VIENNA — At a Maries County Commission meeting last week, the commissioners briefly discussed news that the city of Rolla agreed to lease part of the Rolla National Airport with solar energy company Vesper Energy as part of the Vichy Solar project.

Since the end of 2022, the commission has been in contact with several companies, including Vesper Energy, that are developing solar projects in the county. The commission has received some updates on Vichy Solar through meetings with Vesper Energy representatives. Vichy Solar is a commercial project that the facilitators have proposed as a 200-megawatt solar panel cluster and 200-megawatt battery energy storage system that will deliver energy to the electrical grid via an existing Ameren transmission line.

The last communication between the county commission and Vesper Energy was in early January. At that time, development manager Hannah Larkin called to let the commission know that the company was starting fieldwork. She said Vesper Energy hoped to know the full scale of the project by March. The estimated scope was 1,750 acres.

Although the city of Rolla owns the airport, it resides in Maries County. The United States Army Air Forces built the airport during World War II before its deactivation following the end of the war. The U.S. The Navy operated the airport for years until it was once again deactivated and deeded to the city of Rolla in the late 1950s.

According to the Phelps County Focus, the Rolla City Council approved the lease for up to 50 years in a 9-3 vote on Feb. 8. The initial lease of 385 acres would run for 30 years with two 10-year extension options.

Traffic Statistics

Also during the meetings, Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman shared traffic fatality statistics he obtained at a recent regional Transportation Advisory Committee meeting at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission.

In 2023, 990 traffic deaths occurred in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) Northwest District had the fewest with 49 fatalities. The St. Louis District had the most with 218 fatalities. The Central District, containing Maries County, had the third-fewest with 113 fatalities.

The Central District saw an 18.12 percent decrease in traffic fatalities from 2022 to 2023. The number decreased by 6.34 percent statewide.

Within the Central District, drivers were suspected of having used alcohol in 15 fatalities. Drivers were known to have not used alcohol in 51 deaths. Alcohol use is unknown in the other 47 fatalities.

Sixty-nine Central District traffic deaths occurred on roadways. Another 44 occurred off roadways. Of the fatalities, 21 were motorcyclists, 15 were pedestrians and one was a bicyclist. Thirteen fatalities involved commercial vehicles. Seventy-seven deaths were drivers and 21 were passengers.

In instances requiring seat belt use, 30 of the deceased wore seat belts and 43 did not wear seat belts for a total of 59 percent unbuckled. In two cases, the data is listed as unknown or improper.  In the deaths of motorcyclists, 10 wore helmets and 11 did not wear helmets.

Within the Meramec Region, there were 42 fatalities in 2023, which decreased from 47 in 2022. Maries County had the fewest with one, which decreased from two in 2022. Phelps County had the most with 11, which decreased from 12 in 2022. Other counties that saw decreases were Crawford (from seven to six), Gasconade (from six to four), Osage (from four to two) and Washington (from nine to six). Increases in traffic deaths from 2022 to 2023 occurred in Dent County (from two to three) and Pulaski County (from five to nine).

Upcoming roadway safety activities in the county include mock crashes at Vienna High School (March 22) and Belle High School (April 16).

Stratman also said MoDOT had shared updates on some of its projects in the area. The ongoing project on Interstate 44 is about 65 percent complete. The Highway 28 bridge project over Dry Fork Creek is ahead of schedule.

Army Corps. of Engineers

The commission received a followup call on Feb. 15 from Tony Koch with the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers (USACE). Koch had called the commission in January to set up a meeting to review the process of obtaining a permit to conduct work in rivers.

When Koch called last week, he said that the USACE had decided against holding the meeting. The USACE has continued to receive calls regarding litigation involving the county and the river, and the agency does not want to get entangled in ongoing litigation because the public may construe outreach as interference. He recommended that the commission reschedule the meeting later this year after the resolution of the litigation.

Other Business

The commission signed an agreement stating that the county cannot sell the land it recently purchased at the intersections of Highway 28 and Route Z without full approval from the three commissioners and the sheriff. The county purchased the land beside the Road Two shed to have a spot for sheriff’s office training and emergency management equipment storage.

Stratman said the next Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy meeting is on Feb. 21 and he would be “happy to take anyone along.” He added that the meetings are informative for groups such as chambers of commerce.

The commission received a letter from Wisper Internet sharing that the company had expanded to serve the Vichy area through a more than $3 million investment in the Connect America Fund.