and wheel-chair-friendly curb ramps, was a tribute to “the art of the possible,” “leadership action” and a “strategic and strong relationship with the city of Maryville.”

McDanel echoed Jasin-ski’s comments by saying the Fourth Street project represented a “strong and renewed partnership” be-tween Maryville and the university.

He added that what began several years ago as a dis-cussion about bringing side-

walks into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act soon evolved into a much more compre-hensive dialogue about im-proving aesthetics along the corridor and creating a true community gateway.

The finished project, he said, “embodies the spirit

of Maryville and its affinity with Northwest.”

Later last summer, the project achieved statewide recognition as representa-tives from the city, North-west, and the Maryville Downtown Improvement Organization accepted the Outstanding Public Partner

Award during a banquet hosted by Missouri Main Street Connection in Kansas City.

The award specifically recognized the city for as-sembling a multi-entity partnership that led to con-struction of the Fourth Street corridor.

McDanel, who was in at-tendance, said such success stories show that downtown revitalization is possible by following Missouri Main Street’s four-tier approach that emphasizes organiza-tion, promotion, preserva-tion, and economic restruc-turing and investment.

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 7A

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Page 8: 2016 Progress Report

Page 8A Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

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Methodists expand historic church buildingMARYVILLE, Mo. — The Rev. Scott Moon of the First United Methodist Church of Maryville often tells members of his congregation to grow in the faith.

But over the past few months the historic 19th cen-tury church building itself, located at 102 N. Main St., has been growing as well.

Construction of a new main entrance and “gather-ing space” at the church began last summer, with the $1.9 million expansion scheduled for completion this spring. Smith Contracting Co. of Maryville is serving as the general contractor.

Moon said the project, which includes installation of a new elevator and refurbishment of the 1950s-era education wing, “represents looking toward the fu-ture” and will allow the church to meet the foreseeable needs of an evolving faith community.

While Smith is handling most of the construction portion of the project, the education wing remodel was completed last year by members of the congrega-tion led by building committee chairman Tye Parsons.

One of the first orders of business was clearing classroom space and “making a big mess,” Parsons quipped.

In addition, Brad Hilsabeck Construction was hired to do interior work on a pair of classrooms located near the sanctuary that will serve as a new nursery equipped with a pair of restrooms.

The expansion was made possible when the con-gregation purchased a lot to the north of the existing church several years ago.

“This will help us reach a number of goals,” Par-sons said. “It will give the church more of a welcom-ing feeling because it can be a difficult building to find your way around in. The elevator will be a big part of the renovations, and hopefully the gathering place will allow people to meet and mingle before services.”

The addition will also give the church a clearly identifiable front entrance, something it has lacked since construction of a rear parking lot.

“With all of the remodeling and the new parking lot over the years, everybody comes in a door at the back of the church,” Moon said.

More than half of the money for the project has already been secured through pledges and gifts, and while Moon said there was some apprehension about the church’s first major building project in nearly 60 years, that level of confidence has grown as the initia-tive moved forward.

“It is a fairly large project,” Moon said. “It is the larg-est the church has taken on since 1957. And it’s a sign that we are trying to reach out and continue the ministry.”

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMWalls of worshipRoofers are shown working on an addition to the First United Methodist Church of Maryville earlier this month as the corner of First and Main streets. The new “gathering space” is the first major expansion the FUMC congregation has undertaken in nearly 60 years.

Page 9: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 9A

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Luke acquires downtown accounting firmBy TONY BROWNNews editor

A bookkeeping and tax preparation firm that has been a fixture in down-town Maryville for 35 years changed hands in 2015.

Richard Schieber, former owner of Schieber & Com-pany at 120 E. Third St. on the south side of the court-house square, sold the busi-ness last spring to Veronica Luke after announcing his retirement.

From 2008 until March 29 of last year, Luke served as the financial officer for Watkins Hardware & Appli-ances Inc., which this spring sold its four stores, includ-ing the one in Maryville, to Westlake Ace Hardware.

The sale meant Luke was out of a job. But, she said, “When one door closes an-other door opens.”

Luke said she was aware during the transition from

Watkins to Westlake that Schieber was getting ready to retire, and soon decided the time had come to hang out her own shingle after nearly 20 years in the ac-counting and tax prepara-tion business.

“It’s scary, but it’s excit-ing,” she said. “It was al-most too good to be true. You couldn’t not do it.”

Luke has changed the name of the business to Veronica Luke Tax & Ac-counting LLC. However, she said, services offered by the firm, along with its cus-tomer base, remain much the same.

Luke said Schieber, who established the business in 1980, remained on board through the end of June in order to assist with the tran-sition. She added that ser-vicing existing customers was a top priority for both the old and new owner.

“It was really important

to Richard to have someone competent and someone from the area who was going to take care of his clients,” said Luke, who graduated from Stanberry High School in 1994 before going on to earn a degree in accounting from Northwest Missouri State University in 1998.

During college, Luke started working for Stephen L. Luke, PC, CPA in Stan-berry and continued there until joining the Watkins corporate staff. She is mar-ried to Mark Luke, service manager for Northwest Im-plement in Stanberry, and the couple has a grown son and two younger boys still at home.

What is now Veronica Luke Tax & Accounting LLC has approximately 400 tax preparation clients, a roster that will likely ex-pand to include 100 or so customers Luke acquired on her own as a part-time

tax preparer while working both for Watkins and Ste-phen Luke.

Moonlighting during tax season, she said, made her realize that she enjoys the public side of the business as opposed to performing financial duties for a single corporate entity.

“I really enjoy the public side of things,” Luke said.

In addition to provid-ing tax, bookkeeping, pay-roll, and accounting ser-vices, Luke also took on Schieber’s role as the fis-cal agent for the Nodaway County Public Water Sup-ply District, which serves about 2,500 customers.

Schieber had handled col-lections, accounting, and other services for the water district for years, but when he retired the district’s board of directors put the contract out to bid, and Luke was able to put together a win-ning proposal.

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM

New on the sceneVeronica Luke of Veronica Luke Tax & Accounting LLC acquired the business in 2015 from longtime owner Robert Schieber, who retired. Before hanging out her own shingle, Luke served as the financial officer for Watkins Hardware & Appliances Inc., which sold its Maryville store and three other retail locations in March to Westlake Ace Hardware.

Losh opens new practice in MaryvilleOptometrist Ryan Losh

opened his doors at 109 S. Buchanan St. in Maryville in January 2015.

Originally from the Kansas City area, Dr. Losh has lived in the Maryville community since 2010, previously work-ing in Family Eye Clinic and commuting to work in St. Jo-seph.

