Hometown Matters

By Pauline Masson – Last week when we celebrated Earth Day on April 22, on the anniversary of the modern environmental movement that started in 1970, it occurred to me that by the time Earth Day started a handful of super growers in our area had already been cleaning the air by absorbing ozone for 50 years. Most of the huge farms that we take for granted as providers of food, flowers and places for family visits, came to this … Continue reading “Pacific Area Super Growers Predated Earth Day Movement by Fifty Years”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————- A two-year construction project, funded by Proposition 1, a no tax increase bond issue that voters approved in April 2021, is rebuilding the Meramec Valley R-III School District’s oldest and largest elementary school. Zitzman Elementary School, 255 Indian Pride Drive, opened in 1965 to house grades one through six and one Special Education class.  Over the years, the grades in the school would change as the district accommodated a growing population, but the school would forever be identified with … Continue reading “Zitzman Elementary School is Being Rebuilt / Paean to a Favorite Principal and Teacher”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————— By Pauline Masson – Following one of the most hotly contested elections in recent memory, the new government took office Tuesday, and faced a couple of challenging issues right off the bat. Heather Filley was sworn in as mayor of Pacific during the April 19 board of aldermen meeting. Also sworn in were new aldermen Rick Presley, ward one; James Cleeve, ward two and Scott Lesh, ward three. The newly elected officials joined Gregg Rahn, ward one; Jerry Eversmeyer, … Continue reading “New Administration Takes the Helm / Big Issues Right Off the Bat”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————– By Pauline Masson – Cajun crawfish – crawdads as my dad called them – return to Pacific after a popular feed last year. The Pacific Eagles will hold its second annual Cajun Crawfish Boil this Saturday April 16, at the Eagles Hall, 707 West Congress from 12;00 noon until the crawfish run out. Doug and Vicki Brinker, Jim Harris and Toma Dew have put together a Louisiana style crawfish festival on the covered patio beginning at about 11:00 a.m. … Continue reading “Cajun Crawfish Boil Brings Louisiana Specialty and the Fixins to Pacific Eagles”

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————- By Pauline Masson – Government of the people, for the people and by the people, one of the most often repeated descriptions of American government actually originated not in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence, but as the closing sentence of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Inspiring as it is, it only works when elected officials listen to the citizens. And that, folks, is what newly elected officials have promised Pacific residents. On Tuesday, April 19, New mayor Heather … Continue reading “Renewed Approach to City Government / Citizens Voices Welcomed Back In”

———————————————————————————————————————————– By Pauline Masson – Imagine 50 year after you are gone and your former acquaintances and neighbors spot a clump of yellow blossoms tucked under a chance tree line and immediately think of you. That’s what is happening right now, as it does each spring, in our area. In every neighborhood, along fence rows and entry lanes, in planned flower gardens and wild untended places, and under more trees than the ubiquitous Dogwoods, a bumper crop of 2022 daffodils … Continue reading “Yellow Blossoms that Spring Up Across Our Area Each Spring Are the Legacy of One Local Celebrity Farmer – John Howe, the Daffodil Man”

——————————————————————————————————————— By Pauline Masson – Pacific citizens want change. I know this from reading the comments readers are posting on my Hometown Matters blog, on I Heart Pacific, Pacific Community Forum and others. In trying to create a dialogue between the citizens and the board of aldermen, which seems to be what citizens are craving, social media has turned out to be one way to air the citizens’ wishes and worries. But here’s the thing. The board of aldermen meetings … Continue reading “For Citizens to Change Direction at City Hall / Turns Have to be Planned a Long Way Off”

————————————————————————————————————— By Pauline Masson – The voters have spoken. In the April 5, 2022 municipal election, two challengers of the status quo were catapulted into office with decisive victories. We can cross our fingers that the election process works – and that the new leadership can and will change the face of city government and rebuild citizen trust. On a promise of change at city hall, former alderman Heather Filley was swept into the office of mayor with 68.76 percent … Continue reading “Voters Oust the Status Quo – Callers for Change Swept Into Office – Fingers Crossed”

By Pauline Masson – After serving eleven months as Pacific police chief, Scott Melies is asking voters to re-elect him for a full four-year term. He faces the same two challengers who were on the ballot in April 2021, former police officer Andrew “Drew” Whitman and Pacific reserve officer Greg Hurst. What appeared to be a straightforward race with three candidates for police chief took an unexpected turn last week when the City of Pacific published a promotion in the … Continue reading “City Weighs In On Tuesday’s Election: Promotes Two Favorite Candidates”

By Pauline Masson – On the Saturday before the 2022 municipal election one sure winner says no matter who voters select to run the city next week Pacific can have both well-planned subdivisions and more retail stores. Good planning and good government is not all flowers and strawberries as one candidate recently said. Good planning, our newest alderman says, is a good marriage of citizen dreams and government practicality. Subdivisions that fit the neighborhood where they are built not fill … Continue reading “New Voice for Growth Says Pacific Can Have It All: Well-Planned Subdivisions and More Retail Stores”