MARIES COUNTY — One of the primary goals of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money coming into rural communities is to build infrastructure to support expanded broadband. 

At a recent Maries County Commission meeting, IT Manager Shane Sweno said internet is just as important as electricity and other utility services. The ARPA money offers an opportunity to bring about these changes, but getting the right plan and bringing it to fruition is not a simple task. 

The Maries County Commission recently received an unsolicited letter from Morley, an Indiana company of architects, engineers and surveyors. The letter was about broadband projects funded by government programs, broadband request for proposal (RFP) preparation, and broadband construction project management.

The letter said there is a lot of discussion currently about expanding broadband access to underserved areas and there is money available. Morley has been at the forefront of these projects, the letter said.

“The objective is simple, but the path to success is not. These projects combine modern technologies, funding guidelines, and local/regional preferences. Morley is uniquely positioned to provide you with assistance in preparing your Broadband RFP (the first step) and/or broadband construction management,” the letter said.

The services include RFP preparation. This involves working with local authorities to determine what type of broadband project is needed. Preparing, presenting and advertising an RFP and receiving, reviewing and scoring the RFP responses. Then the company would present and recommend the projects to move forward with and work with the local authority attorney to review and finalize the broadband contracts. 

The company also provides construction project management. This would include review broadband provider plans to assess coverage, perform site inspection and create punch lists, prepare and submit project summaries to local authorities, and assist local authorities with broadband provider coordination and project oversight. 

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said this is the first letter they have received from a company offering to put together the county’s broadband expansion project. 

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said with all of the money out there, “a lot of companies will pop up.”

Stratman said he recently tried to contact Roger Kloeppel of Three Rivers Electric Co-op to see if the company had done any  more with its internet policy or plan. There are other electric co-ops in the region which are burying fiber optic line to underserved areas. 

BRO Bridge

Stratman said he drove to the BRO bridge construction site on MCR 608 and saw the concrete has been poured on both sides. Fagre said they were putting in the beams on Wednesday. The project is coming along just fine. 

Fagre said the bridge there needed to be replaced, but it does not carry near the amount of traffic as the bridge over Fly Creek on MCR 213/Ballpark Road just outside of the Vienna City limits. That bridge initially was the bridge he wanted to replace with BRO but could not afford to because of changes made with the federal and state program. 

Belle Protection

Treasurer Rhonda Slone said she is waiting for the approximately $38,000 quarterly check from the City of Belle for payment for law enforcement services provided by the Maries County Sheriff’s Office. It was reported there was an outbreak of COVID-19 and Belle City Hall was temporarily closed. 

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said she spoke with Belle Mayor Josh Seaver and was told they are working on it. Fagre said he’d drive to Belle to pick up the check and he did.

Charging stations

Stratman wondered if Missouri DNR could partner with the Volkswagen Trust to help with charging stations for electric vehicles. He said he’s been thinking about the charging stations and that they will take up a lot of space for a long time. Gas stations won’t be able to handle them. Now, people fill their gas tanks, go inside and pay or pay outside, and then they leave. It takes time to charge an electric vehicle, at least a half hour or more. 

He mentioned new technology that charges batteries as you drive, use solar panels and some are charged with the friction of  braking.

Election security

Rodgers reported receiving a check for $2,134.95 from the Missouri Secretary of State for election cyber security. She and Clerk’s Deputy Renee Kottwitz had all kinds of training, phone calls, and webinars and the state paid for it. They also worked with IT Manager Shane Sweno. 

Rodgers said the state legislature is interested in election security and there is talk of a bill that would eliminate voting machines and revert to hand-counting ballots. Rodgers said she, as the county’s election authority, is very much against eliminating the voting machines because they are very accurate. Much more so than hand-counting. She asked, “Why would we go backward?”

Population 

According to the 2020 Census, Maries County lost 744 residents. In 2010 Maries County’s population was stated at 9,176 by the Census. In 2020 it was stated as 8,432 people, a loss of 744 persons. Stratman questioned if the county really lost that many people, or if that many people didn’t turn in their Census paperwork or get counted online. 

Even numbered years

There are seven positions held by county elected officials that are up for election in 2022. Filing opens for the August Primary Election on Tuesday, Feb. 22 and closes on Tuesday, March 29.

Elected officials up for election in this even number year include presiding commissioner, county clerk, treasurer, collector, circuit clerk and recorder, prosecuting attorney, and associate circuit judge.

The cost of filing has increased from $50 to $100. Persons who file for office must declare a political party and that party’s local committee gets the $100. 

Building and grounds

Stratman said the courthouse water bill has been higher than normal. The custodian put dye in the toilets and found out five of the toilets are leaking. 

The front porch steps will have to be sandblasted. Stratman said the paint recently put on the steps peeled up and off and they will have to start from scratch on this project.