City of Bunker

Bunker Municipal Building

     The City of Bunker is located in Reynolds County, with city offices at 620 Sixth Street. The surrounding Mark Twain National Forest attracts local visitors as well as tourists from all over the State of Missouri. Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission assists Bunker with its economic development activities.

     According to the 2000 census, Mayor Linda Vest and the four-member city council administer a city with a population of 427. Bunker has one part-time policeman and a volunteer Fire Department staff of 15.

     The per capita income in 1999 for the county was $16,395. The unemployment rate of Reynolds County in February, 2001, was 9.9 percent, with an available workforce of 2,586. Only 239 people in Reynolds County are unemployed, while the rest have gainful employment. The average hourly wage for the county, as of March, 2000, is $8.88 per hour in the manufacturing sector and $13.06 in non-manufacturing. The county's major employers are Baker Enterprises, a lumber mill equipment manufacturer, with 120 employees; Doe Run Mining Company, a hard rock mining company, with approximately 550 employees,; Lesterville School, with 75 employees; Reynolds County Memorial Hospital, with 65 workers; and Brent B. Tinnin Manor, a residential care facility, and Brawley & Flowers, a lumber wholesaler, both with 50 employees.

     Black River Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Ellington, provides electric power for the City of Bunker. The City itself provides water for its residents from its own well. The water plant has a capacity of 50,000 gallons per day, with a storage capacity of 50,000 gallons. Natural gas is provided to residents from Moss Oil and Propane in Ellington. Sewer services are provided by the city through its sludge-retained lagoon plant, which has a capacity of 45,000 gallons. Telephone service is obtained from Century Tel, headquartered in Marion, LA, which provides digital switching for the area.

     Residents of Bunker receive medical services from physicians whose offices are located in Salem and Ellington. There is a 29-bed hospital in the county that is 30 miles from the City of Bunker.

     There are two public educational institutions in Bunker: an elementary school and a high school. The nearest public community college, Three Rivers Community College, is located in Poplar Bluff and boasts an enrollment of 2,824 (fall, 2001). A.V. Technical School, the nearest public tech facility, located in Ironton, has a current enrollment of 450 students. The University of Misssouri, a public four-year college located in Rolla, MO, is the nearest higher learning facility. Fall, 2001, enrollment for the university was 4,575 students.

     Residents in Reynolds County travel Missouri Highways 72, 21, and A. It is 60miles to the nearest four-lane thoroughfare and interstate interchange.

     Rolla Downtown Airport, located 53 miles away in Rolla, is the nearest public airport. It has a 3,000-foot paved and lighted runway. Private aircraft storage and aviation fuel are available. The nearest commercial airport is Rolla/Vichy National Airport, also a distance of 53 miles.

     Residents do their banking at the Town and Country Bank. It has combined assets of $19 million.

     Cable television services are available to all. They provide over 19 channels to local citizens.

     There is one Catholic church in the city. Eight Protestant churches also serve Bunker.

     The nearest public access lake is Loggers Lake. Activities on or around the lake include camping, fishing, hiking/fitness/nature trails, and swimming.

     Average temperatures for Bunker range from 20 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 88 degrees Fahrenheit in July. The average annual precipitation is 46 inches.

     The city is represented by 152nd District State Representative J.C. Kuessner (D) and 3rd District State Senator Kevin Engler (R).  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R) represents Bunker in the Eighth Congressional District.