The following are the notes West Plains City Administrator Sam Anselm provided to the mayor and city council for the week ending June 19, which the city subsequently shared with the Quill.
Community Services
- Parks & Recreation/Oak Lawn Cemetery: Construction has begun at People's Park on two new outdoor pickleball courts, a fitness area, and a shade structure, funded through the 2026 Capital Improvement Plan. Ongoing leagues include youth and adult softball, and youth baseball. Registration is open for adult volleyball and 3-on-3 basketball. The Aquatic Center hosted 1,085 guests last week despite some rainouts. The next Movie in the Park is June 27 at Carmical Field.
- WP Public Library: The summer reading club continues with "Circus Pop! The Giant Bubble Show" at 10 a.m. June 25 at the civic center. Children reading 11 books on their "Happy McReader" cards receive a free McDonald’s Happy Meal from the Hilburn-Vaini family.
- WP Civic Center: The Stars Foundation held its spring recital at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Impact Dance recitals run June 26-28. Missouri State University-West Plains volleyball hosts a summer camp June 23, 24 and 26. Food Truck Thursday was held June 18.
- Tourism/Welcome Center: A 30-second digital marketing ad runs through June 30 highlighting West Plains daytrips. Explore West Plains received a $30,000 Marketing Matching Grant from the Missouri Division of Tourism for the upcoming fiscal year.
Facilities & Fire
- Facilities: The civic center pool reopened after being drained, power-washed and painted. The roof was power-washed ahead of a coating application planned for late June.
- Fire: A summary report on fire department activities was attached. It showed that, for the reporting period, the West Plains Fire Department responded to 19 total incidents. The majority of calls were medical emergencies, making up 63.16% of the volume with 12 incidents (eight illnesses and four injuries/traumas). The department also responded to four non-emergencies (two false alarms and two good intent calls), two public service citizen assists and one transportation fire.
Planning & Transportation
- Planning: The St. Louis Street bridge bid opening is 1 p.m. July 13, with a mandatory pre-bid meeting on June 29. Discussions are ongoing regarding the Bruce Smith Parkway sidewalk after the low bid came in over budget. A budget estimate is being created to reinforce and redesign the Luster Arcade sidewalk.
- Transportation: Crews are working on Kissinger Street near Fire Station 1, addressing potholes, utility cuts, storm debris and ditch cleaning. Crews also attended bucket truck and Air Evac landing zone training.
- Transit/Airport: The airport saw 27 aircrafts and 46 visitors. Transit operations recorded 85 route riders and 57 on-demand riders.
Utilities
- Electric: Crews fixed an underground cable at Burton Creek and repaired damaged voltage regulators at the Lincoln Substation following a phase-to-ground fault. Underground upgrades at the Meadow Vista Substation are complete.
- Water/Sewer: The water department cleared right-of-way at the Highway 14 well site and continued lead/copper service line inventories. The sewer department responded to trouble calls and assisted the City of Thayer.
- Refuse: Crews hauled 50 loads (213.54 tons) to the transfer station and 32 loads to the Hartville landfill. The transfer station processed 821.43 tons of waste for the week.
City Administrator Sam Anselm oversees the day-to-day operations of the city government, coordinating departments such as police, fire, public works, transportation, and parks and recreation. He works closely with the mayor and city council to execute strategic plans and ensures that city policies and programs are implemented effectively and in accordance with local laws.