Prior to receiving his li-cense to practice optometry, Losh worked as a computer software engineer for more than 10 years.

Losh said he decided a ca-reer move to optometry would allow him to more directly in-crease people’s quality of life.

Losh graduated from the University of Missouri Saint Louis College of Optometry with a Doctor of Optometry degree.

Losh said he and his wife, Tracey, who also works in the office, intend to make Maryville their home for many years to come.

“For optometry, there are two areas – vision and medi-

cal,” Losh said. “We are able to identify bigger health is-sues through the eyes.”

He said this could reduce a timeline of an underlying medical issue, referencing diabetes and shingles as cases he’s identified in the past.

Losh offers emergency ser-vices after work hours and on weekends.

Customers seeking this care can call their regular of-fice number, 660-241-5001, and select an option to trans-fer directly to him.

Page 10: 2016 Progress Report

Page 10A Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

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City of Maryville officials confirmed in February 2015 that plans were submitted for con-struction of a new Dairy Queen restaurant at 1912 S. Main Street.

Nine months later the new fast-food eatery was completed

and open for business.The location of the proposed

new eatery was purchased by Capital Investment Group LLC of Bates City, which also ac-quired the current Dairy Queen building, now closed, at 624 S. Main.

Capital Investment has not dis-closed what plans it has for the

existing building.The new 1,888 square-foot res-

taurant is rated for a maximum occupancy of 52 people and stands on a lot embracing just under nine-tenths of an acre.

In addition to an interior din-ing area, the eatery includes an outdoor seating area and a “rain garden” to mitigate storm water

drainage.A rain garden is a landscaped

depression that allows rain-water from roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots to be absorbed into the ground, as opposed to flowing into storm drains.

The new DQ was designed as a “Grill & Chill,” the fast-food

chain’s concept for new and ren-ovated full-service restaurants.

Grill & Chill stores are larger than older-style Dairy Queens and, in most cases, offer an ex-panded menu including breakfast and grilled sandwiches. Most such locations also offer limited table service and self-serve soft drink fountains.

Local DQ reborn under new ownership

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMBurger timeDevelopment along the South Main corridor in 2015 included construction of a new Dairy Queen fast-food restaurant featuring the chain’s new “Grill & Chill” design and an exterior dining area.

Page 11: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 11A

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State certifies new wastewater plantBy TONY BROWNNews editor

City Manager Greg McDanel announced July 1 that Maryville’s new $13.7 million wastewater treatment plant was operational and compliant with all requisite regula-tory agencies.

McDanel said the effluent gate was open, and the me-chanical facility was successfully discharging cleansed water into the One Hundred and Two River under a new permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural Re-sources.

One of the things city officials, including both McDanel and Public Works Director C.E. Goodall, said they were proudest of is that the plant was not only finished on time, thus avoiding the possibility of punitive fines, but within budget.

Official notice that the plant had passed regulatory mus-ter came at 10:17 a.m. Wednesday, July 1, the final day of a grace period allowed by MoDNR.

Issuance of a state permit means Maryville now meets key provisions specified by both the Missouri Clean Water Law and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

The history of the new plant, which replaces a decades-old system of settling lagoons, goes back to 2009, when the state declared its intention to enforce new limits on ammonia imposed by both MoDNR and the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency.

After an initial preliminary plant design, which would have partially preserved the lagoon system, proved un-workable, the city, in 2012, hired HDR Engineering to pro-vide regulatory support, facility design and construction services related to the creation of a fully mechanical plant.

“The services provided by HDR Engineering have been crucial to the success of the project since day one,” Pub-lic Works Director C.E. Goodall said. “The plant has also been designed with a look toward the future.”

McDanel said the facility is designed to process 2 mil-lion gallons of sewage a day, and that the city currently generates about 1.7 million gallons. The extra capacity, he said, means the plant will be able to handle additional volume created by population growth or industrial devel-opment.

In April 2012, Maryville voters approved a $13.7 mil-lion bond issue to pay for the plant, and the city hired Da-vid E. Ross Construction, of Raytown, to serve as general contractor.

“Substantial completion of the plant marks a significant achievement for our community,” McDanel said. “Faced with strict deadlines and unfavorable weather conditions, the plant is now operational.”

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMTake a lookLarry Rosanbalm of Dave Ross Construction, left, gestures toward the inside of one of two massive clarifier tanks at the new municipal wastewater treatment plant under construction east of town. Also pictured are City Council-man Jerry Riggs, City Manager Greg McDanel, City Councilman Jason McDowell, Human Resources Manager Amy Strough and Public Safety Director Keith Wood.

Page 12: 2016 Progress Report

Page 12A Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

Although only a few weeks into the new year, the City of Maryville would like to take a moment and reflect on the success at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park in 2015. With continued citizen and visitor support, the park made significant strides through-out the year.

Watson 9The most notable project at Mozingo Lake Recre-

ation Park in 2015 was the completion of the con-struction on the Watson 9. Funded through a grass roots community effort, the golf course will open to the general public for use this spring. A Grand Opening event tentatively scheduled for May 14th will feature legendary golfer Tom Watson playing the first round on the new course.

The potential of this nine-hole course for junior, average, and experienced golfers is unlimited. A Memorandum of Understanding with the Junior Golf Foundation was executed and will allow the group to serve in an advisory capacity for youth golf programming. Head Golf Pro Kyle Easter created a new Junior Golf Program to feature the Watson 9 which promises to be an excellent experience for young golfers this year.

The program not only focuses on golf fundamen-tals, but also promotes other model values for youth development. The Watson 9 is already receiving in-ternational media attention and is set to become an-other premier regional amenity.

Trail ExpansionAnother popular project of 2015 was the exten-

sion of two concrete trails. The existing concrete trail that leads to “The Point” now has two loops at the northeast and southwest ends. The southern loop extends around “The Point”, cutting through the woods to take advantage of scenic views and a nature setting. The northern loop is located adja-cent to the RV campground and tent camping areas

and provides a scenic cut-through to other ameni-ties. The trail systems are highly used by the com-munity and staff looks forward to completing ad-ditional extensions in the future.

Additional CabinsMozingo Lake Recreation Park partnered with the

Maryville R-II School District and the Northwest Technical School once again to construct an addi-tional cabin. Construction is under way and Cabin No. 8 will be available for public rental in July.

The new cabin enjoys amazing views of the lake and the Sechrest 18 golf course. The rustic cabin features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a size-able loft area.

