The BRO off system bridge program Maries County and others use to replace old, deficient bridges, is a good program, but like so many other government programs, it moves slowly and the paperwork is cumbersome.

Maries County’s current BRO project is a bridge on MCR 608 over the Little Tavern Creek. At last Thursday’s Maries County Commission meeting, MECO Engineering President Scott Vogler was present to discuss the county’s BRO bridge project. He brought preliminary plans to show the commissioners how and what will be done.

The new bridge at the site will be a single span bridge with three concrete girders. The road will be elevated five feet to accommodate the new bridge, which will be 85 feet long and 26.2 feet wide. It is estimated to cost from $350,000 to $400,000.

Vogler said the current bridge is very deficient and was on MoDOT’s deficient list. He said the abutments have been undermined. Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said at times the Little Tavern “can get big” and carry a lot of water.

The next step in the project is getting the right-of-way needed for the bridge construction. Depending how that process moves along will determine when the bridge project will be put out for bidding. Right now he figures it will be at the beginning of 2021. Vogler added the bids should be competitive because the “contractors are hungry right now.”

Fagre said getting all the paperwork done for the project “is a pain.” Vogler said anything with the federal government moves very slowly. They just now are putting out 2017 disaster relief funds.

Fagre said the Little Tavern starts around Highway DD at Gene Wilson’s, runs below Wheeler Church, and crosses at Sally Rollins’. Fagre commented that since 1993 when he became a county commissioner, he has replaced about every crossing on the Little Tavern in Maries County. Crossings were replaced at the sites near Gene Willson, Tom Pummel, below Wheeler Church when it flooded, and in 2011 at Sally Rollins.

CARES Act requests

The commissioners looked over three CARES Act funding reimbursement requests.

The Maries R-2 School District has requested $22,299 to pay for four large ceiling fans and for the installation of these fans in the school cafeteria, the small gym, and two in the large gym. The purpose of the large fans is to circulate the air and they are to promote public health.

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said she talked with the R-2 superintendent who wanted to have approval before moving forward because if the request is not approved, she did not want to order the fans. Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said, “If Bonnie approved, I’m all for it.” Fagre agreed but said they don’t want to get ahead of Bonnie in the approval process. This is the second CARES Act funding request from Maries R-2 as in September the school was reimbursed $3,111.63.

Maries R-1 School also submitted another request for reimbursement. Among the items in the $13,443.50 request are $3,560 for a Raptor Technologies visitor management system that will screen any visitors entering the school buildings to determine whether they are on any sexual predator lists in the nation. It also will be used for preforming health screenings for visitors and tracking contacts that any visitor may have while in the school buildings. Also in the request are three custodial carts ($402.36) to have all of the disinfecting equipment and sanitizers with the custodians throughout the day. Also large capacity trash bin for collecting a larger amount of trash at a time for $611.80. Two desk and table cleaning kits $607.09. Also two freestanding drop boxes $519.98, hi-speed USB repeater cable and 25 laptop batteries $824.19. As part of the request was $3,299.62 for two counter strike disinfecting machines, two cases of disinfectant for the machines, 25 hand sanitizer dispensers, and six cases of foaming hand sanitizer. Included also is $2,690 for 200 ear loop masks and 200 Gaiter masks, all custom for school that were provided to students and staff to wear to help stop/slow the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Other smaller amounts and items were included in the $13,43.50 request.

This is Maries R-1’s fourth CARES Act funding request. Previous requests were for $5,602.25, $24,980.14, and $15,232.

The Your Community Health Center requested $4,820 to pay for Tyto. The commissioners questioned this request and Stratman contacted the organization about it. A Tyto is a telemedicine machine that facilitates a school nurse being able to take a temperature of a student and transmit it to a doctor at the health center. The organization purchased 10 of these and Maries R-1 School received one of them.

Help our own people

Stratman was contacted by Phelps County Presiding Commissioner Randy Verkamp who said Phelps County had given away all of that county’s CARES Act money. The Phelps Health Hospital and the Phelps-Maries Health Department took the biggest share of the $5.2 million that county received from the federal government to help with unanticipated and non-budgeted Covid-19 expenses in the county. Phelps County asked if Maries County could pick up its share of health department expenses or give it some of Maries County’s money. Phelps County was requesting the same from other counties in the area.

“They should have managed better,” Drewel said.

Fagre said there will be more Maries County requests that will come in. “We have to help our own people.”

Stratman said he thinks Maries County needs to keep what it has. As of Oct. 14, the county has $490,952.78 left of the $1,020,000 it received.

Culvert request

Jim Knittel of MCR 613 in the Brinktown requested a 12 foot culvert be put in. He said he’s marked the area with a red flag. Fagre said he’ll have to call the phone company first and it will be a couple of days. Knittel asked about the cost and Fagre said about $120 and $15 for the collar, all of which Knittel will pay for.

1,000 acres

While MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge was at the county commission meeting last Thursday, she talked about the company, Invenergy, wanting 1,000 acres in Maries County to build a solar panel farm. Flat land is needed. The company representatives are meeting with some county property owners.

Prigge works with the enterprise Zone and they are still determining how the solar panels will be assessed for tax purposes. Prigge said this is a long term project with many issues.

Fagre said the land at the Vichy airport is flat and Prigge said she gave the company contact information for the airport. The reps said the land can’t have more than a five percent slope. The solar panels will be fenced in. Once established there will be two to three full time employees. Stratman said there will be opportunities in this for local land owners.