St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 162

JC2 st. louis post-dispatch JEFFERSON COUNTY POST Thursday, February 10, 2000 postnet.comcommunities g) 3 rT HOW TO REACH US Rowden 1 Hill Reporters Tim Rowden: 931-1017 Jeremy Kohler: 931-1020 Chris Carroll: 931-1016 News fax telephone: 931-5783 Photographer Wayne Crosslin: Crosslin 1 1 I 931-1019 Advertising Bob Hermann: 931-1001 E-mail: jeffcoadspostnet.com To subscribe or report a delivery problem: call Jack Kohl at 340-8843. If unable to reach him, call 340-8888 or (800) 365-0820 extension 8888. Jefferson County Post 1159-61 West Gannon Drive' Festus, Mo. 63028 I Hermann 1" 'A 3 Kohler Carroll i Firefighters work the scene of a gas explosion on Monday that leveled one home and damaged several others was fatally injured in the blast and several other homes were badly damaged.

JERRY NAUNHEIM JR.POST-DISPATCH in Barnhart. A Laclede Gas worker Bomb attached to tank at construction It failed to ignite; no one was hurt By Tim Rowden Of the Post-Dispatch An official with Mayer Homes expressed anger and concern Monday after a weekend incident in ary meeting to place two levy increases on the ballot April 4. The district's operating levy would increase from 3.10 to 3.41 for each $100 of assessed real-estate value with the increase going to salaries. It would mean an additional $58.90 taxes for the owner of a $100,000 house. The district also is asking voters to approve a 23-cent levy for capital projects.

The levy would last for 10 years and pay for completion of a track and athletic facilities and replacement of outdated computers. The levy would increase taxes for the owner of $100,000 house by $43.70. Raises for teachers are crucial because the district is having trouble retaining experienced teachers, Scandrett says. Turnover in the 1998-1999 school year was 42 percent; in 1997-1998, it was 40 percent The state average is 30 percent he says. "Our salary levels are among the lowest in the area," he said.

"When you get into the upper levels, where people have master's degrees, the difference is several thousand dollars." ft Explosion Blast kills worker, rocks Barnhart homes Continued from page 1 like," said Missy Schnurr, 17, who lives nearby. "And that felt like an earthquake." Witnesses say the house burned to the ground quickly after the explosion. Its garage door was blown into a home across the street, and more debris was high in a tree. A gas fire continued to burn at the broken pipe in front of the house for several hours. Schools R-7 is considering first high school Continued from page 1 District residents would have to bear increased taxes, should the voters decide on building a high school, said Superintendent Terry Scandrett A study last year on the feasibility of combining the Festus, Crystal City and Jefferson County R-7 districts estimated the increased tax load on Jefferson County R-7 residents would be 90 cents to $1 for each $100 of assessed real-estate value.

The owner of a $100,000 house would pay an additional $171 to $190 in property taxes, if the estimate were accurate. Radio De Soto station returns to airwaves after fire Continued from page 1 Arlene Schafermeyer said Monday she and her husband were unaware of any transaction involving the FM station and were surprised to find it on the airwaves. She said her husband and his son had not spoken since June, when they had a dispute over family-owned real estate. Kim Schafermeyer could not be reached and did not return messages left at his home and on the voice mailbox for his mobile telephone. Hillsboro lawyer John Howald, who represents Kim Schafermeyer, said both stations remained in the name of Schafermeyer Broadcasting Co.

Arlene Schafermeyer said she and her husband had not been informed about the sale of the condemned. She says her 6-year-old chihuahua, Peppy, was home alone at the time of the explosion but was uninjured. "He was very, very frightened and cowering," she said. He "didnt want us to touch him. He's still pretty jumpy, but he's better than he was yesterday." The Nasalroads say they bought the house, their first as a married couple, two years ago.

They have two children, Brett, 5, and Noah, 16 months. They said they believed they were insured for the explosion. "We feel very lucky," said a tearful Patty Nasalroad. "We have two children; now all of their stuff is gone." Committee member Angie Ball, who also voted for annexation by Crystal City, said several new members on the Futures Committee had tilted the vote toward a high school. "I think the vote has been stacked, so they can ram this through," she said.

"People are thinking emotionally about a high school; they're not thinking realistically." Ball said she was not expecting to be asked to vote on the question at last Thursday's meeting, but Scandrett forced thet issue, she says. But it has come time to set the district's future, Scandrett says. "They've been talking about a high school out here for 25 or 30 years," he said. "We need to decide now what we're going to do." In other business, the Jefferson County R-7 board voted in its Janu- Wilkins said his office was investigating. Scheffler, 41, who lives in De Soto, had worked at the station since 1996.

She says she was saddened by the fire and shocked when the bank stopped payment on her check. Still, she said she remained loyal to Kim Schafermeyer. "It's just hard to imagine," Scheffler said. "I feel sorry for the gentleman, to have something and then see it gone. He's got to be as upset as everyone else.