Camping ImprovementsMozingo staff also performed numerous in-house

projects to improve existing amenities. Significant improvements were made both to the primitive tent camping area and the public beach. Staff cleared a substantial amount of underbrush in the tent camping area and made improvements to various tent camping sites.

More tent camping projects are planned for this winter and will include leveling each site and clear-ing additional dead timber.

Beach UpgradesOne of the more popular improvements in 2015

occurred at the public beach area. Staff removed all existing beach sand and replaced with fresh sand according to recommendations in the park’s Master Plan. Grade changes to the site were also made to reduce the amount of beach erosion.

A new swimming dock was installed in the public swimming area adjacent to the beach and became a highly utilized facility throughout the season. Both areas were utilized all summer long on a daily basis

which represents a significant increase in visitors to Mozingo.

Website RelaunchOperationally, significant advancements were

made to the park’s website (www.mozingolake.com). Reservations can now be make online for all cabins, shelters, 20 RV spaces, and the 13 equestrian RV spaces.

Not only does the online reservation capability streamline the experience for visitors, but it also im-proves efficiency in the process for staff. Additional website updates in 2016 will also allow campers to see the real-time availability of the first-come, first-serve RV and tent camping.

A look aheadFinally, 2016 is shaping up to be a significant year

with regards to the future of Mozingo Lake Recre-ation Park. The City will be placing two sales tax re-lated questions on the April 5th ballot.

The first question is to renew the existing ½ cent sales tax that assists in funding the continued opera-tions, maintenance, and improvements of the park. The second question is related to the development of a conference center that would include offices, new pro shop, restaurant, storm shelter, and event space for up to 500 people.

All Maryville voters are encour-aged to obtain as much information as possible to make an informed deci-sion on April 5th. More information can be found below or by visiting www.mozingolake.com/thenext20.

State of Mozingo Lake Recreation Park

BALLOT QUESTION NO. 1EXISTING SALES TAX RENEWAL

“Shall the City of Maryville, Missouri be authorized to continue to im-pose a sales tax at a rate of one-half of one percent until December 31, 2037, unless extended by a vote of the people, for the purpose of providing funds for the operation, maintenance, improvement, and expansion of recreation amenities at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park?”

Mozingo Lake Recreation Park has received support of a one-half of one percent sales tax since first approved by the voters in 1997. The existing sales tax is scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2017 unless renewed by vot-ers. The sales tax provides revenue for one-half of the park’s $1.9 million annual operating budget at approximately $950,000 a year. The revenue will be used for the continued operation, maintenance, and expansion of amenities. Funds from this source have been used over the last 20 years to construct concrete trails, family cabins, playgrounds, boat docks, and to maintain amenities such as the Sechrest 18 golf course. Sales tax revenue also supports park operations such as website and reservation systems, marketing, and programming such as the Junior Golf Program.

The proposed 20 year extension of the existing sales tax coincides with the recently adopted 20 year Mozingo Master Plan. According to RDG Planning & Design, the plan “provides a clear development path for Mozingo, includ-ing the best uses of the park and strategies for managing natural and hu-man resources.” Priority developments noted in the plan include RV Park upgrades and expansion, Welcome Center, improvement of fishing ameni-ties, expanded youth programming, Point Pavilion, trails and much more.

BALLOT QUESTION NO. 2CONFERENCE CENTER AT MOZINGO LAKE

“Shall the City of Maryville be authorized to increase its local park sales tax by one-eighth of one percent until December 31, 2036, un-less extended by a vote of the people, for the purpose of providing funds to construct, improve, operate and maintain a conference cen-ter at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park?”

The April ballot includes a question to increase the exist-ing local sales tax by 1/8 of 1% to construct an estimated $4 million conference center at Mozingo. The facility is noted as a “Priority 1: High Priority” in the adopted Moz-ingo Lake Recreation Park Master Plan.

The publically owned conference center would include approximately 6,000 square feet of meeting space to accommodate events of up to 500 people. Space for weddings, banquets, and conferences included in the facility design. The meeting space will be designed to separate into five smaller spaces allowing for events such as graduation parties or smaller business meetings. A full-service restaurant, new clubhouse/proshop, and space to expand programming related to the Junior Golf Program will be included in the facility.

The conference center will seek to compliment the Boulders Inn & Suites Hotel scheduled for construction in Spring 2016. The privately owned and operated hotel will feature 40 rooms, and will be positioned with the con-ference center adjacent to the championship Sechrest 18 and new Watson 9 golf course, scheduled to open in May 2016.

Since 2010, the development of a hotel and conference center at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park has remained as a top economic development priority and annual adopted goal of the City Council. In November, both the Moz-ingo Advisory Board and City Council unanimously approved the proposed financing plan and to place the question on the April ballot. If approved, the local sales tax rate will increase from 8.475% to 8.6% for a period of 20 years. However, in 2021, an existing 1/8 of 1% sales tax for the Maryville Commu-nity Center is retired thereby decreasing the sales tax back to the current rate. A 1/8 of 1% sales tax equates to 1 cent for an $8 purchase.

www.mozingolake.com/thenext20

The City of Maryville will place two (2) questions on the April 5, 2016 ballot regarding Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. The City is dedicated to providing information for voters to make an educated decision on April 5th.

More information is available on the website and through upcom-ing public meetings. The first community public meeting will be held Thursday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maryville Community Center.

ELECTION: April 5, 2016

Page 13: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 1B

East First is site of growing retail hubBy TONY BROWNNews editor

Two new businesses opened in 2015 near the intersection of East First Street and the Highway 71 bypass, and a third is cur-rently under construction thanks to a project undertak-en by Maryville East Side Development, a limited li-

ability corporation fronted by local businessmen Mark and Myles Burnsides.

City Manager Greg Mc-Danel characterized con-struction of a New Casey’s General Store truck stop, a Pizza Ranch restaurant, and the Lakeside Carwash as “a sizable opportunity to attract new retail opportu-nities creating a revitalized

commercial area near the eastern entrance of the com-munity.”

Both Casey’s and the car-wash are currently serving customers. Pizza Ranch will open in February.

McDanel predicted that when fully developed the Maryville East Side project could create dozens of new jobs.

With that in mind, plus the prospect of new streams of sales and property taxes that could add tens of thousands of dollars in annual munici-pal revenue, the Maryville City Council agreed to ap-propriate $77,000 in bud-geted city funds for the project relating to various infrastructure needs.

Most of the money was

used to pay for a new sani-tary sewer lift station, wet well, and force main.

Lift stations are designed to handle raw sewage fed from underground grav-ity pipelines into an un-derground pit, commonly known as a wet well. Such wells are equipped with electrical instruments that detect the level of sewage

present. When the sewage level rises to a set point, a pump lifts the sewage up-ward through a pressurized pipe called a force main, from which the effluent is discharged back into the gravity pipe system.

