At the beginning of each year, we ask local community leaders and elected officials to send The Record letters about what’s to come in the year ahead. This is part one of the letters looking ahead to 2019. Part two will publish in the Jan. 10 issue of The Record.

Here’s what local leaders had to say.

State Rep. Jeff Porter, District 42 

“I am looking forward to participating in the 100th Assembly of the House of Representatives. My main focus at the beginning will be networking, building relationships, and establishing trust among my fellow legislators. 

“I am awaiting my committee assignments, and am hopeful to be placed on the transportation committee because I think there are many relevant issues that can greatly impact our district.

“I also am an advocate of the governor’s emphasis on workforce development. I think that focus will be very important and one that our district can embrace. 

“I also will be very interested and look forward to working in the areas of agriculture, education, and economic development.”

State Rep. Bryan Spencer, District 63 

“In 2019, I plan on continuing to be your advocate and voice with state agencies. My job is to fight for you. 

“Legislation (including) Working Animal Protection Act, Veterans Memorial Protection Act, and working on funding for education (especially for a trained workforce) and infrastructure will be my top priorities.

“Because of Clean Missouri, please do not text me or send me an email that you don’t want everyone to see; I cannot protect your privacy. Call me at 314-740-1050 for cell, or 573-751-1460 for office. Don’t leave a voicemail (Clean Missouri again). I will call you back.”

Tim Flake, Warren County Ambulance Chief 

“2018 has been a year of change for the Warren County Ambulance District, especially with Ralph Hellebusch’s and Roger Mauzy’s retirements. 

“As we move forward there are several promotions and with that comes a lot of training and learning new positions. In 2019 we will continue to fill and promote with quality and talented individuals. 

“Our goals are clear, to continue to deliver the best pre-hospital care to everyone. We will continue to be good stewards of the taxpayers’dollars as we balance increased call volume, projecting over 4,200 in 2018, as the communities within our district continue to grow. 

“We look forward to 2019 and the challenges that it will bring. From all of us at Warren County Ambulance District, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

Gary Auch, Warrenton Ward 1 Alderman 

“2018 was a year of great accomplishments but the work has only just begun! We have a new interchange and a developer that is bringing in Rural King, but the task still looms of enticing businesses into the community so that we can have greater choices. We have a new park but we must continue to develop it into the vision that we want it to be. New housing starts in 2018 were greater than they have been in a number of years. We must continue to look at ways to entice others to live and do business in the city. Where does that responsibility lie? It lies with all of us.”

Terri Thorn, Warrenton City Administrator 

“As we kick off another new year, we look forward to more exciting projects in the city. 

“Spring will see the beginning of construction for the Rural King store with a fall opening planned. With the opening of the new interchange paired with the new Rural King store, increased activity at the Shoppes at Warrenton and the surrounding area is expected. 

“The start of construction on the first phase of downtown sidewalk improvements will also begin in spring with new ADA accessible sidewalks on the north side of Route MM from North East Street to Dryden Street. This project is just one example of the city’s commitment to the revitalization of the downtown area. The city has partnered with the Warrenton Downtown Association providing assistance in obtaining a grant from the Missouri Main Street Program. This grant will provide the knowledge and tools to assist the WDA and city to economically and physically revitalize the downtown area. Look for new and exciting activity to occur downtown and opportunities to attend informational meetings to stay informed.

“Perhaps the project that has the greatest impact on safety in our city is the North Highway 47 sidewalk project with an estimated cost of $2.4 million. The city has applied for the MoDot cost share program requesting a 50/50 split of the project cost as well as a Transportation Alternatives Funding grant which would assist with some of the city’s portion of the cost. This project would provide a continuous sidewalk from Interstate 70 north to Hickory Lick Road, improving safety for the many daily pedestrians as well as vehicles traveling this route. Crawford, Murphy and Tilly Engineering has been hired to complete the engineering for the project with preliminary plans underway. There are a significant number of easements that will need to be acquired which will be the most time-consuming component and the most unpredictable. If all goes well, the city expects to see the start of construction in early 2021. 

“The new pool park will be even better in 2019. The relocation of playground equipment from the old pool area along with completion of horseshoe pits will provide even more amenities to enjoy. Extension of the walking trails to connect from the west side to the area by the dog park and adjacent to the lake will be completed with mulch to be added to the trails. The disc golf area will receive permanent signage and tee boxes with the best locations determined by the players who will have had time to actually play the course.

“While not nearly so enjoyable but extremely important, the engineering on the sewer interceptor project on the west side of town is underway with construction expected to begin in late 2019 or early 2020. Completion of this sewer project which extends from south of Interstate 70 north to the Fairlane Lift Station ensures that the sewer main has adequate capacity well into the future. Another important project is the Roosevelt Street stormwater (improvements). While this project has been underway for a while, the process of obtaining the necessary easements is nearing completion with construction anticipated to begin during the summer months. Similar stormwater projects on portions of McKinley and Steinhagen will follow in upcoming phases. 

“While these are certainly not the entirety of projects for the city in 2019, this highlights the commitment to the goal of continuing to improve our city’s infrastructure while providing additional amenities for residents to enjoy and ensuring that existing assets are well maintained. Great accomplishments have been achieved in the recent past thanks to resident support. We are excited for the future as Warrenton continues moving forward.”

Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith, Warren County R-III Superintendent 

“As we reach the halfway point of the 2018-2019 school year, it’s been an exciting and interesting year for both myself and the district as we start preparations for not only next semester, but next year as well.

“We anticipate some pretty big changes starting in the fall, all of which will revolve around the most important things — our students and our teachers. As we continue to look for ways to maximize student achievement we are also looking for ways to raise our level of teacher retention. These two things go hand-in-hand, and we believe that keeping our teachers will be a big step in helping our students reach their fullest potential.

“To that end, one of the more interesting ideas we’ve had is the possibility of moving to a four-day school week starting as early as next fall. We continue to do our best to address the questions and concerns of our staff and of the community — a process that will continue in the coming weeks and was discussed in a recent article in The Record. While nothing has been approved or even voted on, it’s become a hot topic in recent days.

“Our research shows that it’s important for students to be in school as often as possible when school is in session, and that maintaining continuity with staff matters. One of the biggest reasons we are looking at a four-day week is to give our teachers a reason to stay with us as we seek out ways to raise our level of teacher retention. The feedback we have received from staff suggests this could be a big step toward reaching that goal.

“We also believe it could increase attendance for our students, giving them a built-in day off each week to relax, possibly work if they have a job, and work in doctor or other appointments they may have.

“While a four-day week would eliminate our scheduled early release days and maintain a consistent schedule by working around the numerous Monday holidays with a Tuesday-Friday schedule, it does indeed shorten the number of hours our students would attend over the course of the school year. It would, however, keep us above the minimum required number of attendance. Our research suggests that it doesn’t necessarily matter how many “extra” days above the minimum students attend, but it makes a huge difference when they are in school when school is in session. Attendance is vitally important.

“We also have some other exciting things happening in the district, including several new high school courses that can be viewed on our website: our students writing articles for The Record starting next semester, our Seal of Biliteracy Program, and a workforce development program, which will help our high school seniors become prepared for local employment by working with local employers to determine what skills we need to be teaching our students.

“Thanks to everyone, as always, for reading, listening, and continuing to engage as we all work towards our goals.”