HERMANN — As they watched some of the more-than 80 potential jurors in last week’s murder trial struggle with steps and the step ramp leading from Highway 100 to the courthouse, Gasconade County officials again were reminded of the need for additional parking spaces.

“Some of the people on jury duty really struggled,” said Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, at Thursday’s session of the County Commission.

Indeed, of the 83 citizens responding to a summons for possible jury duty, several clearly had difficulty walking up the stairs to the second-floor courtroom for the trial of Christine E. Weber of Hermann. There could have been more people having difficulty if the initial number of potential jurors had been called in for the voir dire process — about 100 potential jurors were initially considered, but that number was thinned to 84. Only one of those did not show up for the jury-selection process.

Ironically, as several of the potential jurors struggled with the steps, they could see the shiny new elevator that recently was installed. The lift, which can carry three or four people comfortably, sits idle as it awaits final safety inspections by the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

“Whenever they give us their blessing, when they tell us they’re coming” the county can prepare to put the device to use, Schulte said. “As soon as we get signed off by the Department of Public Safety we’ll start using it,” he said.

To make room for many — but certainly not all – of the potential jurors’ vehicles in the courthouse parking lot, courthouse employees were directed to park on the street. On Monday, the day of the jury selection, county employees, some potential jurors, attorneys, law school students on hand for the four-day event and observers were relegated to finding spaces either on Highway 100 or other nearby streets, a block or two away.

County government administrators aren’t the only folks recognizing the need for additional parking in the county seat – and not just near the courthouse. The directors of the Hermann Regional Economic Development (HRED) Corporation earlier this month briefly discussed the need for additional parking throughout town — and a prime spot for some appear to be a site near the courthouse.

One suggestion was that someone — City Hall, HRED or perhaps the Chamber of Commerce — look into possibly leasing and developing for parking an area that now is part of the courthouse grounds. That site holds the Doerr Building, a county property that is used for storage of county equipment and documents no longer needed to be kept in the courthouse but needing to be retained nonetheless.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of that,” County Clerk Lesa Lietzow told the Gasconade County Republican, which asked if she was aware HRED might be eying the Doerr Building site as a possible parking lot.

In other matters, the Commission last week agreed to apply for a grant to promote recycling from the Ozarks Region Solid Waste District. Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, sits on that agency’s board and has long encouraged local governments, schools and other organizations to apply for grant money generated through tipping fees paid by waste collection companies at the region’s sanitary landfills.

“There’s money available,” Holland said.

Funds can be used in a variety of ways to promote recycling and the reducing the amount of trash going into the landfills.

Despite contacting several companies, only one responded with a bid for a tip trailer for the county’s Road Department. McCoy of Cuba submitted a bid of $49,900.

“That’s how it goes sometimes,” noted Liezow, whose office sends out bid notices and receives bids. Road Department officials will review the McCoy bid to make sure it fully complies with all bid specifications and make a recommendation to the County Commission.

Another set of bid specs are being reworked, Schulte reported. The specifications for two hoop sheds planned for storing winter road materials are being “fine tuned” to include some items previously omitted from an earlier draft of the specifications.

Plans call for one of the shed to be located at the Road Department’s Drake site and the other near Redbird.

With the Gasconade County Fair being held this week, and with county elected officials working the concession stands, there will be no County Commission session on Thursday. The next session will be Thursday, Aug. 1, in Owensville City Hall.