County’s top transportation priority selected by MRPC’s as region’s number three priority

Commission asked to consider USDA grant to improve broadband

By Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 12/22/21

MARIES COUNTY — Maries County Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said he thinks at this year’s MRPC Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting that Maries County “hit a …

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County’s top transportation priority selected by MRPC’s as region’s number three priority

Commission asked to consider USDA grant to improve broadband

Posted

MARIES COUNTY — Maries County Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said he thinks at this year’s MRPC Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting that Maries County “hit a home run” as the county’s top priority was ranked at number three overall in the entire eight-county region.

The TAC meeting was held Dec. 9 at MRPC in St. James where the representatives from the region gathered to present their input and vote on transportation priorities, which will be sent to MoDOT for consideration. Maries County’s TAC members are Stratman, Ray Schwartze and Steve Vogt. Stratman explained that each voting TAC member gets 15 stickers: green stickers are five points, blue stickers are three points, and red stickers are one point. Maries County had four transportation priority projects, which the three delegates voted for and had stickers left over. There were 30 projects on the table and they were pleased that the county’s number one priority, the intersection at Highway 63 and Highway 28 to Belle at the airport, was rated third top priority in the region. 

The other junction of Highway 63 and Highway 28 to Dixon also received a high rating.

MRPC provided traffic statistics about crashes, fatalities, injuries and property damage and it was up to each county to “pitch” its priorities and promote its projects. 

Stratman said he feels good about how the county came out and also about the top 10 regional projects. Now, the ranked list goes to MoDOT and it’s up to MoDOT about what is done with it. 

Last year Maries County’s top priority, the replacement of the Highway 28 bridge over the Dry Fork Creek at the bottom of Liberty Hill outside of Belle, is now on MoDOT’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). 

When a project is moved into the STIP, funding is reserved for it and a construction date is put on it. After the STIP there are Tier 1, 2 and 3 projects, which are not funded but are given time frames of when they might be funded. 

Stratman had information about Highway 63, which has been separated into seven sections. These were ranked by the TAC also. 

Three projects did not need to be ranked as they already are included in Tiers. This includes from Highway 50 to south of the bridge over the Maries River at Westphalia. This is a five-mile section with 2016 to 2021 stats having 131 crashes and three fatalities. Replacement cost of the realigned Highway 63 for this section with a 2009 cost estimate of $23.1 million. The second Tier section is south of Osage CR 524 to MCR 332 (Little Flock Road), a nine-mile realigned section with 2016-2021 stats of 145 crashes and three fatalities. The cost of this project is $45.7 million. The third Tier project is in Maries County. It is south of MCR 332 (Little Flock Road) to south of MCR 325 (to Moreland’s Catfish Patch/Old 63), a 5.5-mile realigned section with 135 crashes. The cost is $23.4 million. Stratman commented the worst part of Highway 63 is from Highway 50 to Vienna. 

The TAC-rated number one Highway 63 section project is in Osage County, from south of the bridge over the Maries River at Westphalia to south of Osage CR 524, a seven mile realigned section with 80 crashes and one fatality. The cost in 2009 was estimated at $32 million.

The number two Highway 63 section is south of MCR 325 (Old 63) to just north of Highway 68 in Maries County, an eight-mile stretch with stats of 73 crashes and five fatalities. The project will be on the current highway alignment and the cost of the project is estimated at $24 million.

The number three project is from south of MCR 443 (Vichy Dollar General) to the Phelps County Super 2, an eight-mile stretch on the highway’s current alignment with stats of 101 crashes and four fatalities. The cost in 2009 was estimated at $17.7 million. 

The number four ranked Highway 63 section project is in Maries County from just north of Highway 68 to south of MCR 443 (Vichy Dollar General), a two-mile stretch using the current alignment with stats of 20 crashes. Estimated cost in 2009 was $6.3 million. 

Stratman said Highway 63 sections from Highway 50 to MCR 325 (Old 63) will have a new alignment. Beyond that the existing highway alignment will be used. In Rolla, he said, Highway 63 is planned to merge with I-44 West to the Highway 72 intersection, then continue on through Rolla on the current Highway 63. 

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre asked about what they would do with the abandoned Highway 63 when the highway is realigned. He hopes MoDOT planners will see fit to make a business loop through Vienna. Maries County does not want to take care of a paved highway. Stratman said once Highway 63 is newly aligned, accesses to it will be limited, such as they are on an interstate highway.

At the TAC meeting, Maries County had four priorities. Two of them made it to the high priority list. The county’s priority of safety improvements to the Highway 42 and Highway 133 intersection at Crossroads was ranked as a medium priority. The safety improvement of adding shoulders to the entire length of Highway 28 was given a low priority rating. 

Tornado

The entire county was under a tornado warning on the evening of Friday, Dec. 10. Fagre said the following day Road One worked three hours on storm clean-up, removing debris from the county roads. He said in some spots the nearby landowners already had taken care of it. 

