VIENNA — Maries County recently paid the eighth invoice to MECO Engineering Co. for the ongoing Maries Road 213 bridge project over Fly Creek as it continues to head for construction.

The latest payment for the engineering of the new bridge was $11,177.31 though the county expects to receive a $9,760.03 reimbursement from the Missouri Department of Transportation because the bridge is part of the Off-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation (BRO) program. BRO uses federal funds to pay up to 80 percent of the cost of replacing bridges outside of federal-aid highways.

As of the May 17 progress date, the cost for preliminary engineering had reached $68,725.32 for design costs, subsurface investigation and lead paint and asbestos investigation. Only $8,714.36 is included in the cost for the local match.

Construction on the project has not yet started as the firm is still acquiring the right of way around the construction site. The construction of the bridge replacement could begin this summer.

Treasurer Angie Stricklan shared the county’s motor vehicle revenue for May. Road One and Road Two share the revenue 55 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

Motor fuel tax revenue totaled $40,930.43 in May, which was a 14 percent increase over the previous May. So far in 2024, March is the only month that has not exceeded its 2023 total for fuel tax revenue.

Motor vehicle taxes totaled $10,332.81 in May, which was a 25 percent increase over the previous May. So far in 2024, February and May are the only months to exceed their 2023 totals for motor vehicle tax revenue.

Motor vehicle fees totaled $4,871.15 in May, which was a 50 percent increase over the previous May. So far in 2024, March and May are the only months to exceed their 2023 totals for motor vehicle fee revenue.

During the May 28 Maries County Commission meeting, Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said he had spoken with someone from Ameren and confirmed that the county had disconnected electricity to the building it purchased across from the courthouse at the corner of Coffey Street and Third Street. The county plans to demolish the building though it has not made any formal plans. Stratman planned to contact the city to see if it had any upcoming demolition plans because grants are available for entities wishing to demolish multiple buildings in one location.

One of the reasons the county bought the building is to provide more parking around the courthouse, which often has a full lot on court days. County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers told the commission that the courthouse had received complaints about an employee parking in one of the few handicapped parking spaces around the building.

The commissioners agreed that they did not want anyone who did not have a handicap permit to park in the space. Stratman said he thought it would be nice to let the employees know that they should not park in handicapped spaces without a permit assigned to them. Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said he would prefer to let the sheriff’s office handle the issue because law enforcement would ticket improper parking anywhere else.

Stratman said he believed a recent leak coming from an air handler on the third floor of the courthouse was not cause for concern because he had only noticed it after a technician had been working on the equipment. He tested the leak with a trash can and found no further evidence, so he suspected it was a temporary issue.

An issue that did concern Stratman was the floor of the 911 dispatching center. He said it looked “really bad” and was peeling. The dispatchers had taped down some pieces. At first, he was unsure if the county could replace the floor because of the heavy dispatching equipment. After discussing it during the meeting, the commission recalled that during the last renovation of the flooring, the county had it installed in squares to make removal and replacement easier. The commission discussed possibly replacing some of the squares soon.