Group Interested in Purchasing Memorial for Cunningham

PROTECTED CONTENT

If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.

Username

Password

Login

Lost your password?

Username and Password Help

Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.

Email

Submit

← Back

By Mark Requet

The Shelbina City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at city hall.

  A motion was seconded and approved to approve the agenda.

  Special Announcements:

  Mayor Al Dimmitt updated the council that there was going to be a meeting with Mark Twain Regional Council of Governments on Thursday to review next steps on the demolition grant.

  “She wants to tell us the next steps,” said City Superintendent Brian Fifer. “Residents are supposed to pay $500 in-kind, and commercial is 20 percent of the cost. Since this commercial building has an adjoining wall with another business, we need to have an inspection.”

  Alderman Nick Broughton said he was concerned about the commercial building because pieces from the building have been falling on the sidewalk in front.

  Fifer said this is the owner’s best option, but if this doesn’t work out, then the building would have to be condemned, and all the cost would be on the owner to have it taken care of.

  There was a discussion about moving forward with getting the necessary engineering completed on the commercial building which was later discussed in “other business.”

  Alderman Curt Hines discussed potentially paving all the roads at Shelbina Lake. There might be some grant money available to help with costs. The council will be discussing this topic at a later meeting.

  Dimmitt requested an update regarding the generation scheduled on Monday. Fifer reported that MPUA requested the city to generate power from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. They lost power to the power plant 10 minutes into the generation. Fifer said they regained power at the power plant at 3:30 p.m. that afternoon after replacing a breaker across the street in the city’s sub-station. The extent of any resulting damage is still unknown.

  Approval of Consent Agenda:

  A motion was seconded and approved to approve the consent agenda.

New Business:

  A non-profit organization has expressed interest in bringing an F-4 Phantom 2 Fighter Jet to Shelbina for display as a memorial honoring Randy Cunningham. The organization would cover all costs associated with the aircraft, including acquisition, transportation, assembly, and painting.

  “It’s like 31-feet wide and 58-feet long,” said Alderman Babe Simpson. “They would put it all together when they get here and paint it, because they can’t haul it down the highway in one piece.

  Simpson said it was the man who used to ride behind Cunningham that is getting the financing to cover the overall costs.

  The city agreed to move forward with planning efforts and to explore the next steps required for this project.

  A motion was seconded and approved to advertise for help at the Shelbina Lakeside Golf Course and the Shelbina Aquatic Center for the summer of 2026.

  City Clerk Jordan Mahaffey presented pricing information from beer vendors regarding the potential sale of beer at the golf course. Additional considerations were discussed, including staffing age requirements, prohibiting outside alcohol, and the need to purchase coolers for product storage. The City Clerk said she would gather additional information for further discussion at a future meeting.

  Broughton proposed marketing the Industrial Parkway, noting that the city has approximately 43 acres of land available for sale. He stated that the property is currently undeveloped and offers a desirable location with easy highway access, making it well suited for commercial or industrial development.

  “I just thought I keep hearing about there being a lot of traffic from the I-70 work being done,” said Broughton. “We’re not doing enough, in my opinion, to advertise or let folks know that this land is available. I think there’s people out there that pass through every day that either knows somebody or it might even be them that might have an idea out there. Let’s try and get the information to them instead of waiting for them to come to us.”

  Mayor Dimmitt directed Mahaffey to refine the proposal, prepare informational materials for potential buyers, and create billboard advertising options. The matter will be brought back to the council at a future meeting after additional preparatory work is completed.

  A motion was seconded and approved to allow electronic payments to MPUA and Visa to ensure timely payments.

  A motion was seconded and approved to donate $2,500 to Shelby County Economic Development and to consider an additional donation later in the year following the adoption of the next budget.

Other Business:

  A motion was seconded and approved to schedule McClure Engineering to complete the engineering review of the commercial building on the demolition grant.