MARIES COUNTY — The Maries County Commission has until the end of 2024 to commit the remainder of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, and it has until 2026 to actually spend it.

Maries County’s ARPA revenue, when all of it is received, will total $1.6 million. The remaining money, about $800,000, is scheduled to hit the county’s bank account next month.

As previously reported, an attorney for the Missouri Association of Counties, at the county commissioner’s association meeting, told a large group of commissioners the money can be put into the county’s general revenue fund and spent on things the county needs. Already, the commissioners distributed $1,020,000 in CARES Act money to various entities in the county including fire departments, ambulance districts and cities. Some $159,000 of the CARES Act money was spent to buy the long-desired GIS mapping system for the assessor’s office, bringing that office’s technology into the current century. 

The commissioners also have approved allocations of the ARPA money for vital 911 Dispatch Center upgrades and new equipment, to the sheriff’s office for in-vehicle computers, and to the City of Belle for a computer-based water billing system. The commissioners also have committed to MOAD for one and a half medical power lift systems, and to rural water for replacement of meters and new meters. 

At a commission meeting last week, Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman asked his fellow commissioners if they want to use much of the remaining money to spend on things for Maries County and for the road districts. Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said he’d like to use some of the money to buy rock for the road district. Stratman said he wants all of the money spent so the county has a zero balance in that fund. They don’t want to give any of it back. Fagre said they can put the money in general revenue, adding there will be a lot of upkeep with the new GIS system for the assessor and for the 911 Dispatch Center. The remainder he would like to keep for the county and the roads. 

Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said fuel costs have increased dramatically for the road districts. He said Road Two’s fuel bill went from $3,000 a month to $6,000 a month. He also has old, 1995 model trucks with high mileage. Fagre said three of his road crew are mechanics and it has saved the road districts a lot of money. Fagre suggested putting $200,000 in the road districts.

Stratman said he’d like to find out if the money can be used for a generator for the courthouse as the current one needs to be replaced.

The commissioners don’t have to make these decisions right now as they have time. Stratman said it’s good to have these discussions. 

Repeaters

Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) Administrator Carla Butler was at a commission meeting last week to talk about the FCC license for the north and the south repeaters. She said MOAD crew members were having radio problems and she was doing some research and found out MOAD’s repeaters are both licensed under Maries County. 

The north repeater on the Freeburg tower is non-operable. She was told the antennas on both the north and south repeaters are bad. She was not sure of all the entities that use the repeaters but knows that they are used by MOAD, Vienna Fire and Dixon Fire. She said on the south tower the Vienna Fire frequency goes into the repeater and Maries County’s frequency pushes it out. On the north tower MOAD frequency goes in and Maries County’s pushes it out. 

“We have issues with both repeaters,” she said.

It was suggested MOAD go to MOSWIN radios but Butler said it is too expensive. It would cost over $100,000 to buy six portable radios, three truck radios, and two base radios. 

She said in 2013 MOAD purchased the north repeater, number three, and Vienna Fire purchased the south repeater, number five. She is unsure why they are licensed under Maries County. Stratman said maybe they needed an entity such as the county to sponsor it. 

Not having working repeaters is a problem for the first responders. Butler said for example if Osage County sends a dispatch to MOAD and if the ambulances are not at the base or people are not in the truck, they can’t be reached. “This is not good at all,” she said. 

MOAD was told they will need a tower climber and she found a guy in Belle, Jay Gallagher, who will do it for $100 an hour. The Freeburg repeater was looked at through binoculars and Butler was told the antenna needs to be replaced and it would be about an eight-hour job. She also was told the south repeater antenna is bad, too. 

Butler said she was talking to the commissioners because MOAD purchased the repeater but it is in Maries County’s name “So we technically have no say so.”

Drewel asked if they can split the cost of the repeater repairs among the users. Butler said they aren’t sure who uses it. Fagre suggested the repeater could have been struck by lightning. Butler said both of them are inoperable. The commissioners said they wanted to talk to IT Manager Shane Sweno.

