VIENNA — Gov. Mike Kehoe has officially asked the federal government for a disaster declaration related to a series of storms that swept through the state throughout the first week of April.

The request, which includes Maries County as one of 25 counties eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance, comes a couple of weeks after the governor’s office announced the list of counties collaborating with FEMA for joint damage assessment to roads, bridges and public infrastructure. FEMA employees were in Maries County on April 22 to conduct the assessments.

“Missouri has repeatedly been hit hard by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding this year and the result has been widespread damage and destruction of homes, private property, and public infrastructure,” Kehoe said in a May 1 press release. “While Missourians and faith-based and volunteer organizations have been supporting their neighbors and local and state government are working hard at recovery, the cost of these efforts – often because of repeated damage in the same counties – is beyond the capacity of local communities and the state to bear in full.”

If FEMA approves the public assistance, the eligible counties could receive reimbursement for expenditures made as a result of the storm damage and cleanup efforts.

Road Requests

The commissioners have fielded several requests for road improvements following recent rains. A resident on Maries Road 333 requested a culvert installation during the April 28 meeting.

During the May 1 meeting, a resident affiliated with the James Cemetery on Maries Road 325 came to ask about a culvert replacement on one of the driveways leading to the cemetery. He believed the cemetery belonged to the county, but he wanted to confirm it before making the request.

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers checked with the assessor’s office and found two deeds. The first granted the cemetery to the county in 1937, but the second deed transferred the cemetery from residents to the James Community Cemetery Association in 2016. No document showed when the county stopped owning the cemetery.

Western District Commissioner Patrick Kleffner offered to have the road crew install the culvert if the cemetery association paid for the pipe.

Brenda Rollins with the assessor’s office came to the May 5 meeting. She said the 2016 deed seemed to give the church property to the cemetery association, so the cemetery seemed to still be county property.

Sheriff’s Office

The commissioners passed a resolution during the May 1 meeting to apply for the Missouri Blue Shield Program.

Kehoe established the program through an executive order in March as part of his Safer Missouri initiative focused on “reducing crime, supporting law enforcement and building community partnerships to achieve a safer Missouri,” according to Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) materials.

Sheriff Mark Morgan asked the commission to pass the resolution because of its requirement in the program’s application process. He said that if the state accepts the county into the program, then more grant funding opportunities will become available for the sheriff’s office.

Morgan said his main interest in grant funding is for training and employee retention because the office has most of the equipment it needs. The piece of equipment he sees the biggest need for is a camera to reside at the county line and alert law enforcement if wanted vehicles pass into the county.

Last week Morgan also told the commission he wanted them to know about a pair of unexpected bills the sheriff’s office needed to pay.

Last fall, the jail closed for a few months because of staffing issues. Maries County detainees went to either Phelps County or Osage County jail, and Maries County paid those counties for housing its inmates. Maries County did not know about a couple of the bills to Phelps County, so those went unpaid.

Morgan said he had paid one of the bills for about $4,000 and spoke with Phelps County Sheriff Michael Kirn about paying the other bill, which was about $7,000, in installments.

GVEZ

The commission renewed Maries County’s membership in the Gasconade Valley Enterprise Zone (GVEZ), a not-for-profit corporation that includes Gasconade, Maries and Osage counties. The GVEZ can offer incentives for businesses to build or expand in the area. A board of volunteers from each of the three counties governs the zone. The board also includes advisory members from certain sectors.

Three GVEZ terms were set to expire, and the commission reappointed all three members. Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman will continue to represent the county government, Maries R-1 Superintendent Teresa Messersmith will continue to represent education and Otto Williams will continue in the at-large seat.

The GVEZ will hold a hearing at 9:30 a.m. during the May 22 commission meeting to hear public comment on a request from Quaker Windows for enhanced enterprise zone benefits for its wood plant expansion project in Maries County.

Vacant Building

The county received no bids on the building across from the courthouse. The commission decided to give the public the opportunity to bid on the property after some residents had expressed interest in it for either historical or business purposes.

Although the commissioners have expressed a willingness to sell the property if it brought a new business into the county, the lack of bids means that demolition is likely the next step for the building. The city of Vienna, after receiving approval from the commission, included the building on a list of nuisance properties it plans to demolish if the Missouri Department of Economic Development awards it a Community Block Development Grant.

Stratman confirmed the county’s intention to move forward with the demolition if the city receives it.

Courthouse Generator

The courthouse generator continues to have problems after a recent visit from a technician. Over the last couple of years, the county has replaced several starters on the generator after it kept burning through them. Multiple technicians have looked at it but cannot seem to locate the issue.

Stratman said he thought the issue may have been solved when the most recent technician removed a diode. The generator worked fine during a 40-minute test, but the next day it got hot when it started again. The technician will return this week.