Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES—Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) recognized achievements in solid waste management at its annual awards ceremony Dec. 10 at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission office. Individuals, organizations and businesses recognized were Matt Dohse, Ronald Blevins, Angi Yowell, Maries R-1 Future Farmers of America, Rising Star 4-H Club and the Phelps County Dream Center.

“The ORSWMD works to recognize and honor individuals and/or groups that are making a difference to improve the environment,” Environmental Program Director Tammy Snodgrass said. “These folks are stepping up to improve the quality of life here in our region through recycling programs, environmental education, illegal dump cleanups and food redistribution.”

Recognized this year for his accomplishment in the category of Business/Industry was Matt Dohse, a customer service, quality and logistics manager at Lakeside Book Company of Owensville. Dohse was recognized for consistently demonstrating his desire to reduce waste and promote recycling. Last spring, he immediately answered a call to collect and recycle paper from the Owensville Elementary School. Lakeside will now be expanding its paper recycling program to include Owensville Middle School. Dohse was nominated by Jim Holland, Gasconade County associate commissioner.

Ronald Blevins oversees the management of hazardous waste on Fort Leonard Wood. Blevin’s work is critical in the prevention and mitigation of environmental contamination. He responds to various emergency situations and ensures the installation remains compliant with environmental law. Fort Leonard Wood is a busy installation, and Blevins manages on average 45 tons of hazardous material annually, ranging from flammable, toxic and non-hazardous materials. He also promotes material safety to the community through outreach and awareness programs. Blevins was nominated in the Public Employee category by Robert Schultz, representing Fort Leonard Wood.

Angie Yowell was nominated in the Environmental Educator category. Yowell, a design academy instructor at Rolla Technical Institute, has engaged hundreds of students for over 18 years in designing posters for Ozark Rivers Annual Earth Day Art Contest. The students’ art has traveled across the district and promoted awareness of environmental impacts. Additionally, the district uses these posters on social media to continue spreading awareness. Yowell stated her students enjoy the art contest more than any of their other projects. Yowell was nominated by James Fleming, representing Phelps County.

Maries R-1 Future Farmers of America and Rising Star 4-H Club were both nominated in the Student/Volunteer Involvement category. In Spring of 2024, the location of a dump site on Maries County Road 503 was brought to the attention of the Maries County Commission. An accumulation of tires, appliances, furniture and trash needed to be removed to eliminate the dumpsite and curb further activity. Eight volunteers from the Maries R-1 Future Farmers of America and Rising Star 4-H Club were able to get the site cleaned up. Both organizations were nominated by Vic Stratman, Maries County Presiding Commissioner. According to Stratman, the commission greatly appreciates their service and stewardship.

The Phelps County Dream Center, based in Rolla, was nominated in the category of Non-Governmental Organization. The mission of Phelps County Dream Center is to assist families in moving toward food security and generational self-sufficiency. The Dream Center has developed and coordinates a network for food distribution to ensure the well-being of food insecure families. The Phelps County Dream Center receives direct food donations from Walmart, Dollar General, Bimbo Bakeries and Aldi. Through their efforts, other service organizations have been able to glean food items that are almost expired or ready to be composted, and these activities have resulted in significant diversion of organic waste from the landfill. The Dream Center was nominated by Roger Pankey, representing the city of Rolla.

The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. Dent County Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson serves as district chair. The district’s strategy for solid waste reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by Missouri Department of Natural Resources involves intense education and waste reduction projects in member counties and cities. MRPC provides administration of the district and assists with a variety of implementation recycling projects.

For tips on how you can achieve solid waste reduction visit www.ozarkrivers.org or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ORSWMD. 

For more information about ORSWMD or waste reduction and recycling opportunities in the Ozark Rivers area, contact Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC environmental programs manager, at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.

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. Mary Heywood, representing the unemployed, serves as chairman of the board. A professional staff of 26 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/.

-30-

Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District award recipients for 2024 were, from left to right front row: Matt Dohse (Lakeside Book Company), Ava Kloeppel and Lily Grace Walker (Maries R-1 Future Farmers of America), Diane Hagni (Phelps County Dream Center), Gary Larson (ORSWMD Chairman) and back row: Mark Potrafka and Dave Hagni (Phelps County Dream Center)