Last week, the Howell County Commission and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) discussed moving a county road near the site of a 2022 fatal crash. The reason for moving the county road involves the entrance to the JBR Arena near County Road 7110. The commission also approved the senior property tax credit and the purchase of a new K9 unit for the sheriff's office.
Representatives from MoDOT, Equin Auala and Lainey Kirkman, spoke with the commission on Thursday about moving County Road 7110 to the west to line up with County Road 5130. According to Auala, the primary reason to move the road is due to the entrance of JBR Arena not meeting standards. “For a 55 mile-per-hour highway, the stopping side distance is 495 feet,” explained Kirkman, a traffic specialist with MoDOT. “That means you have to be able to see the vehicle pulling out 495 feet it will take for you to approximately stop your vehicle going at 55 mph.”
This was the site of a crash in November 2022 where a truck with a trailer carrying vehicles was attempting to turn into the arena entrance and was struck by Dora resident Mark Gianunzio, who was fatally injured as a result.
The current entrance to the arena sits to the eastern side of a hill, across from a home whose driveway was grandfathered in before the FHA ruling. Auala said that the arena entrance was not approved by MoDOT in 2021. Last month, MoDOT vehicles had removed the driveway, but the owner rebuilt it. The commission agreed with MoDOT to move the county road so long as the property owner agrees.
On Monday, the commission approved the senior tax credit, 2024-R5. This has been a long project that has gone through forms and edits. The commission had the resolution in its final form on Oct. 24 and sent it to the county's attorney for a final read. The resolution came back without changes on Monday and was approved by the commission. The commission, along with County Collector Janet Crow and County Assessor Daniel Franks, has worked on this resolution for years to lead to this approval. More information on the senior tax credit can be found in this issue.
The commission spoke with Sheriff Brent Campbell to approve the final review for Grant 1937. Sheriff Campbell informed the commission his office has been awarded $89,551.42 for the new K9 unit, all aspects of K9 training, and a new vehicle. One of the differences with this grant is that there is no payroll involved in this grant, as it only covers the previously mentioned items. Campbell told Howell County News the new vehicle will be a 2025 Chevy Tahoe and the dog will be purchased from a breeder in Pennsylvania and the training will be conducted in Columbia, Mo.
The Howell County Commissioners are Presiding Commissioner Ralph Riggs, Northern Commissioner Calvin Wood, and Southern Commissioner Billy Sexton. The commission meets in regular session on Mondays and Thursdays, from 10 am to 3:30 pm. The meetings remain open during the lunch hour and are open to the public. Contact the commissioners' chamber by phone at (417) 256-3872.