Author Archives: Gary Groman aka The Ole Seagull

“…met with the contractor this morning and went over a revised phasing of the work on Roark Valley Road and we have come up with a way to modify the schedule and work process that will allow us to leave Roark Valley Road open to traffic until December 1.”

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…met with the contractor this morning and went over a revised phasing of the work on Roark Valley Road and we have come up with a way to modify the schedule and work process that will allow us to leave Roark Valley Road open to traffic until December 1.” Continue reading →

…expressed the Chamber’s “Sincere gratitude for the City of Hollister’s participation in the 2008 Grape and Fall Festival” and its appreciation of “the significant amount of labor, material, and other support that the City contributed to the effort.” Continue reading →

“Consumer economic fundamentals are worrisome and do not bode well for the leisure travel industry in the months ahead,” Dan Lennon, Vice President Marketing & Public Relations, Branson Tri Lakes Chamber of Commerce & CVB, told the Branson Board of Aldermen… Continue reading →

The written staff report introducing the resolution states, “City and State Statutes allow for the continuation of the budget into the following year for good and sufficient reasons. On September 16th the Board of Aldermen and the Branson Finance Committee acknowledged that good and sufficient reasons exist to allow a continuation because of the City Governments financial status.”
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…the board will also consider matters relating to delaying the final approval of the city’s 2009 fiscal year budget until the end of October and will again address the matter of a new liquor control ordinance.
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In a year filled with record rainfall and the highest lakes levels ever what wasn’t needed by Branson was the rain remnants of Hurricanes “Gustov” and “Ike.” By the time Ike had tracked its way through the Ozarks and Branson area lakes were well above their season normal levels Continue reading →

From a financial perspective, although Branson’s revenues are stable, its finances will be challenging for the next couple of years as the city repairs what Branson City Administrator Dean Kruithof calls a breakdown of Branson’s financial system. Continue reading →

Whether or not the Fall Creek Road Extension will survive the current budget stress the city of Branson is working through remains in limbo. At its Sep. 8 meeting the Branson Board of Aldermen postponed a bill accepting the bid of Emery Sapp & Sons d/b/a/ ESS Contractor… Continue reading →

…entitled “Fund Payback” contained, among other things, a $750,000 per year payment from the city’s General Fund to repay a loan taken out for the Branson Landing project using Branson City Hall and the city’s newest fire station as collateral for the loan. Continue reading →

the board authorized a change in the day of the week the meetings are held from Monday night to Tuesday night. The change is effective Oct. 1 and will start with the board’s first meeting in October scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 14. Continue reading →

The search for a new finance director for the city of Branson has apparently ended. Lori Helle, the current director of finance and administration for the city of Chesterfield, Missouri has been hired as its new finance director and is expected to start on effective Sep. 22. Continue reading →

Although it’s a long way from being a done deal, Branson’s new bridge across Lake Taneycomo took another necessary step forward Sep. 2 with the signing of the “MoDOT Partnership Development Cost Sharing Program Application” Continue reading →

Raw untreated sewage has been running into Lake Taneycomo upstream from the city of Branson’s drinking water intake for months. The source of the sewage is an area of homes and businesses located Continue reading →

The city of Hollister lost a friend and valued employee and its park system lost its director, champion, and a primary force behind it planning and expansion. At approximately 12:06 a.m. August 18, Chad Fuqua, Director of Hollister’s Park Department, was killed in a tragic traffic incident on Business Highway 65 near the Spirit Shop in Hollister.
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…and stating his belief that his investigation “went the extra mile” to find out what happened Cleek said, “I don’t believe there’s nepotism there.”
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The Branson Board of Aldermen discovered that not all golf courses in Branson are exempt from Branson’s tree removal regulations, just the Pointe Royale Course. The question came up at the boards August 5 work Continue reading →

…a “hot list,” an all inclusive list that would list the major projects, issues, and other things the city is working on. It was to provide a convenient tool to be used for both knowing what those items are and to follow-up and monitor the progress of those items. Continue reading →

One major of the effect of the new amendment will be to drastically limit the consumption of intoxicating liquor in parking lots and other public areas adjacent to parade routes unless permission is given by the lawful owner or occupant of the property. Continue reading →

Nine months after it tore up the road commonly called “Forsythe Street,” TanStone Group, LLC appears to have purchased it, from the city of Branson for one dollar even though there was another bid offering $100 thousand for the same property. Continue reading →

“Happy Hour” for those wanting to see the sweeping changes proposed by Branson’s new liquor control Ordinances (LCOs) should be during the Consent Agenda portion of the July 28 meeting of the Branson Board of Aldermen. Continue reading →

…setting of the park, commemorative bricks, its quarter mile walking trail passing over an authentic miniaturized replica of the historic St. James Street Bridge, strategically placed benches, planted trees and the parks distinctive period lighting serve as an ongoing testimony… Continue reading →

One major area of concern was the new position of “Director of Liquor Control. (Director)” authorized by the new LCO. Even a cursory review of the LCO indicates that, within the LCO, the Director has a lot of authority and power. From the very first public comment there were questions on that position its cost, Continue reading →

