City of Rolla Fire & Rescue bans use of Sky Lanterns within Rolla city limits

Due to extremely dry and drought like conditions, the fire hazard for the Rolla community is severe.  Fire Administration continues to enforce an open burning ban within the City of Rolla while also continuing to review procedures and policies regarding fireworks over the July 4th holiday.

Over the last several years, the fire service has observed the increased use of sky lanterns.  Sky lanterns are also considered a device designed to carry an open flame (i.e. airborne light, kongming lantern, wish lantern, sky candle, fire balloon, etc.)

With the extreme conditions, effective immediately, by the order of Robert Williams, Fire Chief, the use of sky lanterns and/or similar device will be prohibited in the City Limits of Rolla.  The Fire Chief has the authority given to him by the adoption of City Ordinance 14-1 and the International Fire Code 2000.   

Sky lanterns are paper globes which are gently lifted into the air by small candles or other heating elements, working on the same principle as much larger hot air balloons.  As they lift hundreds and sometimes thousands of feet in the air, sky lanterns often drift miles from where they were initially launched, causing concerns they could start fires without any knowledge by those launching them into the air.

"Basically you're unleashing a flammable torch into the sky with zero control over where it's going to go," said Fire Chief Robert Williams. "They are unpredictable and can cause what was to be a special moment to end in tragedy.”

Although sky lanterns are prohibited at this time, individual citizens will be allowed to display fireworks on July 1st - July 5th from            8 a.m. - midnight.

If you are going to display fireworks, we would ask that you be considerate of your neighbors, have an extinguishing agent accessible (fire extinguisher or water hose), and use extreme caution.

Please feel free to contact Robert Williams, Fire Chief or Ron Smith, Training Officer at (573)364-3989. 

City of Rolla Mid-Week E-Updates (June 27, 2012)

Phelps County

Fire Departments

issue burn ban

The City of Rolla Fire & Rescue in conjunction with all Phelps County Fire Protection Districts, which include the City of Rolla, Rolla Rural, St. James, Doolittle Rural, Duke, Newburg, and Edgar Springs, have issued a burn ban until further notice. No open burning will be allowed in Phelps County until we receive significant rainfall.

Due to hot and extremely dry conditions along with the continued drought, the fire danger is severe. Fire officials say a lack of adequate rainfall and warmer temperatures make conditions for burning potentially dangerous.

“Some of the dangers that we most frequently see are a small controlled burn that due to dry conditions, expands rapidly and the property owner loses control very quickly,” said City of Rolla Fire Chief Robert Williams. “Wild fires can spread very rapidly, therefore putting citizens at risk.”

Fireworks displays may be restricted, depending upon local jurisdiction (City Ordinance). In the City of Rolla, fireworks displays over the July 4th holiday will be allowed; however, we would remind the public that fireworks within the city limits of Rolla may only be displayed from July 1 – July 5 from 8 a.m. to midnight each day. With the extreme heat and drought conditions, we would ask that residents have a fire extinguishing agent (i.e., fire extinguisher, water hose, etc.) nearby while displaying fireworks.

If you plan on burning anything in the future, fire officials are advising that you contact them to inquire if the ban is still enacted.

Rolla City Council

Mtg., July 2

The next Rolla City Council meeting will be held on Monday, July 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Rolla City Hall, 901 N. Elm Street.

Rolla City Council meetings are ordinarily held the first and third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. except when there is a conflict with an observed holiday.
To review a copy of the City Council agendas or the full agenda packet, please visit http://rollacity.org/admin/agenda.shtml#agenda. For more information, please contact Rolla City Administration at 426-6948.

Independence Dollar Day

July 4th at SplashZone

Cool off, relax and beat the heat during Independence Dollar Day at SplashZone on Wednesday, July 4. Admission is just $1.

Hours on July 4 at SpashZone, Rolla's outdoor water park, are 12-noon to 4 p.m. 

SpashZone is located near The Centre (1200 N. Holloway St.), on 14th Street, next to the Ber Juan Tennis Complex. 