At the next commission meeting, Sweno was present. However, Sweno said it as “a pre-Shane thing from a while ago,” as Donnie Chambers’s name is on it. He told the commissioners he can’t explain why the license is in Maries County’s name. Sweno said he’s talked to Butler about the repeater problem and the tower climber is likely the most expensive part of the repair. Stratman said a guy looked at the Freeburg repeater and said it was aimed wrong. 

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said Butler was not asking for money, but help dealing with the county’s name on the repeater license. The commissioners decided to write letters to MOAD and to Vienna Fire giving them permission to make the repairs to their repeaters. 

State bridges

Stratman was looking at MoDOT’s Bridge Inventory and Inspection System Bridge and Culvert Condition Rating for counties. Maries County had 13 county and state bridges on the list. 

He noted one state bridge had been removed from the list, which is the Route N bridge over Rodgers Creek, which was replaced in 2020. Four other state bridges have been scheduled for work or replacement. The Highway 63 bridge over the Gasconade River, built in 1978, is scheduled for 2022. Stratman said there was work done on that bridge recently and he thinks this too, has already been done. The Route 28 bridge over Dry Fork Creek, built in 1929, is set for replacement in 2023. Two others set to be replaced in 2023 include the Route P bridge over Lanes Fork Creek, which was built in 1967, and the Route C bridge over the Peavine Creek, built in 1965. 

The Route AA bridge over the Little Maries River, built in 1966, will have work done on it in 2025, and Stratman thinks the bridge deck is set to be replaced. This is the second of the twin bridges on Route AA when driving toward Argyle.

County bridges on the condition list include the bridge on MCR 213 over Fly Creek, which was built in 1940; the bridge on MCR 614 over the Maries River, built in 1940; the bridge on MCR 411 over the Upper Peavine Creek, built in 1985; the bridge on MCR 405 over the Lower Peavine Creek, built in 1940; and the bridge on MCR 519 over Spring Creek, built in 1930. 

In other MoDOT news, Stratman said the Highway 89 bridge work is five percent complete by billing. 

Generator grant

Stratman contacted MRPC’s Kelly Sink about the generator grant Maries County was hoping to secure to replace the courthouse’s aging generator. Sink said she would look into it. Maries County previously applied for financial assistance to buy a generator through a FEMA grant program, but did not receive an award among a competitive field. The county has applied again for the second round and are more hopeful this time. The estimated cost to get the generator for powering the entire courthouse when there is an electrical outage is about $175,000. However, Stratman said it probably will cost more now. They could consider using ARPA money, as well.

Time Card Kiosk

Sweno brought a time card kiosk for Fagre to use for Road One workers. It is an iPad, which cost about $140 and a protective case for $20 and the road workers will sign in and sign out instead of writing on time cards. The payroll clerk will retrieve it from the cloud and not have to go through time sheets. The time card kiosk uses the internet. If Road Two goes with this method, it will need an internet connection. Sweno said all other internet functions on the iPad are locked out. 

The commissioners discussed using the system for courthouse employees to sign in and sign out, too. 

MCEC board member

The county received a letter from Meramec Community Enhancement Corporation (MCEC) stating additional representation is needed from the county on the MCEC Board. Membership requirements include representation from elected officials, working families, and at-large special interest groups such as banking, social services, child care, developers, education, community development, business and more. Maries County’s representation gap is working families. 

The board meets quarterly and its role includes setting policy and direction, identifying regional and local needs, and serving as a resource for information on participants’ particular area of expertise and community. As Presiding Commissioner Stratman serves on this board. 

They discussed potential candidates for the board. 

ARPA report

MRPC Project Development Manager, Kelly Sink, sent an email saying she was able to log in and submit the county’s annual ARPA report. She asked the county to continue to provide MRPC with expenditures and documentation as it is very helpful in compiling these reports. Documentation is very important with the ARPA expenditures.