It is also the year that Branson’s average business and citizen first realized, not only the existence of the “regulatory stage” at Newport, AR., but its direct impact on the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) ability to effectively and efficiently reduce the lakes levels of the Branson Tri-Lakes area lakes.
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The operating financial condition of the city of Branson in a nutshell is, “Let’s be very careful, especially when we have a couple of months coming up where we could see Continue reading →

The city of Branson’s newest effort to control the accosting and soliciting of people as they walk down the public sidewalks in historic downtown Branson is but one step away from becoming final as the… Continue reading →

Both options provided that the Bridge would in fact become a two bridge system consisting of the existing bridge and a new companion bridge that would be constructed on its downstream side. Under both options the existing bridge would remain open while the new companion bridge was constructed. It is estimated that the construction of the new companion bridge would start in the Fall of 2009 and would be completed by the Fall of 2010 Continue reading →

After many miscues, meetings and negotiations regarding the TanStone Development on Forsythe Road, a little “kum bay ya” paved the way for the city to “ease” into the final approval of a Development Agreement with TanStone Group LLC (Agreement), the developers of the project. Continue reading →

After a considerable amount of debate on a change to add a more restrictive definition of “Solicit” to the ordinance at its June 9 meeting, the Branson Board of Aldermen (Board) unanimously voted to postpone any further… Continue reading →

With the voluntary annexation of approximately 4700 feet of Empire District Electric (Empire) property the northern city limits of Hollister have been extended about nine tenths of a mile north along the shores of Lake Taneycomo. The voluntary annexation of the approximately 27 acres, consisting of… Continue reading →

If proposed changes to the Branson Municipal Code (BMC) are enacted, it appears that the role of the city administrator in appointing, terminating, and supervising Branson’s city clerk and attorney will be substantially reduced and the roll of the Branson Board of Aldermen… Continue reading →

A rose may be a rose, but as the developers of one of Branson’s newest proposed developments, the TanStone Development, TanStone Group LLC, are finding out, a rose also has thorns. Continue reading →

The Development Agreement will require TanStone to fund and construct both Forsythe Road and the Roark Valley Road improvements with the city reimbursing TanStone’s cost for the Roark Valley Road improvements, including financing costs, up to a maximum of the $1,908,610… Continue reading →

After a long and careful process, the Branson Board of Aldermen has unanimously decided to offer the position of City Administrator to Dean Kruitof, who is currently serving as the Deputy City Administrator in Fort Smith, AR. Continue reading →

Most of the residents along the southern end of Lake Shore Drive will soon have the city of Hollister as their immediate “back door” neighbor to the west. In fact, if the two voluntary annexations that the Hollister Board Continue reading →

When asked if there was any mention of time share or vacation clubs during the show Ehlert responded, “Absolutely none, for 14 years none.”
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During March/April ETC Institute, a professional survey, planning and technology company from Olathe, Kansas, conducted and analyzed a detailed community survey for the City of Branson. According to Chris Tatham of ETC, during his overview Continue reading →

The solicitation of tourists on the public sidewalks of downtown Branson by vacation clubs and time share sales personnel may lead to a change in the Branson Municipal code (BMC) to help control the problem. Continue reading →

Amid all the glowing reports of a billion dollar in retail sales and that the bookings at the Branson Convention Center are ahead of what was programmed there appears to be a “Caution Light” starting to blink. Continue reading →

City Attorney Paul D. Link said, “The general rule on ethics is that if you as an alderman stand to make a financial gain on something then you should abstain from voting.” Continue reading →

The Branson Board of Aldermen is any indication, no one has a clue when Forsythe Road will reopen and the board is losing patience with the reasons for the delay, financial or otherwise. Continue reading →

Branson paused a moment, at the April 16 meeting of its Board of Aldermen, to honor the service of the two aldermen who were leaving the board, Alderman Jack Purvis and Alderman Dick Gass Continue reading →

The current flood event didn’t start with the torrential rains during the night hours of April 9 into the early morning hours of April 10 nor will it end after the spillway gates on Table Rock Lake are closed, as planned early this week. Continue reading →

No more additional, water will be released from Table Rock Lake until and unless the lake level rises to an elevation of 931. Continue reading →

…the project to four lane U.S. Highway 65 south of Brason to the Arkansas boarder (four lane project) is fast nearing completion and that the planning for the design and financing of Branson’s Business Highway 65/MO 76 Bridge project and Continue reading →

The Feb. 29 groundbreaking ceremony for Hollister’s Wilderness in the Ozarks Waterpark Resort is the first major step in the development of the Hollister Interchange Entertainment District (The Interchange). Another major step will be the building of a 60,000 square foot entertainment center containing a movie complex Continue reading →

Mark Hartman, General Manager, Hiltons of Branson, and the personification of the Hilton image within the Branson community, has announced his retirement effective March 27.
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the total retail sales value for the period was $1,002,591,743. This was up from $920,136,098, or about 9 percent, for the same period in 2006.
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Representative Wood said that they had been told by MoDOT leadership that the “bridge closing is not an option” and that “something else will be done.” Continue reading →

After a careful and deliberative process to select an executive search firm to handle a nationwide campaign to help the board find and select the best qualified, available, and interested candidate for the job, the process… Continue reading →