REGIONAL PORT BOARD MEMBER WILLIAM BESS RESIGNS

BENTON -- The Scott County Commission accepted the resignation of William Bess from the port authority board Wednesday and named his replacement.

Bess, of Sikeston, has served on the board since May 1991 and is leaving the position for health reasons.

Scott County Presiding Commissioner Bob Kielhofner appointed Mike Marshall, also of Sikeston, to take Bess's spot on the board.

Marshall's experience as senior vice president of First National Bank in Sikeston will be helpful in filling Bess's spot. Bess is a banker with First National and had extensive business experience.

Marshall also has served as the president of the Sikeston area Jaycees and chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in Scott County.

The commission also advertised for bids from commercial gasoline companies who might be interested in serving the county's 10 police cars.

"This is new territory for us," Kielhofner said. "We've never owned county vehicles before."

The county took control of 10 of the Scott County Sheriff's vehicles earlier this year. The commission wants to have a commercial gasoline servicer instead of installing a gas tank and pumps.

The county also is moving forward on its emergency preparedness plan.

The commission has given over a portion of its highway department building on Highway 61 in Morley to Joe Burton to use as an emergency base in case of a disaster. Burton is the director of the county's Office of Emergency Management.

Kielhofner said the commission has been impressed with Burton's energy in preparing volunteers for emergencies.

"He's got 25, 30 volunteers out there and he's trained them real well," the commissioner said. "We're turning four truck bays in the building over to him for him to use for storing equipment. The next step is for him to remodel the interior."

Kielhofner said the building will be used as a central communications office as well as a meeting place for disaster volunteers. Burton also has completed a grant for a mobile emergency command bus.