VIENNA — A misunderstanding regarding Maries County’s applications to receive funds from the Missouri Regional Bridge Program for work on the Maries Road 405 and Maries Road 519 bridges led the county to withdraw from consideration for the grants.

The Maries County Commission believed the program did not require a fund match from the county, but they later received information stating there was a match requirement. Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel had said in previous meetings that if the county had to match, Road Two would not have the funds. The commission accepted a bid earlier this month to sealcoat about 5.2 miles of roadway on Maries Road 340, which will cost about $90,000 for Road Two.

At a recent meeting of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s (MRPC) Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), members of the committee prioritized bridge repairs from around MRPC’s eight-county coverage area. Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman withdrew the two Maries County bridges from consideration after confirming that the funds required a 12.5 percent match by the county.

Stratman said at the June 13 county commission meeting that even if the county had the money to match, funds from the program are scarce. The Missouri Department of Transportation’s Central District, which includes 18 counties, had about $1.7 million available. MRPC’s eight counties alone had 11 bridge applications after Maries County withdrew its two applicants.

“It would have been really selective,” Stratman said. “Next year there’s twice as much money available.”

“We’ll just wait until next year,” Drewel said.

Stratman said the TAC also discussed upcoming roadwork in the region. Construction on Highway 28 is scheduled to begin this summer and end in August or September. Construction on Highway 63 in Osage County will begin in 2027. The work will focus on the stretch from the Maries River in Westphalia north to the Highway 50 connection.

Also at the TAC meeting, Stratman heard about a $20,000 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant available for emergency services.

“If any of the fire departments or police or EMS are interested in going after that, they can check at MRPC to find out how to do that,” he said.

Opioid Settlements

Stratman asked about the county’s plans to use funds from opioid settlements between Missouri and drug manufacturers. As part of a settlement with companies McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and Johnson & Johnson, Missouri counties will receive a series of payments over the next several years.

Counties have restrictions on how they may spend the money. Many of the funds require counties to spend 85 percent of those payments on programs that educate the public or help reduce the damages of opioid abuse. Counties may spend the other funds as they see fit.

Stratman said he would like to meet with the sheriff, judge and prosecuting attorney to see what program the county can develop to fulfill the requirements for the settlement money.

Sheriff’s Office Equipment

Chief Deputy Scott John stopped by the meeting to update the commission about the status of some of the money allocated to the sheriff’s office from the first wave of ARPA funds the county received. He said the sheriff’s office has two purchases pending with ARPA money: individual first aid kits (IFAKs) and roadside thumbprint scanners for the vehicles.

IFAKs go on SWAT vests so they are available to officers at any time. John estimated a cost of about $2,500 for the IFAKs. Thumbprint scanners will allow officers in the field to identify people by taking thumbprints and referencing them with databases.

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre asked if the drones the sheriff’s office purchased had helped in any investigations.

“We’ve used one of the day drones on a couple of incidences,” John said. “We’ve used the thermal on a couple of night things, and we’ve been successful with the thermal once locating someone that was hiding in the brush.”

John said thermal equipment is not as revealing as the public might perceive it. Because the thermal drones look for the reflection of heat, they cannot see through roofs, which he said only happens in movies. Despite that misconception, he said the drones have been helpful in sheriff’s office investigations.

“The technology is amazing,” he said. “If I could go back and tell my grandpa what we do, he would think it was ‘The Jetsons.’”

Other Business

In April, the commission signed an agreement that, if approved, would split costs for repairs to Maries County’s south repeater among three entities: Maries County, Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) and Vienna Fire Protection District. At the June 13 commission meeting, the commissioners received the agreement with signatures from the other two entities.

Fagre said one of Road One’s graders was having engine trouble. He estimated a cost of more than $20,000 for the repairs.

Stratman attended a recent Connecting All Missourians meeting at MRPC that discussed efforts to increase broadband internet access in the area. He said something discussed at the meeting was internet speed tests. If anyone needs help running an internet speed test, the Maries County University of Missouri Extension Office is available to assist either by phone at 573-422-3359 or in person at its location in the courthouse basement.