With two giant water slides, a long, lazy river, and the world's largest vortext, you don't want to miss this opportunity to visit SplashZone for just $1. 

For more information, please visit www.rollacity.org/splashzone or call 341-2386.

Rolla City Hall

to close July 4 for

Independence Day

As you begin to make plans for the Independence Day Holiday, please keep in mind that Rolla City Hall will be closed on Wednesday, July 4. 

The Centre, Rolla’s Health and Recreation Complex, (located at 1200 N. Holloway Street), will be open on July 4 from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. SplashZone, Rolla’s outdoor water park, (located in Ber Juan Park next to The Centre on 14th Street), will have Independence Dollar Day on July 4 and will be open from 12-noon to 4 p.m. Admission for everyone is $1 on July 4.

The City’s Environmental Services Department will be closed on Wednesday, July 4, however, regular residential trash and recycling collections will not be affected by the Independence Day holiday.

For more information, please call 426-6948 or visit www.rollacity.org.

Rolla Lions Club

Carnival set for

July 4-7

The 77th annual Rolla Lions Club Carnival will be held Wednesday, July 4 through Saturday, July 7 at beautiful Lions Club Park (located on Hwy. 63 South).

Rolla’s hometown July 4th celebration draws thousands of folks from South Central Missouri who love the carnival rides, outstanding fireworks, and great-tasting burgers, funnel cakes, steak sandwhiches, and cotton candy.

This year’s Carnival will feature wristband nights for rides as well as stunning fireworks displays that light up the sky.

All proceeds from the Carnival benefit Rolla Lions Club Park, vision and hearing programs, area youth activities and scholarships for local students.

For more information, visit http://www.rollalions.org/~lions/carnival.

City urges property

owners to display

address numbers

The City of Rolla Fire and Rescue is conducting their annual business safety inspections, and one of the items they check for is a visible and conspicuous address number to identify the location of each business.

By properly displaying address numerals that contrast with the color of the dwelling, fire, safety and medical responders can more quickly identify a property when responding to an emergency call, or during other safety or medical related matters.

“When lives are at risk, visible property address numbers really count,” said Fire Chief Robert Williams, City of Rolla Fire & Rescue. “And emergency services personnel don’t need to be wasting your time guessing at addresses.”

In addition, property owners who have recently remodeled or re-sided their homes, or whose address numbers are not visible, need to ensure their street or property address is easily identifiable somewhere on the structure and visible from the street.

 A violation of the requirements of this Ordinance shall constitute an offense which could be punishable by a fine not to exceed $50.

This requirement is in keeping with the City’s Ordinance relating to Chapter 6 (Sec. 6-1, Article 1 – In General) “Street numbers required of property owners on dwelling or structure.”

 If you have any questions relating to these requirements, please contact Rolla City Administration at 426-6948.

Rolla Downtown

Farmer’s Market

open every Tuesday

The Rolla Downtown Farmer’s Market is open and operating under the new shade structure in the lower parking lot of Rolla City Hall from 7 a.m. until 12-noon each Tuesday throughout the growing season.

The Farmer’s Market is coordinated by Roy Fiscus and Wilma Bingham, and spots are available for vendors to sell their items, but they must be locally grown or made products/produce (Phelps County).

No flea market, yard sale type items will be permitted. All spots are first come, first served. The cost to host a booth is $2 per day, which is given to the organizers the day the vendors are there.

For additional information, please contact Roy Fiscus at 341-8045 or Wilma Bingham at 364-5544.

Environmental Services Important Dates

 (clip & save coupon)

July 4, 2012 - Independence Day:  Schedule will not change.

Sept. 3, 2012 - Labor Day:  Monday’s trash will be picked up Tuesday; Tuesday’s trash will be picked up Wednesday.

Oct. 6, 2012 - Citywide Fall Clean Up: Saturday - Citywide clean up day (residential only).

Nov. 22, 2012 – Thanksgiving Day:  Thursday’s trash will be picked up Wednesday.

Dec. 25, 2012 – Christmas Day:  Tuesday’s trash will be picked up Wednesday.

.

