VIENNA — At the July 11 Maries County Commission meeting, Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said the courthouse elevator is back in operation after weeks of issues.

The fix took longer than the commission expected, and during the wait, Stratman talked with representatives from a few elevator companies about the cost of replacing the elevator. One company told him that 30 years is about the expected lifespan of an elevator. The county bought the courthouse elevator in the late 1990s, so the elevator’s 30-year mark is approaching.

Stratman wondered if the county could just replace the elevator’s electronics without a full replacement of the entire thing, which one company told him could cost up to $250,000. A computer issue caused the elevator’s recent malfunction.

The other commissioners agreed that the county could start looking at options to take bids for at least a partial elevator replacement at the courthouse.

During the July 15 meeting, Stratman said the elevator continued to be an issue though it was in operation. In between meetings, it had stopped working after hours while no one was in it. A quick reset got it working again. Stratman planned to meet with representatives from a couple of elevator companies later this week to look over the one at the courthouse.

Vacant Building

At the July 11 meeting, the commission received a letter from Vienna Main Street Vice President Debbie Byrd. In April, Byrd talked to the commissioners about the building the county purchased across the street from the courthouse on the corner of Third Street and Coffey Street. At the time, she shared concerns her organization had about the future of the building and the potential loss of its historical significance to the community if the county tears it down.

“As a member of Vienna Main Street, I am committed to reviving our downtown into the welcoming, vibrant home-grown business area of our tiny one-square-mile town,” Byrd wrote in her letter. “Every building is important, no matter what condition it may be in at the moment.”

Byrd’s letter complimented the building’s historical-style front and metal roof. She suggested all the exterior needs is a storefront window and an awning.

The interior, however, needs much more work if the building were to have any kind of human occupant. When the commission toured the building in May, they found two birds living inside along with thin floors, which along with the walls, featured holes.

“All across America, people are digging in and putting the money and labor into restoring older buildings for the love of character with knowledge that historical buildings bring people in the door,” Byrd wrote. “With the help of the Heritage Preservation Fund and other grant opportunities, communities in Missouri are saving their history and creating home businesses that last as opposed to box stores that come and go on a regular basis.”

Although the commissioners have expressed their intentions to tear down the building, there are no formal plans in place at this time. If the county tears down the building, it is likely to turn the space into a parking lot as the commission has determined other ideas such as making it a space for the sheriff’s office or an electric vehicle charging station are unfeasible.

“Parking lots are not as valuable as a business and history to our small town,” Byrd wrote.

“It is interesting what she wrote there,” Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said. “And it all makes good sense if you have millions of dollars, and you want to buy it, and you want to plant flowers around it. There it is.”

Opioid Contract

During the July 8 meeting, the commission signed a contract with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to help with the administration of money the county receives from Missouri’s settlements with various opioid manufacturers and distributors. The settlement details put strict guidelines on how the county may spend the money, including requirements that the county commit at least 85 percent of the money to programs or causes related to the opioid crisis.

Maries County has spent some of the money it has received on educational materials to distribute at events such as local fairs. The rest of the 85 percent is going toward an agreement the sheriff’s office reached with Four Rivers Community Health Center in Rolla to help detainees in the jail who struggle with drug abuse. The agreement provides the sheriff’s office with medication to treat withdrawal symptoms. It also allows the sheriff’s office to take detainees to Four Rivers’ doctors and potentially create medically assisted treatment plans for them.

In April, the commission met with employees of MRPC who explained that the organization was offering assistance in administering the grant. They also explained the process for how the county could create an advisory board to help oversee the money though that is not a requirement.

The commissioners opted to move forward without an advisory committee for the settlement money. They will continue to make the decisions on how the county spends it. The contract with MRPC covers tracking the money on the county’s behalf through annual reports to the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Fly Creek Bridge

Stratman said the latest update from MECO Engineering on the Maries Road 213 bridge over Fly Creek is that it would be ready to advertise for construction bids in December with an estimated award date of March 2025.

Roads

Road Two recently received the new 2024 Caterpillar 120 Motor Grader it purchased from John Fabick Tractor Company. The grader came at a cost of $210,949 after the county traded in a 2016 model.

A resident of Maries Road 514 came to the July 11 commission meeting to request that Road One do something about how rough the road had gotten.

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said recent heavy rain had created the roughness on the road. He planned to send someone to fix it the following day.

Special Collection

The Road Two shed will host an Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District special collection on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. until noon. The items the district will accept for free include battery or cord-operated appliances such as stoves, microwaves, washers, dryers, water heaters, space heaters, computer components and accessories, VCRs, DVD players, cable and satellite boxes, cellphones, cameras, hairdryers, garden equipment (emptied of oil and gas) and media storage devices. The district will accept televisions, computer monitors, printers, tires and similar items for varying fees. More information about the collection is available online at ozarkrivers.org under the “Programs & Services” tab.

Sales Tax Revenue

Treasurer Angie Stricklan reported the county’s sales tax revenue in July.

The first sales tax fund brought $28,024.30 to General Revenue in July, which was a decrease of about $63 from last July.

The second sales tax brought the county $27,931.36 to split into thirds between General Revenue, Citizen Safety and the two road funds. The figure is an increase of about 1 percent from last July.

The third sales tax brought the county $27,931.36 in July, which is also an increase of about 1 percent from last July. Citizen Safety receives two-thirds of the revenue. General Revenue and the road funds split the other one-third.

The law enforcement sales tax brought the county $9,273.10 in July, which is an increase of about 1 percent from the previous July.

The county received $16,221.30 in revenue from the use tax in July, which was a decrease of about 60 percent from the previous July.

Compensation

The commission agreed to give county employees compensation pay for working on Juneteenth. After suggestions from courthouse employees, the commission agreed to stay open on the holiday and instead close the courthouse on July 5. Later, Gov. Mike Parson gave state and county employees the day off on July 5 as a holiday.