The Missourian will introduce you to a member of the MU football team in each paper this season.
MEET
THE
TIGERS
Sunday & Monday, September 13-14, 2009 Q SE RVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1908 Q Join the conversation at ColumbiaMissourian.com Q 50 cents
Where
streets
have no
names
Three outer roads off
Providence Road will
receive new names.
By GREG MITCHELL
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
Rock Bridge High School is a
familiar landmark to Columbi-
ans, but people might not know
that the street it is on has no
name.
Some of the outer streets of
the Providence Road corri-
dor are without official names
because of the confusion sur-
rounding a flurry of road con-
struction in the area and the
transfer from state to local con-
trol. That’s causing problems
with mapping inconsistencies
and with safety, so the Colum-
bia City Council is consider-
ing an ordinance to name the
streets.
“This is an impediment to
efficient emergency service
and general record-keeping.”
TIM TEDDY
Planning and Development director,
on the confusion over road names
“As the area has evolved,
the starting and ending points
of the named roadways have
changed to the point where
the official road names are
not clear and names are not
consistently applied,” Planning
and Development Director Tim
Please see STREETS, page 5A
Playful
upgrade
planned
for parks
Parks and Recreation
seeks public input on
a new master plan for
the 460-acre park.
By CATHERINE MARTIN
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
An ambitious new master
plan for A. Perry Philips Park
and Gans Creek Recreation
Area includes an indoor sports
complex, an indoor ice rink,
shelters, playgrounds and ball
fields while still preserving
much of the natural character
of the land south of Gans Road.
The plan will be the subject
of public hearings from 6 to 8
p.m. Tuesday and Sept. 23 at the
Activity and Recreation Center,
1701 W. Ash St.
Park extras
The park plans include more
than just a playground:
QIndoor sports complex
QIndoor/outdoor water park
QIndoor ice rink
QEquestrian area
QSports fields
QA dog park
QHard-surface courts
The park property consists
of two tracts: 140 acres of the
former Philips property and
320 acres south of Gans Road
formerly owned by the Crane
family. The combined 460 acres
makes the area the second-larg-
est park holding in Columbia,
only slightly smaller than Cos-
mopolitan Park.
Please see PARKS, page 5A
Offensive
Lineman No. 75
MEINERS
WELCOME-BACK COMEBACK
Missouri wins at home after trailing 20-6. More on 1B
Tigers’ wide receiver Danario Alexander breaks through Bowling Green’s defense in the second half of the game. Missouri won 27-20.
Funds short for last rites of impoverished
Boone County and
funeral homes are
feeling the pinch of
burying the needy.
By MARGARET MENDERSKI
news@ColumbiaMissourian.com
The man’s corpse was discov-
ered without a name or a fam-
ily, and consequently his final
expenses fell to those he had
never known.
Every year, Bruce Rice and
other funeral home owners find
themselves responsible for the
final arrangements of people
with minimal assets and little
to no immediate family.
“There was a man that was
killed in a vehicle accident,”
Rice said. “No identification.
Nobody knew where he was
from or who his family was.
That went on for two or three
months, and eventually he was
cremated.”
This nameless man’s final
arrangements rested with
Rice’s Parker Funeral Service
& Crematory and the Boone
County Commission. Each year
the county budgets a certain
amount to subsidize the burials
of the underprivileged. To qual-
ify for assistance the deceased
person must have less than
$1,000 in assets, and their fam-
ily must be unknown or unable
to cover the cost.
MORE MEALS
ON WHEELS
A $25,000 grant will
allow Meals on Wheels
to provide weekend and
evening meals to the
homebound. Page 8A
NEW SCHOOL
ZONE SIGNS
Seven school zones will
get electronic speed limit
Photo courtesy of the University
signs. Page 3A
Huey Lewis and the News
Jack 6’ 6” | 305 lbs. | Freshman
Jack Meiners is slated as one of the handful of freshmen to see the field for
the Tigers this season. Meiners is an avid weightlifter who holds all the lifting
records at Chaminade Prep High School in St. Louis.