Initial plans called sim-ply for running a new sewer main to the development site from the south side of First Street, but McDanel said that about 65 percent of the area is so situated as to require a lift station, and that installing adequate in-frastructure now should pay off as new construction con-tinues in the future.

The $57,000 used to build the station came from more than $150,000 budgeted by the council for “infrastruc-ture-related economic de-velopment.”

Other infrastructure re-quired for the development included a new storm-water basin designed to capture runoff both from future con-struction and existing city streets. At least one new street, built to city specifi-cations, was constructed by Maryville East Side in order to provide interior access to the area.

Mayor Renee Riedel said funding the new infrastruc-ture will pay off for the city in years to come in terms of job creation, increased retail activity, and additional tax revenue. She also noted that the city has shown foresight in setting aside money for development-related proj-ects.

“Anytime you can spend $77,000 to accommodate

KAITY HOLTMAN/DAILY FORUMEat ’em upSoon-to-open, the Pizza Ranch restaurant, near the intersection of East First Street and the Highway 71 bypass, is part of a Christian-based chain that proclaims a vision “to glorify God by positively impacting the world,” and is noted for hosting “community impact nights” designed to benefit families, schools, and civic organizations. See EAST SIDE Page 2B

Page 14: 2016 Progress Report

Page 2B Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

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three new businesses, it’s worth every penny,” Riedel said, “and it’s all budgeted.”

Former Councilman Jeff Fun-ston, who also served council terms in the 1970s and 1990s, said the project stands in contrast to an era in which the city sometimes set up regulatory hurdles that discour-aged new development rather than working to make such initiatives possible.

“I think sometimes it seemed our goal in the past was to find road-blocks to development,” said Fun-ston, adding that by “reaching out” and working as a partner with both the developers and Nodaway Coun-ty Economic Development the city had “set the stage for growth.”

Pizza Ranch, the sole for-profit business at the site still under con-struction, is being built on a 2.24

acre parcel north of the Casey’s General Store.

Described by management as a “fast casual family restaurant,”

Pizza Ranch will offer pizza, chicken, a salad bar, a buffet, and desserts.

According to a company release,

the 6,000-square-foot operation is to create approximately 60-80 lo-cal jobs.

Headquartered in Orange City,

Iowa, Pizza Ranch has more than 180 locations across Iowa, Minne-sota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Mon-tana, Wyoming and Colorado.

The Christian-based chain pro-claims a vision “to glorify God by positively impacting the world,” and is noted for hosting “commu-nity impact nights” designed to benefit families, schools, and civic organizations.

Over the past couple of election cycles, the chain has received ex-posure from the national news me-dia due to several of its locations proving popular as campaign stops for presidential candidates during the Iowa caucuses.

NCED Executive Director Josh McKim said the addition of Pizza Ranch to Maryville’s retail com-munity will help fill what he de-scribed as a restaurant “gap.”

“Maryville has a restaurant mar-ket demand of $42,785,943 and a current supply of $32,557,553,” McKim said. “Pizza Ranch has a diverse menu which makes it an ideal addition to our restaurant community.”

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East Side Development sparks retail growthContinued from Page 1B

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMFill ’er upA new Casey’s General Store convenience store and truck stop is one of two new businesses that opened in 2015 near the junction of East First Street and the Highway 71 bypass.

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMShine ’er upThe Lakeside Carwash is among the new businesses either open or about to open as a part of a new commercial development spear-headed by Mark and Myles Burnsides along the north side of East First Street.

Page 15: 2016 Progress Report

Northwest Missouri State University, now in its 111th year, is a thriving institu-tion that benefits from the support it receives from the Maryville community and the region.

In 2015, Northwest main-tained its partnership with Maryville and surrounding communities while dis-rupting from a position of strength.

“We are experiencing significant progress on a variety of fronts, but we are not resting on our laurels,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “We are thinking boldly and focused on the future. We are taking some risks, seeking to be a solution provider and culti-vating partnerships that are values-based, robust and purposeful.”

With an enrollment of 6,600 students, Northwest’s mission is to focus on stu-dent success – every stu-dent, every day. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its Maryville campus as well as locations in Kansas City and St. Jo-

seph while providing stu-dents with a comprehensive, profession-based education that extends beyond class-room walls.

Northwest helps gradu-ates build their resumes and jumpstart their careers with profession-based ex-periences in nearly every area of study. It also offers 1,200 student employment positions, allowing students to build professional skills through its internationally benchmarked student em-ployment program. As a re-sult, 97 percent of Northwest bachelor’s degree earners and 99 percent of master’s degree earners secure em-ployment or continue their education within six months of graduation, according to the most recent data.

At Northwest, students are competitive in academics as well as athletics. Since 2009, Northwest has claimed a total of 23 national champi-onships in areas such as fo-rensics, radio broadcasting, business education, cheer-leading and football.

For two consecutive

years, U.S. News and World Report has ranked North-west as the top moderately selective regional university in Missouri. Northwest also was ranked in 2015 among

the top 10 energy-reducing schools by Campus Con-servation Nationals, the “50 Safest College Towns” by SafeWise, and the “50 Most Amazing University Botani-cal Gardens and Arboretums in the U.S.” by BestColleg-esOnline.org. Northwest’s School of Business was ranked among the top 100 business schools by Nerd-Wallet.com.

Northwest opened a School of Health Science and Wellness and continued its focus on agricultural sci-ences and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) instruc-tion. The university also opened its state-of-the-art Robert and Virginia Foster Fitness Center and is setting

its focus on upgrading other facilities. With the help of nearly $6.9 million in state funding, Northwest will ad-dress deferred maintenance during the coming years.

Additionally, the uni-versity celebrated its new Northland CAPS Innovation Education Partnership with North Kansas City Schools, Metropolitan Community College and numerous Kan-sas City area companies. It broke ground for its North-land Innovation Campus in partnership with the city of Gladstone and North Kan-sas City Schools in May.

In June, Northwest joined the Maryville community in celebrating the comple-tion of the Fourth Street Improvement Project, the

culmination of a three-year initiative resulting from the university’s partnership with the city of Maryville. That event occurred one month after Northwest released the findings of an economic impact study illustrating the university’s impact on the regional economy. The study shows Northwest generated $617.5 million in added regional income – the equivalent of creating 9,465 new jobs – during 2014.

The university invites res-idents of northwest Missouri and beyond to experience some of the many athletics, cultural and entertainment events offered on the cam-pus throughout the year. To learn more about Northwest, visit www.nwmissouri.edu.

