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Aug. 27, 2010
For more information, contact:
Richard Cavender or Bonnie J. Prigge, (573) 265-2993
Midwest Assistance Program Explains Services to MRPC Board
MRPC Annual Dinner to be Nov. 9 in Osage County
ST. JAMES—The Midwest Assistance Program (MAP) with its 43 staff members in nine states is available to help local governments and organizations with water and waste water infrastructure needs and solutions, MAP Regional Director Dennis Siders told the MRPC board at its Aug. 12 meeting. The non-profit organization is based in New Prague, MN, and is funded through state and federal contracts and grant.
“Because of grants, when we come in, everything is free,” Siders said. His staff is accustomed to spending a lot of time in a community and strives to build capacity as well. “You can’t solve a problem with a 10-minute phone call,” he added.
MAP offers a wide variety of services including training and use of its smoke testing machines to determine where water is infiltrating the sewer system as well as reviewing engineering designs to see if the proposed system is cost effective and efficient. MAP is governed by a nine-member board, one of whom is Richard Cavender, MRPC’s executive director.
In other business, the board:
• Accepted an invitation from Osage County and Linn State Technical College to host MRPC’s 2010 Annual Dinner, scheduled for Nov. 9 at the college in Linn.
• Appointed eight area leaders to serve on the Meramec Regional Community Foundation board. Appointments—one from each county— include Mardy Leathers of Crawford County, David Dittman of Dent County, Gerald Ebker of Gasconade County, Ray Schwartze of Maries County, Russell Scheulen of Osage County, Wayne Parry of Phelps County, Wayne Morgan of Pulaski County and Leo Dickey of Washington County. Other members, appointed previously, include Laura Antolak of Rolla and Richard Cavender, MRPC executive director. The MRPC still has one more representative to appoint, and members were asked to contact Cavender or Bonnie Prigge, assistant director, of their interest or with a recommendation.
• Approved numerous contracts for grant writing, grant administration, loan applications and annual program administration.
• Appointed Doug Barnes of Dent County and Marla Stevenson of Maries County to serve on the board of the Meramec Regional Development Corp., the region’s business loan board. Both will serve three-year terms. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles recommended Barnes while Maries County Presiding Commissioner Ray Schwartze nominated Stevenson.
• Approved recommendations from the Region I Homeland Security Advisory Committee to award some $84,200 in grants to local jurisdiction for Homeland Security projects. Montauk Rural Fire Department, Dent County Sheriff’s Department and Cuba Police Department were approved for communications grants while Vienna Fire Department was approved for a generator, and the Lebanon Fire Department was approved for CBRNE equipment. Additionally, MRPC approved contracts for the purchase and installation of emergency backup generators, approved under previous grants, and
• Approved revisions to the MRPC procurement policy.
Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 31, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.
The MRPC board will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 at its office at 4 Industrial Drive in St. James. All meetings are open to the public.
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