Jessica Cherry/Missourian
With four months left in 2009, for those who do not qualify for of that as possible.” With the high cost of final
Boone County’s yearly budget county assistance. Typically, “I think all the funeral homes arrangements, Rice said most
of $3,000 for indigent burials Rice budgets for between seven in our community have stepped funeral homes pursue crema-
has run dry. In the past eight
months, county government has
and 10 indigent services a year,
and he said he usually handles
up to that challenge and helped tion for indigent services. While
families out in a lot of cases on both Rice and Bach expressed
helped to finance 10 cremations somewhere between 10 and the worst day of their lives,” the economic advantages of cre-
at $250 each and a $500 burial. 15. The home does not always Elkin said. “I’ve found that all mation, both also acknowledged
Northern District Com- receive county reimbursement the funeral homes are willing that some families are uncom-
missioner Skip Elkin said the because those in need might
to help.” fortable with the procedure.
county will have to dip into its not meet the qualifications for
emergency fund for any addi- county assistance.
tional indigent arrangements
this year.
“One year we did about six
more than we budgeted for,”
BUDGET ALL USED UP
“The last few years we’ve Rice said. “The next year we By August 2009, the Boone County Commission had used up all
been getting close,” Elkin said. did three less than I budgeted funds set aside for indigent burials for the year.
“This year we hit our cap real for. There’s no way to tell how MONEY USED FOR INDIGENT BURIALS
early. I think it’s indicative of many we’re going to do.” In dollars per year
what’s happened in the econo- Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel $3,000
my. People are capped out, and opened in February and has yet $3,000
I think that’s why at the end of to handle an indigent service.
August we’ve reached our bud- Owner John Bach has worked $2,500
get limit.” in the funeral business for near-
Records show that since 1999, ly 15 years. Before opening his
Boone County has provided own home, he was the manager
$2,000
funding for 44 cremations and at Memorial Funeral Home in
six burials. Columbia. In his time at Memo-
The county’s share of $250 for rial, Bach said, he saw fewer $1,500
cremations and $500 for burials than 10 cases subsidized by the
does not cover the cost to funer- county.
al homes. A typical cremation “A person had to have less $1,000
at Parker is estimated at $1,325, than $1,000 in assets — money,
and if a burial is pursued, $500 property, car.” Bach said. “So,
is barely enough to dig a grave there’s not a lot of them out $500
— let alone buy a plot. Rice esti- there. There’s a lot of them that
mated a standard, low-budget will say they don’t have money
burial at $5,000 to $6,000. to work with, but there’s not a
“As much as we hate to, we
get by on that,” Rice said. “It
lot of them that qualify. A cre-
mation service is over $1,000.
1999 2000 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 * ’08 ’09
* In 2007, Boone County began offering twice as much funding for burials and cremation
than they had in previous years.
ends up costing us money actu- If I’ve truly got someone that
ally.” doesn’t have any money for it,
Source: BOONE COUNTY COMMISSION BETH HOAG/Missourian
Parker also funds services then I’m going to cover as much
HUEY LEWIS TODAY’S INDEX
CORRECTIONS: Abby 8B
IN THE NEWS WEATHER A caption for a photo on page 1B in Calendar 2A
Huey Lewis and the Today: Friday and Saturday’s edition Classified 5B
News will perform Mon- Mostly misidentified Missouri linebacker Jeff Life Stories 4A
day at Jesse Hall. sunny. Gettys as Will Ebner. Gettys is a junior Lottery 2A
Page 8A Temp: from Houston, Mo. Ebner is a sopho- Opinion 6A
80° more from Friendswood, Texas. Sports 1B
Tonight: Mostly cloudy,
ROCK BRIDGE Tour of Missouri cyclist Juan Jose Sudoku 6B
HIGH WINS
with a 20 percent chance
of showers. Temp: 59° Haedo’s name was incorrectly spelled Our 101st year/#308
Rock Bridge High School Page 2A in an article on 2B in Friday and Sat-
urday’s edition.
2 sections
16 pages
wins in football against
A graphic on 1B in Friday and Satur-
MuCluer North. Page 1B
Concert Series
day’s edition misidentified the state
of Kentucky.
6 54051 90850 3