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 3B

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Page 16: 2016 Progress Report

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‘Wall-breaking’ opens St. Francis remodelBy TONY BROWNNews editor

SSM Health St. Francis Hospital President Mike Baumgartner presided over what he called a “differ-ent kind of groundbreak-ing” on Feb. 13, 2016, as a group of staffers donned hardhats, picked up sledge-hammers, and pounded holes in the wall of what used to a lounge area just inside one of hospital’s east entrances.

The “wall-breaking” cer-emony marked the official start of construction for a $1.7 million project an-nounced in 2015 that will add space to the existing emergency treatment cen-ter while providing patients there with considerably more privacy.

“It’s all about the pa-tients,” Baumgartner said just before the hammers thudded and the sheetrock flew. “It really is all about improving the care we pro-vide for our patients.”

Baumgartner joked that the wall to be destroyed was marked with colored tape similar to the way pa-tients are marked before surgery so that physicians will know who and what to operate on.

“We don’t want to tear up anything we’re not sup-posed to tear up,” he said.

When the renovation project is complete, the for-mer lounge area located to the south of the hospital’s main entrance will contain a relocated St. Francis gift shop. The existing registra-tion area will then move

across the hall into the space occupied by the current gift shop.

That will allow for expan-sion of the emergency de-partment.

Currently the emergency department has one private room with permanent walls. The other patient areas are equipped with gurneys and separated by curtains. In

total, there are three rooms containing five treatment areas.

After the remodel, there will be seven enclosed ED rooms in all, and a triage room will be available for overflow if no one is being treated there.

Half the current waiting room will become the tri-age room, and the operators’

room will be turned into new trauma rooms and a pa-tient room.

In addition to providing more privacy for emergency patients, hospital spokes-person Rita Miller said the registration area will be configured for greater confi-dentiality as well.

Besides improvements to the emergency department,

new construction at St. Fran-cis will create a joint wait-ing area for the laboratory and imaging departments along with private registra-tion rooms and easier access to the anticoagulation clinic.

The emergency depart-ment expansion project be-gan moving forward three years ago when St. Francis administrators informed

SSM Health corporate offi-cers that the hospital’s emer-gency department deserved an upgrade. A layout was submitted and revised sev-eral times before the project earned approval last spring.

“All the nurses and tech-nicians in the ER helped with redraws,” ED manager Pat Giffin said in November after the project was an-nounced.

According Giffin, the im-petus to expand the emer-gency treatment area was twofold. First, she said, hospital staff was concerned about meeting increased pa-tient volume.

In order to prove the reno-vation was needed, Giffin said, the department culled data from the last two years to find how many days the emergency department had more patients than rooms. At that point, the facility was overcrowded 50 per-cent of the time.

Since then, the emergency department has served its highest number of patients. In September, the ER was overcrowded 60 percent of the time.

Giffin said that besides adding beds, the emergency department discovered it needed to consider the pa-tient experience.

“More and more health-care is going to privacy con-cerns,” Giffin said. “It used to be that all hospitals had two beds in a room, three beds in some rooms. But now hospitals are going to all private rooms for patient privacy. The ER needs to follow, and a lot of ERs are already private.”

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TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMDestruction projectPaul Shandley, manager of imaging services at SSM Health St. Francis Hospital, swings a sledgehammer to-ward a sheetrock partition on Feb. 13, 2016, durring a “wall-breaking ceremony” kicking off construction of what will be an enlarged emergency treatment center. The project also embraces relocation of the St. Francis gift shop and registration desk.

Page 17: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 5B

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Garwood practicing at Family Eye ClinicDrew Garwood, a practic-

ing optometrist since ear-lier this year, had dreamed of practicing eye care for a long time.

“When I was little, I had an eye injury and when I was (in college), I realized I didn’t want to sit in a lab all day,” Garwood said. “I would rather help people and discuss possible ways to help them. I followed a few optometrists and decided I’d like to be in the health care profession, but I also wanted to get to know my patients.”

In 2011, Garwood re-ceived his bachelor’s of sci-ence degree and decided that being an optometrist was the profession for him. He en-rolled and attended optom-etry school at the University of Missouri at St. Louis Col-lege of Optometry.

Although he is relatively new to Maryville, Garwood has lived in the northwest Missouri region for 20 years. He graduated from Benton High School in St. Joseph in 2006, and then attended Truman State Uni-versity in Kirksville, where he majored in chemistry and played baseball.

While attending a meeting in Kansas City, Garwood met Korrie Sowards, who had purchased the Family Eye Clinic practice, where she had been office manag-er, from Harold Poynter.

“It was a fantastic op-portunity,” Gardwood said. “Korrie is amazing and Dr. Poynter introduced me to the area.”

“I really enjoyed Kirks-ville and it’s very similar

in size to Maryville,” Gard-wood said. “They don’t have quite the sports teams that Maryville has, but I love the size of Maryville and the small town feel. My wife is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University and she’s now a teacher.”

He is still relatively new to the community, but Gar-wood wants to get out and meet as many patrons and community members as he can. He said that being in-volved in the community is a crucial part of his job.

“I want to meet people in the community and I want people to know me,” Gar-wood said. “I want people to get to know me and the per-son I am away from optom-etry so they can talk to me about sports, or anything. I want to be able to make con-nections with a lot of people in the community.”

Garwood prides himself on being able to relate to a lot of different demograph-ics of people. He said that the most important aspect of his profession is building relationships.

“I want my patients to trust me. Today, everyone uses their eyes differently. We live in a world with computers and technology. People are reading a lot more from a screen. A lot of the baby boomers are coming in and they’ve never worn glasses. It’s my job to help them adapt to using glasses.”

Garwood’s goal as an optometrist is to improve people’s quality of life. He said it’s a profession where you receive instant feedback from your patients.

CHRIS ROUSH/DAILY FORUMA new beginningDrew Garwood is now practicing optometry at the Family Eye Clinic in Maryville. He is serving the practice for-merly serviced by Harold Poynter.

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Page 18: 2016 Progress Report

MARYVILLE, Mo. — It was like a Maryville re-union of sorts in October when officers of Wells Bank of Platte City joined city officials at groundbreaking ceremonies for the bank’s new facility at 2920 S. Main St.

“It is always good to see a new investment in Maryville from someone from Maryville,” Nodaway County Economic Develop-ment Director Josh McKim said before shovels of dirt were ceremoniously tossed.