Even with everything that's happened, I'm not going to say anything bad about him." 1Mb Month Certificate Kohl site which someone attached a pipe bomb to a propane tank atop a cluster of larger canisters in the company's Seckman Lakes Estates off Seckman Road in Imperial. Police say the pipe bomb exploded but failed to ignite the propane canisters. State and county authorities are investigating the incident 'That was just a ridiculous thing to do; I can't even imagine who would do it or why," said Mike Whiteaker, vice president and director of marketing for. Mayer Homes of Creve Coeur. "I'm pleased that it wasn't any worse than it was." The new subdivision offers houses on quarter-acre lots for $160,000 to $220,000.

Whiteaker says the development will have 249 houses when completed. Jefferson County Sheriffs Lt. Mark Tulgetske says someone attached a pipe bomb to a two-pound propane tank set atop a cluster of eighteen 100-pound propane tanks in the 2400 block of Waterfront Street about 9:50 p.m. Saturday. "Somebody tried to cause a big hole in the ground," he said.

State Fire Marshal Robert Ja-cobson says the pipe bomb exploded but failed to ignite the propane tanks. No one was injured in the explosion. Jacobson says the incident remained under investigation. Police said they had no suspects. Rock Community Fire Protection District assistant chief Matt Mayer said the propane tanks were used for heating houses under construction.

Firefighters were called back to the subdivision just before 11 a.m. Monday when a truck and pump used to blow insulation into new houses caught fire. Authorities say they believe a fuel leak in the pump motor may have started the blaze. No one was injured. sf "Lose Lbs.

explodes fore the blast. She says she called Laclede Gas to report a gas odor and asked whether it was safe for Wesley to play outside. "They said, 'As long as he plays in your she said. Instead, she took Wesley to a playmate's home. Moments after she returned home, the explosion blew in her front windows.

Mildred Eads, another neighbor, stood outside her house at 1903 Birchwood Tuesday to wait for their insurance representative to arrive. Eads and her husband, Dale, had been unable to enter their house and did not know the extent of damage to their belongings. Hers was one of the three houses R-7, and the aid formula would be retained in an enlarged Crystal City district Annexation makes far better financial sense, Gray believes. "People look at this as losing local control, but we would probably control 50 percent or more of the votes in the district, plus we get $600,000 more for education," he said. "I thought this was supposed to be about the good of the students." The Crystal City district would be heavily affected if Jefferson County R-7 builds a high school.

Crystal City High School has about 260 students, about 100 of whom are from the Jefferson County R-7 district. The feasibility study said Crystal City would be forced to consider merger with the Festus School District if Jefferson County R-7 built a high school. Authorities said the building was a total loss. "It's basically arson," Lt Don Waltenberger of the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department said. "There are indicators on the scene which lead us to believe it was intentionally set." Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Wilkins said his office had been contacted by the station's former general manager, Julie Scheffler, who complained that her last paycheck for more than $1,400 had bounced after Schafermeyer Broadcasting had stopped payment (MO 60 Call or visit one of our 15715 Manchester Rd.

8575 Watson Rd. 10950 Olive Street Rd. 8417 N. Lindbergh Member Service Center (314) 432-1029 or 1-800-767-8880 LJ $500 The two nearest houses sustained structural damage, while an additional eight houses had broken windows. Their occupants were evacuated from the homes and given shelter at Freer Elementary.

By early evening, all had made arrangements to spend the night, elsewhere. No injuries or structural damage were reported at the school, 200 to 300 yards away, says Superintendent Rex Miller of the Windsor School District Students and staff of the school heard and felt the blast Tami Schnitker, who lives directly across from the Nasalroads, says her son, Wesley, 5, had been playing in the front yard 15 minutes be "People have to think about what they're ready to pay for," Swafford said. "If they say 'I want a high it also means a tax increase." Residents' taxes could go up 45 percent or more, when the tax increase for the high school is combined with two current tax increases totaling 54 cents for each $100 of assessed real-estate value that will be voted on in April, said Futures Committee member Bill Gray. He has two children in district schools and another who will soon start kindergarten. Gray voted for annexation by Crystal City, a course that would provide an additional $600,000 to $700,000 in state aid to the combined district, according to the merger feasibility study.

Crystal City gets far more state money for each pupil than Jefferson County FM station despite owning shares in the broadcast company. She said she and her husband were trying to track banking documents and other records related to the company. Through that effort, she said they had learned the station was allegedly carrying thousands of dollars in bad debts and unpaid taxes and apparently had more than one mortgage on the property. "There's just so much fishy stuff that we've found out," she said. "It's really a messed-up deal." Jefferson County collector of revenue Beth Mann said the broadcast company owed $4,516.75 in unpaid personnal-property and real-estate taxes for 1998 and 1999.

Howald conceded that the company was carrying debt but refused to say how much. "Like most businesses, they have some debt," Howald said. He said the former station building had been insured but refused to disclose for what amount Howald declined comment on the police investigation involving the fire. II RN at )DIABETES III 0TI coariei ctare 25 WOMEN NEEDED To Participate In A Special 16-Week Fitness And Nutrition Testimonial Program; TO QUALIFY, YOU MUST HAVE 30-100 LBS. OR MORE OF WEIGHT TO LOSE.

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