The California Lions Club met at The Gathering Place last week to discuss events past and present, and to consider buying land to serve as storage space.
During the meeting, the Lions Club approved an expenditure of around $500 to help with Cub Scout Kickoff. In an effort to bring new membership to the scouts, the organization will be assisting them by throwing a welcome back cookout party Aug. 21.
Lions Club President Sarah Jones said the organization will also be looking into buying land for storage in the near future.
"We've also been talking about trying to find a piece of land, a small lot, to be able to build our own shed to put our funnel cake trailer in as well as store all of our flags that we put all through town," Jones said.
Jones said the group has other items that should be stored alongside their trailer. Along with their flags are Christmas decorations that are saved for display at the California Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Christmas at Proctor Park. Jones said while the trailer is currently housed in a storage shed in Industrial Park, the Lions Club is ready to place it in a new location due to the shed's current exposure to the elements.
"With the weather (how it is), it's really starting to kind of take a toll on the trailer and we'd like to get it under cover," Jones said. "That's our inside project. Trying to find a piece of land here in town and then build that."
However, Jones explained that since this new lot the club is looking at runs parallel to the railroad tracks, they must clarify and assess if they have a "250-foot clear line of sight," per city code. She said if a new installation goes up, it is very important to make sure the club follow all the proper regulations beforehand.
"We just wanted some clarification," Jones said. "There's one person in our club who has a friend that does surveys and he's going to come and kind of give us a quick overview as far as just to make sure where the lines are, where we are, and see if he has an opinion of a clear line of sight."
The group also discussed other projects, including the Moniteau County Library's ongoing Little Free Libraries project and Boys and Girls State sponsorships. With the completion of the Lions Club's annual track meet earlier this year and Moniteau County Relay for Life, Jones said the focus next shifts to preparing for the Moniteau County Fair in August.