“This will provide anoth-

er lending opportunity for local projects and ultimately be very good for everybody in the area. These kinds of things are always good from an economic develop-ment standpoint, and it is even more encouraging to see that someone with local

connections obviously sees a viable market opportunity to invest here.”

Robert Barmann, Wells president and chief ex-ecutive officer, who has 20 years of previous banking experience in Maryville, said the new Wells Bank will have the flexibility to provide a wide range of fi-nancial services.

Barmann said Wells Bank represents a family banking tradition and a commitment to small-town service and growth.

Maryville was to have been the company’s first fi-nancial institution outside of Platte County when its Maryville plans were an-nounced, but the recent acquisition of the former Citizens Bank of Oregon, with offices in Oregon and Savannah, changed that, he said.

When completed in spring 2016, the Maryville facility will have approxi-mately five employees in addition to manager Mark Quick. The new branch means that there will now be Wells Bank facilities in the Andrew, Holt, Nodaway, and Platte county seats.

As an aside, Barmann pointed out that Wells’ chief financial officer, Jim Baber, and Brad Meyer, the bank’s chief operating officer, are both graduates of Northwest Missouri State University.

Wells Bank has total as-sets of $129.6 million and total deposits of $108.9 mil-lion, according to informa-tion on the bank’s website.

Maryville City Manager Greg McDanel said the city was pleased to have sup-ported infrastructure im-provements in connection with the new bank’s con-struction.

Landowner and developer Bill Ingels added that he is excited about the bank in terms of its role in the con-tinued development of the south end of the Main Street retail corridor.

“I always thought this lo-cation had potential, but it just sort of sat here until the bank came along,” Ingels said. “And where we go from here, nobody knows.”

According to planning documents filed with the city, the 3,600-square foot facility is to include three drive-through lanes, one of which will provide access to

an ATM machine.Wells Bank offers a va-

riety of financial services, including personal and busi-ness deposit and loan ac-counts and fixed-rate mort-gages for residential and agricultural real estate. The bank’s website is located at wells-bank.com.

The new bank will serve as the anchor business of a proposed new retail subdivi-sion being developed by In-gels and known as Fountain Park.

Last March the Maryville City Council approved a preliminary plat for Foun-tain Park, a 13-acre plot consisting of four commer-cially zoned parcels.

During 2015 the council appropriated $80,000 that was used to partially pay for improvements at the site, including water and sewer lines. Other infrastructure at Fountain Park is to include a new street, Fountain Park-way, which will run west from Business 71.

The municipal funds are coming from a regularly ap-pearing line item in the city budget earmarked for infra-structure projects related to economic development.

Page 6B Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

New bank to anchor ‘Fountain Park’

JIM FALL/DAILY FORUMBank on itScheduled to open this spring, a new Wells Bank branch at the south end of the Main Street retail corridor will serve as an anchor business for Fountain Park, an ongoing commercial development conceived by local landowner and builder Bill Ingels.

Page 19: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 7B

Revving up

Tri State changing face of South Main MARYVILLE, Mo. — Early in 2015 it had been an open secret for months that something big was go-ing on at Tri State Ford Lin-coln on South Main Street in Maryville.

Land was bought and subdivided, buildings were torn down, new steel-frame construction went up, and acres of dirt were moved, flattened, and shaped — all activi-ties associated with a ma-jor construction project.

So what was the big se-cret?

In a nutshell, Tri State President Todd Hill decided the time had come to grow, and grow in a big way.

So he purchased seven acres of land immediately south of the existing deal-ership, a tract that included Kizer Collision & Heavy Recovery and a former bar-becue restaurant torn down last year.

Kizer has since built a larger facility a few hun-dred yards to the southeast on South Hills Drive, and Tri State is erecting a new state-of-the art dealership just south of its current lo-cation.

And if that weren’t big enough news for the local business community, Hill announced in May that he had completed negotiations to bring a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership to Maryville.

The new sales operation augments a multi-million-dollar expansion that is re-turning a Ford showroom to

Maryville for the first time in several years.

Overall, the enlarged sales and service complex will occupy 17.8 acres on South Main, including the Ford Lincoln dealership that by itself will encom-pass nearly 25,000 square

feet. An outdoor display area, to be lit with LED fix-tures, will provide room for as many as 500 vehicles, Hill said.

During construction, scheduled for completion in 2016, the Ford operation has remained headquartered

in its current location, while the new Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership tem-porarily set up shop in the former Kizer facility.

When the new structure is finished, the Chrysler of-fices will move into the cur-rent Ford building.

Ford and Chrysler sales and service operations will be independent of one an-other, but the two carmakers have agreed to allow Hill to operate a combined parts department.

In addition to a show-room, the enlarged Ford

dealership will comprise on-site and Internet sales offices and a large-scale ser-vice operation embracing 15 bays, five of which will make up Ford Quick Lane, a while-you-wait scheduled maintenance shop servicing all makes and models.

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMOverdriveTri State Ford Lincoln set the pace in 2015 for growth along the South Main corridor with ongoing construction of a new dealership office and showroom complex and the acquisition of Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership rights.

Page 20: 2016 Progress Report

Page 8B Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

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Rogers Pharmacy expanding local servicesRogers Home Medical Equip-

ment in Maryville will dramati-cally expand its current line of services when the business relo-cates to a newly renovated facility at 125 E. South Ave. in late Febru-ary.

“We will continue to offer the complete line of home medical equipment we have provided for Maryville area customers since July of 2008, and we will be add-ing a full-service pharmacy,” ac-cording to Kurt Clark, the com-pany’s chief operating officer.

“We are also investigating the probability of expanding our full assortment of durable medical equipment, in addition to provid-ing pharmacy services, when we move into the newly remodeled and expanded building,” Clark said.

“We have not been able to set an exact date for opening at our new, larger site, but we are shooting to have all of the required licensing and credentialing requirements completed by the end of Febru-ary,” he said.

Rogers currently operates phar-macies in Mound City, Tarkio, and St. Joseph. The company was launched by Melvin Rogers in 1967 in Fairfax and expanded to additional locations in Mound City, Tarkio, Oregon, and St. Jo-seph. The Fairfax and Oregon lo-cations have since closed.

The new Rogers Pharmacy in Maryville will be staffed by reg-istered pharmacists Rick Carter, who formerly operated Carter’s Pharmacy in Maryville, and Julie Simmerman and Debbie Garrett, pharmacy technician.

“Our Maryville location will be a full-service pharmacy with a drive-through window and we will offer free delivery in the Maryville area,” Clark said.

“Our hours have not been fi-nally established quite yet, but we will be open six days a week to suit the needs of the Maryville community,” he said. “We will be open Monday through Saturday, but not on Sundays.”

