Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

SALEM – City and county officials, school leaders, emergency management agencies and interested residents are invited to attend a public meeting at 2 p.m. on Sept. 18 to continue development of the Dent County Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The meeting will be held in the Salem City Hall Council Chambers, located at 202 N. Washington St., Salem, MO 65560.

The focus of this meeting will be to review completed chapters of the plan. An overview of each completed chapter will be discussed. Those in attendance will be able to suggest edits and ask questions during the meeting.

The county must have an approved hazard mitigation plan in order for Dent County schools, local governments, agencies and others to access state hazard mitigation grant funds. The plan includes an assessment of natural hazards and establish goals and action items to reduce the impact of natural hazards in the future.

Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) is developing the plan in partnership with the Dent County Commission. Questions may be directed to MRPC Environmental Programs Specialist Ryan Dunwoody at rdunwoody@meramecregion.org or 573-265-2993.

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 23, 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.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion.