VIENNA — The request for qualifications period for engineering firms to submit paperwork to consult about the bridge on Maries Road 213 over Fly Creek ended on Jan. 30. The Maries County commissioners received two packets by mail and one packet hand-delivered by Michael Teel, who represented Great River Engineering.

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman asked if Great River Engineering was doing any work in the area.

Teel said the company had projects in Audrain County and Cole County, among others. He said he works as a project engineer, and his area of coverage goes mostly along Highway 63. He also said Great River Engineering had a few more projects than usual because the company was working on about 40 Regional Bridge Program (BRO) bridges.

Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel asked if the company had any trouble getting materials as a result of recent supply chain shortages.

“We’re able to get materials, but it costs a little more than it did a couple years ago,” Teel said.

Drewel asked if it was about 20 percent more. Teel estimated it was somewhere between 20 to 30 percent more.

“What we’re seeing is the influx of money has driven up labor and driven up materials,” Teel said.

Stratman asked if Great River Engineering would handle all the “crossed t’s and dotted i’s” if the county selected it for the project.

“We are very, very, very familiar with the BRO system,” Teel said.

The bridge is in the western district, which Commissioner Ed Fagre oversees. He asked if the company would handle negotiations with landowners who might find the project crossing onto their properties.

Teel said the company would. Stratman said that they expected landowner contributions to be very minimal.

Stratman asked why the county should choose Great River Engineering over the other applicants.

“We have a ton of experience doing the BRO program,” Teel said.

He also said his experience as a maintenance engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) had familiarized him with many of the rules and regulations that go into this kind of project.

MECO Engineering and Smith & Company Engineers were the other companies to submit their qualifications.

At the Feb. 6 meeting, the commissioners opened the qualification packets each company sent. They individually assigned ratings to each company. Once each commissioner had made his ratings, they averaged them together.

MECO Engineering had the highest average score. Only about five percentage points separated the three firms.

Next, the county enters into a negotiation phase. If the county and the highest-ranking company, MECO Engineering, cannot reach a price, negotiations between the two would end. The county would move into negotiations with the next company on the list. After moving on from one company, the county cannot go back to it to negotiate.

Appointments

Maries County Coroner David Martin visited the Feb. 6 meeting to ask the commissioners to appoint Amanda Sandbothe and Cole Higbie as deputy coroners.

In the past, the county has had one deputy. Martin said the county pays for the training of one deputy. He said that he and the second deputy would split the second training cost. The role of deputy coroner does not include any payment.

“I’ve found them to be very good to work with and willing workers,” Martin said. “Amanda has had experience in this type of activity before, and Cole is a fast learner.”

The commissioners approved the appointments. Martin said he would have certificates of appointment for the commissioners to sign.

Later, Stratman said the commissioners received a letter from the Maries County Library District asking them to reappoint Carole Wagner, Elanor Terry, April Noblett and Laura Schiermeier to its board of trustees. The commissioners approved the appointments to the library board.

Stratman also said that Treasurer Angie Stricklan had agreed to take over his place as Maries County’s elected representative with Missouri Ozarks Community Action (MOCA). He said that he would remain affiliated with the organization as an alternate representative.

Vegetation management

Stratman said the county received a letter from Ameren notifying that the company would conduct vegetation management activities near transmission power lines.

“Since the timing of this work is very dependent on vegetation growth and weather, it is hard to predict exactly when we will be on your property,” the letter said. “It may be several months before we begin and complete the vegetation work in your area.”

The letter also said Ameren would notify all property owners along the transmission lines regardless of if they are Ameren customers.

Cattle

Stratman said he planned to attend the University of Missouri Extension’s cattle grading seminar on March 17.

“I hear people complain all the time when they sell cattle that they don’t think they bring what they ought to and they don’t know why,” he said. “Hopefully they can get some idea what a person can do to get more money for their cattle.”

Stratman said he expected the seminar to provide information about selling cull cows, which sometimes gets misunderstood.

He remembered how when he started selling cattle in the mid-1970s, Angus cows were less valuable than other types. A couple of years later, the Certified Angus Beef brand started and developments in Angus genetics improved the value and perception of Angus beef.

Stratman also said he had recently been to a sale barn and noted the options available were “decent cattle.” He said values had improved to the point steers could sell between $1,000 and $1,200 depending on weight. Heifers were still behind.

“I guess everybody is still nervous about the drought,” he said.

Later, Fagre asked Stratman if he had been feeding a lot of hay.

“Not too much,” Stratman said. “I’m pretty stingy. I feed about 12 bales a week to that one group of cows I’m feeding. I should have 150 bales yet, give or take.”

Fagre estimated he had about 400 bales left.

At the following meeting, Drewel shared an anecdote someone had told him about curing a sheep’s injury by applying honey to the wound.

“The dogs just tore it all to pieces,” he said. “He took honey and smeared it all over its leg. It healed up, and it never did get infected. But you can’t use store-bought honey. It has to be the real stuff.”