Holidays NOT affecting trash or recycling collection:

            Oct. 8, 2012 – Columbus Day

            Nov. 12, 2012 – Veteran’s Day

Nov. 23, 2012 – Day after Thanksgiving

Rolla Channel 16

live streaming

24/7 on the Web

If you happen to miss the airing of a Rolla City Council meeting, Planning & Zoning meeting, Rolla Public School Board meeting or Board of Public Works meeting, you can now watch them live on the Rolla Channel 16 Website at http://rollachannel16.com.

Rolla Channel 16, Rolla’s premiere Education and Government channel, is also now live streaming (24/7) at http://rollachannel16.com. RC16 is live streaming all Rolla City Council meetings, Rolla Planning & Zoning Commission meetings, Rolla Public Schools board meetings, Rolla High School Review and “City Minutes” hosted by the City of Rolla’s Communications Office.

Other syndicated content on RC16 such as Missouri Outdoors, Army Newswatch, and Capitol Dialogue will also live stream on RC16 at http://rollachannel16.com.

For more information regarding programming or DVD duplication of Rolla City Council meetings, Rolla Planning & Zoning meetings, and Rolla Public Schools board meetings, etc., please contact Gabe Mankin, Digital Media Operations Manager, at (573) 426-3377 or at Gabe.Mankin@fidelitycommunications.com.

Be sure to watch Rolla Channel 16 – Education, Government and Community for you!

Upcoming Events

JULY 2012

July 2 – City Council Mtg. (6:30 p.m.)

July 4 – City Hall closed for Independence Day holiday

July 4 – Firecracker 5-K Run/Walk (7:30 a.m.); Ber Juan Park next to SplashZone; race day registration begins at 6:30 a.m. (341-2386)

July 4 – Independence Dollar Day at SplashZone – admission is just $1 (noon-4 p.m.)

July 4 – Environmental Services Dept. closed for Independence Day holiday; routine residential trash and recycle service will continue

July 4-7 – Lions Club Carnival, Lions Club Park, Hwy. 63 South

July 13-14 – Take a Stand Against Child Abuse (sign up for your stand at 426-5148)

July 14 – Cruise In (5-8 p.m.); JC Penney Parking Lot, Southside Shoppers World

July 16 – City Council Mtg. (6:30 p.m.)

AUGUST 2012

Aug. 6 – City Council Mtg. (6:30 p.m.)

Aug. 11 – Cruise In (5-8 p.m.), JC Penney parking lot, South Side Shoppers World

Aug. 18 – Relay for Life (noon-midnight); Lions Club Park, Hwy. 63 South

Aug. 20 – City Council Mtg. (6:30 p.m.)

Scott A. Grahl

Communications Director

City of Rolla, Missouri

(573) 426-6943

Follow us on Facebook

& Twitter at www.rollacity.org

Phelps County Fire Departments issue burn ban

The City of Rolla Fire & Rescue in conjunction with all Phelps County Fire Protection Districts, which include the City of Rolla, Rolla Rural, St. James, Doolittle Rural, Duke, Newburg, and Edgar Springs, have issued a burn ban until further notice. No open burning will be allowed in Phelps County until we receive significant rainfall.

Due to hot and extremely dry conditions along with the continued drought, the fire danger is severe. Fire officials say a lack of adequate rainfall and warmer temperatures make conditions for burning potentially dangerous.

“Some of the dangers that we most frequently see are a small controlled burn that due to dry conditions, expands rapidly and the property owner loses control very quickly,” said City of Rolla Fire Chief Robert Williams. “Wild fires can spread very rapidly, therefore putting citizens at risk.”

Fireworks displays may be restricted, depending upon local jurisdiction (City Ordinance). In the City of Rolla, fireworks displays over the July 4th holiday will be allowed; however, we would remind the public that fireworks within the city limits of Rolla may only be displayed from July 1 – July 5 from 8 a.m. to midnight each day. With the extreme heat and drought conditions, we would ask that residents have a fire extinguishing agent (i.e., fire extinguisher, water hose, etc.) nearby while displaying fireworks.