Debris was redistributed on Dec. 15 also when high winds came into the area. Thankfully there were no tornado warnings. 

The commissioners talked about all of the dead Ash trees that are falling on the county roads. The Ash trees are being killed by the Emerald Ash Borer, the shiny green beetles who like to live inside Ash trees. They dig tunnels through the trunk which kills the trees. Fagre said the conservation department is supposed to come through and plant more. Within the last two years a lot of Ash trees have been dying. Fagre said the road crew has cleaned out some of them before they can fall on the road.

He reported Three Rivers Electric had 1,800 meters out on Friday night due to high winds and broken poles. 

Flood Plain Management

The commissioners looked over the flood plain management annual contract from MRPC. The pay levels were changed but the overall cost remains the same as not to exceed $6,000. Fagre said he thinks it is $6,000 well spent as before the county clerk managed the flood plain. 

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said she doesn’t know anything about flood plains. There are rules and regulations that must be met and if something is not done properly, it may have a negative impact on whether or not some people could get flood insurance. She said the county has to have this. Banks and insurance companies want this information. 

Internet is important

IT Manager Shane Sweno was at the commission meeting briefly to talk to the commissioners about an opportunity to apply for a USDA grant, the ReConnect Program, to provide better access to broadband internet services. The county would most likely need an entity to partner with it, such as an electric co-op. Sweno said the standard they are looking for with internet speed is a network capable of at lease 100Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. There are many hundreds of millions of dollars available with this grant as well as the likelihood of more money becoming available soon with the passage of further legislation. 

Sweno said this grant gives the county the opportunity to future-proof the broadband service in the county with fiber optic or a hybrid fiber-coaxial network. He said the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money can be used to pay for some of the development or feasibility studies. Sweno recommended the commissioners act as if they want to accomplish this project. The funding is a once in a lifetime opportunity and internet access should be on par with other utilities such as electric, water and sewer. 

Stratman said certain companies are already supposed to come into the county with broadband improvements. Fagre said Wisper received federal money of $3.7 million to come into Maries County, but what has that company done? Stratman said he received an email from a representative of a company that arranges this type of thing. They find out where it is needed and then works forward. Mizzou also has a structured program to assist local governments in creating a plan and document the need, Sweno said. 

“I don’t think we need to invest in fiber” Stratman said as he thinks it’s not feasible. Maries County is not like a subdivision as here in the country homes are far-flung, over hills and around big rocks. Most of the electric co-ops have backed away from it, citing high costs and lack of feasibility. And then, there is Elon Musk’s Starlink network. 

Sweno asked the commissioners to consider it as the grant application is due in February. Stratman said they will consider it and have an answer for him after Christmas. 

They’ve already spent $700,000 of the ARPC money on 911. The county has $900,000 remaining. 

Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said the new power poles being put up are 40 ft in length, some 10 feet taller than their predecessors. Because of this, an additional line can be strung on the poles. He said he’s not sure the county can enter into a partnership with a company to work on broadband upgrades. He also said he’s not sure they are smart enough to do it. Sweno said the USDA and the federal money offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve broadband. 

“I would love to do something with internet but I’m now sure what it is,” Stratman said. They will have a lot of ARPA money left and he was thinking the firemen in the county need radios to communicate with the new 911 system they are putting in. He told Sweno, the broadband stuff is “way over our heads.” Sweno replied there are companies that will help guide them.

Comm-Unity Ambulance

Stratman reported the Comm-Unity Ambulance service in Meta is scheduled to disband in 2023 and the community is not sure what will take over that service area. The Comm-Unity Ambulance is staffed completely by volunteers. Stratman, who also is a member of the MOAD Board, said MOAD can’t take it on as they already have trouble staffing the two bases. Osage Ambulance said it can continue to do what it does now and that is go when called if they can. 

Comm-Unity Ambulance will give another ambulance service its assets if the service will keep an ambulance staffed for the Meta area. The service has been just getting by for a long time. They talked about a sales tax or a levy for the ambulance, but don’t know if either of them would receive voter approval. Stratman said MOAD and Osage Ambulance can both do what they can. Fagre said a Jefferson City ambulance service might help.

Miscellaneous 

At last Thursday’s meeting a man in street clothes and a smile on his face walked into the county commission room and asked for Vic Stratman, then served the presiding commissioner with a big stack of paper that is the pleading to a petition on the Vichy Height plat. 

Drewel said he’s thinking about putting some money on his grader loan at the bank to try to bring that debt down. Road Two owes about $185,000 on its graders, which is “way more than it ought to be,” he said. 

Art Sandbothe came and said a big Sycamore on his property is undermining the bank on the Maries River near the bridge and needs to come down. Fagre said he does not like to go on to private property. He will go and check on it.

The sheriff’s office pays $42 a month to Tiger Fitness in Belle for up to 16 of its staff members to work out there. 

Fagre said the BRO bridge on MCR 608 will cost Road One $18,000 as not all of the bridge cost is covered by the BRO program.