Janice Fritz and J.D. Dirks com-prise the staff on the home medi-cal side of the business, providing a complete assortment of durable medical equipment to meet pa-tients’ needs related to mobility issues, oxygen supplies, and re-spiratory equipment. Selections of diabetic shoes and colostomy sup-plies are also offered.

“We have plans to expand our equipment lines and services to in-clude stairway lifts,” Clark added.

Rogers Home Medical is pres-ently located in Suite 1 of the Northside Mall, 115 E. Fourth St.

Melvin Rogers continues to serve as president of the company. Benne Rogers is the owner and chief financial officer.

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMExpandingRogers Home Medical Equipment is in the process of moving from the Maryville square into a larger store at 125 E. South Ave. When it opens early this year, the new location will feature an extensive line of medical equipment in addition to a full-service pharmacy.

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Page 21: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 9B

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Rapid Elite: A small business success storyMARYVILLE, Mo. — Any-one who has ever listened to a Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats foot-ball or basketball game on the radio has heard Matt Gaarder.

When Gaarder graduated from Northwest, he thought that sports broadcasting was his dream profession. He took his first job out of school at KUTT in Fair-bury, Nebraska, where he did play-by-play for high school athletics and Doane College.

“I had done radio in high school, and my dad had a little bit of a radio back-ground,” Gaarder said. “I enjoyed sports, and that’s probably why I did that in college. It probably wasn’t until after college that I thought it would be fun to

own a business.”After spending two years

in Fairbury, Gaarder re-turned to Maryville in 1999 and worked at Nodaway Broadcasting as the news and sports director. During this time, Gaarder’s desire to become an entrepreneur began to grow.

“I was looking online for refill equipment to re-fill my own ink cartridges,” Gaarder said. “I stumbled upon Rapid Refill and kind of looked into them. They were a franchise, and I had always wanted to own a business. I just never knew what it was going to be.”

The possibility of own-ing a Rapid Refill intrigued Gaarder, and he took a trip to the corporate headquar-ters in Minnesota. After vis-iting with executives there

and studying the company’s business model, Gaarder de-cided to take the plunge.

“Rapid Refill was some-thing that Maryville didn’t have,” Gaarder said. “I thought it would work well.”

So, in 2010, Gaarder and his wife, Sherry, opened a Rapid Refill store in Maryville. For a while, Gaarder kept working at Nodaway Broadcasting while learning the ins and outs of running his own shop.

“I think the biggest ob-stacle in the remanufactured ink business is that there are a lot of bad-quality refills out there,” Gaarder said. “People had run into that, and the difference with us is that our suppliers are thor-oughly tested on a constant

basis to make sure their product is good quality. That was the biggest hurdle. People didn’t trust refilled ink cartridges, and I under-stood that.”

But now the message is out, and in the five years since Gaarder’s original Rapid Refill store opened in the Hy-Vee retail complex much has changed.

First, in 2013, Gaarder moved the business down-town to North Main Street. That same year he left Nod-away Broadcasting in order to focus full-time on his growing business.

The scent of opportunity was in the air.

“There was a study done for the city probably a year or two before we moved,” Gaarder said. “One of the things it did was study downtown, and one thing the study showed was an office supply store would fit well in not only any downtown but especially Maryville’s downtown. I took that in-formation for what it was worth, and I thought well we’re an office supply store, let’s give it a shot.”

As part of the planned expansion, Gaarder started looking at getting into print-ing services.

That led to negotiations with another downtown businessman, Rod Couts of Accent Printing on the south side of the courthouse square.

With Couts nearing retire-ment, the time seemed right to strike a deal.

“Rod approached me, and asked me what I thought about taking on the printing,

copying, and shipping side of his operation,” Gaarder said. “I said ‘That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear someday.’ We started work-ing on it, and hammered out all of the details.”

And so last summer Gaarder’s Rapid Refill be-

came Rapid Elite, a stand-alone enterprise offering ink supplies, printing, copying, and shipping services.

While the acquisition represented a big step for-ward for the young busi-ness, Gaarder said he still has plenty of entrepreneur-ial ambition and is excited about being apart of what he hopes will turn into a down-town retail renaissance.

It’s a blast,” Gaarder said, “and I get to work with a lot more people, network-ing with business owners and customers that come into the store. A two-minute transaction turns into a 20 minute (conversation) about the Bearcats. So the interac-tion with the customers is huge, and I feel that sense of freedom (every) entrepre-neur wants. It’s not easy, but it’s enjoyable.”

Gaarder continues to work for the university-operated Bearcat Radio Network as a football and basketball an-nouncer, but says his sports

radio career is now really more like a hobby. His real business these days is busi-ness.

“I don’t think when we have to do games or the coaches show that this is work, it’s something fun,” Gaarder said.

“What do people do on the weekends when they are not working? They go to Bearcat games. I’ve al-ways joked with people that I want to make sure I keep doing the Bearcat games be-cause then Sherry can’t tell me I can’t go to the game for some reason. I don’t think she ever would, but it’s always been the running joke.”

When Gaarder first start-ed his business he admits he had some doubts. Now that Rapid Elite is a proven suc-cess he has some advice for others hoping to own their own business someday.

Exceed customer expec-tations.

“I’ve always told my sales people just get a cartridge in the printer,” Gaarder said. “Let people see our cartridg-es are the same, that they act the same. Once people saw our product was differ-ent than what you order off the Internet, we gained their trust.”

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMTaking it downtownRapid Elite owner Matt Gaarder started his business five years ago as a remanu-factured ink and toner cartridge franchise under the national Rapid Refill brand. After moving downtown from the South Main retail strip, he took the store inde-pendent as Rapid Elite, acquiring a portion of Accent Printing and adding printing, copying, and shipping services to the ink and toner operation.

‘It’s a blast … and I get to work with a lot more people, networking with business owners and customers that come into the store.’

— Matt GaarderRapid Elite

Page 22: 2016 Progress Report

Page 10B Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016

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The name has changed. What for decades was Boyles Motors — a land-mark downtown General Motors dealership at 204 N. Market Street — is now officially Meyer Auto Cen-ter.

Doug Meyer, who also operates Chevrolet dealer-ships in Auburn, Nebraska and Shenandoah, Iowa, pur-chased the dealership from Bud and David Boyles last spring after being hand-picked by the Boyles family.

When the deal was first announced, David Boyles

said he and his father — Bud Boyles, who established Boyles Motors in 1984 — had received several offers, but reached out to someone with a history of running a small-town business and who was committed to tak-ing care of both customers and employees.