If you plan on burning anything in the future, fire officials are advising that you contact them to inquire if the ban is still enacted.

Ber Juan Sportsplex is Mecca for sporting events

By Rolla Mayor Bill Jenks, III

Summertime in Rolla means baseball, softball (fast pitch and slow pitch) and lots of high caliber tournaments at the Ber Juan Sportsplex located in Ber Juan Park (off 18th Street) in Rolla.

These highly competitive and entertaining games and tournaments, which are organized and operated through the City’s Parks and Recreation Department, have brought a significant level of notoriety and state-wide exposure to the Ber Juan Sportsplex where it’s not uncommon for 60 to 80 softball (fast and slow pitch) and baseball games to be played over the course of one weekend. In addition to providing great recreational and social opportunities at one of the premiere sportplexes in Outstate Missouri, these games and tournaments are bringing in hundreds of players and visitors who are staying at local hotels, shopping at our stores, dining at  restaurants, and getting fuel, ice and drinks at our service stations.

To illustrate how parks and recreation departments are one of the engines of tourism and economic development not only in Rolla but throughout the country, an Economic Impact Report was done on the Black Ice Girls’ Fastpitch Tournament held June 1-3, 2012 at the Ber Juan Sportsplex. It’s important to note that the Black Ice tournament did not include any teams from Phelps County or the surrounding counties, and that all the teams were from the state of Missouri. Based on 35 surveys that were completed over three days, the 29 visiting teams accounted for over 1,300 total visitors each day for a 3-day total of nearly 4,000. The total amount of money spent in Rolla was just over $150,000, and 31 of the 35 survey participants said they would not have come to Rolla at this time if this event had not been held.  In short, the Ber Juan Sportsplex is an economic and tourism boom to the Rolla and Phelps County area, and we are glad to see the type of high level athletic events and sports tourism that are generated from all the tournament play at the Ber Juan Sports Complex.

The Parks and Recreation Department staff is doing a great job hosting these tournaments, and maintaining all the ball fields, concession stands and park area while ensuring the fields and facilities are in top-notch condition. And judging by the amount and quality of the teams and athletes that travel from several states in the Mid-West and beyond to compete in the softball and baseball tournaments at Ber Juan, there’s no denying that the Ber Juan Sportsplex has become a high priority on the radar screen for the sporting world.

In addition to all the sporting events taking place at Ber Juan, there are also numerous high school level basketball and volleyball teams participating in the well known Licking Tournaments that are held every summer at The Centre, Rolla’s Health and Recreation complex, located just around the bend in Ber Juan Park. Hundreds of athletes and their families and friends attend these highly sought after camps, and they too are spending considerable time in the Rolla are while they are attending the camps, staying in hotels, shopping, dinging, getting fuel, etc. The staff at The Centre and the Parks and Recreation Department have all done an outstanding job hosting these camps year after year, and the rising attendance, and popularity of the camps are a testament to the great facilities, service and hospitality that is provided to the players, coaches and spectators.

One of the added benefits for teams who participate in the tournaments at the Ber Juan Sportsplex is the close proximity to SplashZone, Rolla’s outdoor water park, located just down the street off 14th Street next to the Ber Juan Tennis Complex. Players, spectators and visitors can wind down and cool off at this great outdoor facility.

Enjoy the weekend and have a safe week!

Child Safety Seat Clinic set for June 19-21

The public is invited to attend a FREE Child Safety Seat Clinic on Tuesday, June 19; Wednesday, June 20; and Thursday, June 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the City of Rolla Fire and Rescue headquarters (located at 1490 E. 10th Street in Rolla).

During this clinic, certified child safety seat technicians will inspect your child car seat, and show you how to correctly install and use it.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed. In 2011, eight children less than eight-years-old were killed and 1,624 children were injured as occupants in motor vehicle crashes in Missouri.

A limited number of seats are available at no charge to those that meet income guidelines. For more information on this program, please call Lynette Manley, City of Rolla Fire & Rescue, at 364-3989 or Lisa at the Phelps County Health Department at 458-6030.