Volume XL | March 2020

March 2020 News and Updates

If you have a photo you would like to share in an upcoming newsletter please tag @OzarkMO on Instagram with a caption and the hashtag #BeOzark or email spayne@ozarkmissouri.com.

March's edition includes....

Mayor's Corner with Ozark Mayor Rick Gardner
Upcoming Journey 2030: Community Meeting
City News and Updates
Ozark PD News and Updates
Ozark Parks & Recreation Programs and Events
Upcoming Programs & Events

You can always find more information on our website at ozarkmissouri.com and connect with us on our social media pages, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor

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Hey, Ozark Residents -

In case you haven't noticed, the days are getting a little longer and starting to get a little warmer. It's too early to claim it's spring, but we're certainly getting closer. My grass is getting very green and the daffodils are starting to come up. Spring also means we are nearing the April 15 completion date (fingers crossed) for the South Street 5 lane improvement project. When that is done, MoDOT has promised they will immediately get started on the similar 5 lane improvement project on Jackson Street to Highway 65 - including the Highway NN intersection. Somewhere in March or April, we should also see the start of the new Riverside Bridge project. These were all promised three years ago with the passage of the transportation sales tax.

Please mark your calendars for two upcoming events spotlighting the city's Journey 2030 initiative. The first is Tuesday night, March 3rd at The OC and the second is Thursday night, April 2nd, also at The OC. Both will start at 6:00 p.m. and feature food and light refreshments. You will hear details of our plans for the next 10 years. The first stop on this Journey includes plans for the use of funds that may be generated from the local Use Tax if passed on April 7^th. If passed, a local Use Tax will be collected at the same rate as the local sales tax. It will be collected on online purchases from out-of-state vendors

The results of the passage of the Use Tax on April 7 will allow Ozark to fund significant improvements in public safety through our Police Department, build more parks, trails and playgrounds and start improving inadequate city facilities. Included in the latter will be a new no-kill animal shelter.

And stay tuned for more details about our upcoming city wide clean up Saturday, May 5. You will see more information on this in upcoming issues of this newsletter.

Thanks for allowing me be your Mayor,

Rick Gardner

City News & Updates

A Note From Public Information Officer Samantha Payne:

Over the past three years, the City of Ozark has completed several long-range planning projects. This includes the Master Park plan, Comprehensive plan, Sewer Master Plan, and street improvements. During these projects’, citizens were given surveys, participated in focus groups, and attended community meetings. When staff began to review the data, there was one specific, dominate idea that kept coming up: citizens love our city. Not only do they love our city, but they are invested in it. Additionally, not only are they invested, but they want to see more of what Ozark has to offer, primarily our quality of life amenities. Our data showed that citizens asked for more parks, trails, recreation opportunities, and more police services, including neighborhood watch programs.

Through the citizen input collected the Love your City initiative was founded. Staff knew it would take some time to reach our goal. It was going to be a Journey. But it was going to be our journey, together. The first stop on the Love Your City: Journey 2030 is community meetings. The city is hosting two community meetings to share the road map which will lead us through the next 10 years. Come and join us on March 3^rd and 6:00 PM for the first ever Journey 2030 meeting. We want to meet you, and learn why you Love Your City.

Check out the event page by clicking here.

Learn more about the upcoming Use Tax ballot initiative by clicking here.

Statewide Tornado Drill Day is TUESDAY, MARCH 3rd.

The City of Ozark will participate in the statewide tornado drill at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, March Third. When the tornado sirens go off, please go to your designated areas. Once everyone is accounted for you may return to what you were doing. There will not be an announcement for an all clear. If this were a real event then we could call the Sheriff’s office for an all clear. If you text SWIFT 911 to 99538 you will get notifications to your phone from the Christian County Emergency Management for tornadoes, school lock downs, accidents etc. Having this app may help you make decisions on what to do or where to go in the event you are driving.

The OC and OTC both have storm shelters that are open when severe weather is in the area. If you are out driving around you do not need to do anything for the drill, just make sure in a real event you know where you would be going.

Click here to sign up for SwiftReach.

Christian County Library Update

For more information on this program, click HERE

Ozark Police Department

Congratulations Officer Taylor Wheeler!

Congratulations Officer Taylor Wheeler! Taylor was honored on Feb. 8th at the Ozark Community Awards Banquet as the Officer of the Year.

In case you hadn’t seen PSD Bump recently, we wanted to let everyone to know why. Bump is dealing with a medical issue and we are working closely with his veterinarian. We are optimistic that Bump will regain his health and be out engaging with the citizens of our community.