Long a mainstay of the downtown business com-munity in Maryville, what is now Meyer Auto Cen-ter was founded by Roland Curnutt in 1943 and moved to its current location a de-cade later. The dealership became Wilkinson Motors in 1971 before Bud Boyles bought out his partner, Dick

Wilkinson.Meyer Auto Center em-

ploys about 15 people and continues to offer a com-plete body shop and garage along with sales of new and used vehicles.

As in the past, GM brands offered by the dealership include Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.

“This third dealership gives us an opportunity to increase our brands, and it also gets us into a little larger market,” Meyer said. “However, none of this would have been pos-sible without the great staff which we have at Auburn and Shenandoah.”

Meyer said he was im-mediately impressed with Maryville and planned to offer a larger inventory than has been the case here in re-cent years. He added, how-ever, that growth will be tied to what the market will bear.

Show-Me State custom-ers have been a key factor in the success of the Meyer-Earp Chevrolet dealership in Auburn, Meyer said, with about 40 percent of that lo-cation’s business coming from the east side of the Missouri River.

“We can only hope that business at our new location goes as well as the others have,” he said.

After the sale became of-ficial on April 1, salesman Mike Riley of Meyer-Earp

was promoted to general manager of the Maryville dealership.

Riley, who has 25 years of experience in the retail auto-mobile industry, started sell-ing cars for Johnson Motor Co. in 1994 and remained on staff when the Auburn business was acquired by the Meyer family in 2004.

His wife, Cindy Riley, also joined the Meyer Auto Center team as accountant.

Riley said Meyer Auto Center initially boosted in-ventory to about 40 vehicles and expected that number to grow depending on sales volume, which he said has reached double digits since the change in ownership.

He said it was hard to pre-dict what changes may come

to the dealership going for-ward, but that the operation will certainly work to boost online marketing and sales through meyercars.com.

The Internet has trans-formed the retail auto busi-ness, Riley said, adding that Meyer-Earp has sold cars online “from California to Florida,” with some buyers flying into Omaha and driv-ing their new car home.

But despite the expanded scope online, Riley said he relished the prospect of do-ing business in a small-town atmosphere, and that the dealership will continue to emphasize customer ser-vice.

“Customer service is huge,” Riley said. “It’s ev-erything to us.”

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMIn the driver’s seatMike Riley is shown last spring shortly after taking over as general manager at Meyer Auto Center, the GM dealership at 204 N. Market St. formerly known as Boyles Motors. While still feeling out the local market back in April, Riley said he expected to maintain a larger inventory at the landmark downtown location while expanding online sales and continuing to emphasize the dealership’s commitment to customer service.

Page 23: 2016 Progress Report

Friday, January 29, 2016 Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Page 11B

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Ace now the place after Watkins saleMARYVILLE, Mo. — After acquiring all four Watkins Hardware and Appliances Inc. stores early last spring, Westlake Ace Hardware held a grand-opening cel-ebration for the Maryville location in November.

Other stores acquired by Westlake from the Watkins family, which has been a part of the local business scene for decades, included retail outlets in Nebraska City, Nebraska; Red Oak, Iowa; and Beatrice, Ne-braska.

“We were excited to show off all of the new selections and setups that we have,” said Maryville branch General Manager Mark Sidwell.

Sidwell added that the Maryville location, which formerly carried the True Value brand, continues to offer many of the same products and services but has expanded customer se-lection in several areas.

“We want customers to know we’re here for them,” he said.

Watkins Hardware was established here in 1957 by brothers Louis and Dick Watkins.

At the time of the sale in March, Mark Watkins said Westlake was retain-ing all current employees — ten full time and ten part time. However, five full-time staffers at the Watkins corporate offices, located across the street at 1316 S. Main, were let go.

Watkins Hardware and Appliances Inc. was tore-main to intact as a corporate entity, Watkins said.

A landmark business on the South Main corridor for nearly 60 years, Watkins Hardware first opened its doors in a 5,000-square-foot space on the site of Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. in what is now the Mary Mart shopping center, a retail complex developed by the Watkins family.

Louis Watkins bought his brother’s share of the hard-ware business in 1972, and son Mark Watkins has led the corporation since the 1980s.

During the family’s own-ership, the Maryville store underwent two expansions, once at its former location in the Mary Mart center, and

again a few years ago when the business moved across the street into the former Wal-Mart building, a tran-sition that added another 13,000 square feet of floor space.

Mark Watkins said he and his wife, Carol, who has also been active in the busi-ness, had no plans to retire or leave Maryville and were exploring new opportuni-ties, including, perhaps, ac-quiring a hardware store in another city.

“We are hoping to go wherever the Lord leads,” Mark Watkins said.

Watkins said Westlake approached him several weeks before the sale about

the possibility of acquiring all four stores, and that the presence of a willing buyer contributed to the family’s decision to sell.

Aside from signage and branding, Watkins said he expected local customers to “see very little change,” and that Westlake is expected to retain the store’s agricultural products line and extensive inventory of rental tools and equipment.

In addition, he said, all current customer charge ac-counts were to be carried over under the new owner-ship.

“It’s kind of sad for us,” Watkins said. “There are some heavy hearts. Our

whole philosophy — we wanted to make a profit, of course — but our whole philosophy was to serve the customer. That’s what really makes retail fun, taking care of the customer.”

A 20-year Westlake veter-an, Sidwell began his hard-ware career in St. Joseph and most recently managed a store in Topeka, Kansas.

The purchase expanded the Westlake Ace Hardware chain to 89 stores in Mis-souri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.

Westlake was founded in 1905 in Huntsville, Mis-souri, when W.I. Westlake bought into an existing

store, becoming sole owner three years later.

As the business grew, sev-eral new stores were opened in Missouri before Westlake expanded into Kansas and several other states during the 1970s.

In 1959, Westlake joined the Ace Hardware distribu-tion network and became the largest Ace dealer in the United States.

Goldner Hawn Johnson and Morrison purchased the family-owned chain in 2006, and in 2012 the busi-ness was acquired by Ace Hardware Corp., which cur-rently operates Westlake as a wholly owned indepen-dent subsidiary.

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUMUnder new managementA longstanding tradition of family business ownership came to a close last year when the Watkins family sold all four Watkins Hardware and Appliances Inc. stores early last spring to Westlake Ace Hardware. New Manager Mark Sidwell said the Maryville location would continue to offer many of the same goods and services, including its agricultural products line and extensive inventory of rental tools and equipment, but also planned to expand customer selection in several areas.

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Page 24: 2016 Progress Report

Page 12B Progress 2016 • Maryville Daily ForuM Friday, January 29, 2016