Volume XXVIII | January 2020

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Greetings Ozark,

It is a great honor and privilege to honor my good friend Don Watts with my first newsletter of 2020. Don passed away on December 17, 2019 at the age of 74.

Don was a graduate of Ozark High School and a veteran. He served the City of Ozark as an Alderman for 12 years and also served as Mayor for four terms from April 1991 to April 1997 and again from April 2007 to April 2009. This is an amazing total of 20 years serving the community he loved.

I had an opening on one of the City's volunteer boards earlier this year and called Don to see if he would allow me to appoint him to the position. It wasn't until then I realized he was battling cancer. Otherwise, I know he would have agreed to serve. That is just the kind of man he was.

Don was also a devout follower of Jesus Christ and lived that out through many years of service to his church Ozark Assembly of God. His love for the Lord showed in his everyday life.

His servant's heart was evident to all who knew him. The community of Ozark will greatly miss our friend Don Watts.

Mayor Rick Gardner

A note from Missouri Extension Office

The University of Missouri Extension (MU Extension) in Christian County is a partnership between Christian County and the University of Missouri. Across the state, MU Extension has a presence in all 114 counties, supported by funding from the federal government, state of Missouri, and each County Commission. While often recognized for advancing progress in agriculture, Extension has evolved to embrace a more expansive mission, seeking to advance not only improvements in specific sectors of the economy but also provide knowledge to empower people to understand change, solve problems and make informed decisions. In 2017, a third-party assessment revealed that MU Extension provides counties over a 10-fold return on investment.

Community Development became part of the work of the Cooperative Extension Service in 1955, with the passage by the U.S. Congress of a modified Smith-Lever Act. The addition of Community Development was partially due to a national report that noted the need to do more than attend to the needs of agriculture, but also to “expand new industries and economic interests, promote social cohesion, improve efficiency of local government, and grow a cooperative spirit that engaged people as participants and contributors.” A further modification of the Smith-Lever Act in 1961, endorsed the use of federal funds to support community resource and economic development initiatives.

The current Community and Economic Development (CED) program of the University of Missouri Extension continues with this mission. University of Missouri faculty, who are housed in county offices around the state, work to build economically viable communities; renew civic engagement; enhance community decision-making; and pursue proven and innovative science-based strategies to promote growth, sustainability, resiliency, and community well-being.

Using asset-based community development strategies, we are continually exploring avenues to help expand on unique community assets and to build on competitive regional strengths. Efforts include work to strengthen entrepreneurship and promote business growth, improve business retention and expansion programs, invest in the development of local food systems, promote agritourism, and develop community leadership.

The MU Extension vision for 2020 is to continue to achieve more through “engagement” with our Missouri communities. Whether through CED programs; 4-H Youth development; building profitable agricultural practices; nutrition and health education; human development and family programs; or connection to a variety of unique programs through the University of Missouri, we look forward to working with you to make lasting positive community impacts.

For more information, contact your MU Extension Office for Christian County (417) 581-3558; Christianco@missouri.edu.

Pam Duitsman, PhD

County Engagement Specialist

Community and Economic Development

City News

Public Works

City of Ozark's GIS Department: How it Works

Ozark Water Tower System: Episode 1

In a new informational series, the City of Ozark presents the first episode about our Water Tower System and how it works with a walk-through by Assistant Lead Operator, Drake Holland.

Scroll to our Q&A section to read more about our water towers.

Ozark's GIS Department: How it Works

Learn more about the Geographic Information Systems Department here in the City of Ozark and how they utilize data and work closely with Planning and Development.

Ozark Police Department

Thank you to Nixa Young Professionals for selecting our Chief of Police, Justin Arnold, as a Christian County Top 10 Under 40 recipient. Congratulations to these other fantastic Christian County leaders!

Ozark Police Department and alumni from the Citizen’s Police Academy served lunch at the Ozark Senior Center Annual Christmas Luncheon on Dec. 20, 2019.

Congratulations to the newest Ozark Police Officers Jeremy Cummings, Blake Anderson and Austin Strickland. Officers Cummings, Anderson and Strickland graduated from the Drury University Law Enforcement Academy tonight and will begin their field training on Monday. We look forward to the contributions each of you will make to the department and community!

Park and Recreation Department

Click here to register.

Click here to learn more.

Kids Night In at The OC

When: Friday, Jan. 10

5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Where: The Ozark Community Center

For additional event information, click here.

HOLIDAY HOURS at THE OC:

New Year's Eve, Dec. 31st

5 am - 5 pm

NO FITNESS/WATER AEROBICS/KIDZONE/ROCK WALL.

New Year's Day, Jan. 1, 2020

CLOSED

To learn more about everything The OC offers, please click here.

Upcoming Programs & Events

Ozark Community Blood Drive

When: Friday, Jan. 3rd

8 am - 12 pm

Where: The Ozark Community Center

1530 W Jackson St.

Give blood and receive an American Red Cross t-shirt while supplies last!

The Workshop at Finley Farms

The Basics of Ramen

When: Friday, Jan. 10

5 pm - 7 pm

Where: The Workshop at Finley Farms

604 N. 9th St.

Ozark, MO

Learn more about the events Finley Farms hosts at this location by clicking this link.

For additional event information, click here.

Tour Least of These

When: Friday, Jan. 10

9 am - 10 am

Where: Least of These, Inc.

1720 James River Road

Ozark, MO

For additional event information, click here.

First Friday Coffee

When: Jan. 3.

7 am - 8 am

Where: Scrivener Oil

1690 W, State Hwy J

For additional event information,

visit the Ozark Chamber of Commerce website by clicking here.

Q&A with Assistant Lead Operator, Drake Holland

Why is the Walmart Water Tower being taken down?

Currently, the tower is too short to be useful and the site has no well. With the construction of 17th St. tower, the Walmart tower would never be able to release water into the system due to the pressure difference. It could be done with a PRV; however, this would drop the entire Walmart area back down to 56psi and defeat one of the overall purposes of 17th St. tower.

What happens after it is taken down?

With the Walmart tower gone, we will no longer have to maintain it which will save money.

Can you explain why the Fasco Water Tower is also being taken down?

Well, Fasco will need a new paint job inside and out, which would cost the city upwards of $500,000. Additionally, the tower only serves 30 customers and provides a line pressure of only 58psi, and its system is its own separate pressure plane.

What are some benefits of taking down the Fasco Tower?

With the tower gone, we will be able to tie well pumps 2 and 3 into the central pressure plane, which will help share the load on pumps 5 and 1. Also, for those previously served off of the Fasco system, they will receive an additional 20psi.

VOCABULARY:

psi: Pounds per Square Inch. This is how water pressure is measured.

PRV: Pressure valve.

Have a question you want answered?

What do you want to know?

We want to hear from you. Reply back to this email and let us know what

question(s) you would like answered. We may feature your question in our next newsletter.

Want to know more?

Learn how you can nominate someone for Ozark Employee Spotlight by clicking here.

City of Ozark| 417-581-2407| ozarkmissouri.com

Ozark, MO Mayor Rick Gardner

Well I went and done it now. I told all these people about The Comprehensive AnnualFinancial Report (CAFR) for Ozark city and Christian County, Missouri.

The mayor of Ozark was there and he told "to knock it off". So I told the crowd that the reason he wanted me to go away was because I was right about (CAFR).

Check on these links.

My Blog, with a video tell all about the (CAFR).

http://buddyhuggins.blogspot.com/…/the-cafr-swindle-biggest…