The Dent County Commission held a regular meeting Thursday, the first since June 1. Meetings were not held during that time due to one or both commissioners being out of town on the meeting dates.
Corky Stack of Stack Engineering attended the meeting and gave the commissioners an update on the progress of the ongoing courthouse renovation. Stack said crews were dismantling and taking down trim boards on the outside of the courthouse. Stack told the commissioners that the original trim was anchored into wood blocks embedded in the brickwork, and that those blocks had rotted out.
“Those wood blocks that it’s anchored into are rotten, missing, gone, soft as can be. So, we can’t anchor anything to those, that’s one of the reason the old trim was about to fall off,” said Stack.
He said the crews would be covering the area with plywood anchored directly to the brick. The trim molding will be anchored to the plywood. Stack also said that crews are waiting on new windows to be delivered; they expect to receive them during the first week of July. Asbestos and lead testing have been completed as well; Stack noted that some asbestos caulking will need to be abated, as well as some lead-based paint. Stack assured the commissioners and county staff that the abatement company will dispose of the hazardous materials in a safe and controlled manner. Starting the week of June 19, Stack said that crews would be working on the courthouse practically every day from then on.
• County Treasurer Denita Williams gave a sales tax report. General Revenue and Law Enforcement funds both received $94,747.50 in revenue, down from last June by $2,172.88, and $371.87 year to date. The Road and Bridge fund received $44,497.38, which is down from last June by $1,290.34, and up year-to-date by $528.81. Operations and Trust funds each received $89,416.73, down from last June by $2,125.47, and up year-to-date by $3,590.26.
Williams then reported on PILT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) numbers. PILT payments are Federal payments to local governments that help offset losses in property taxes due to non-taxable Federal lands within their boundaries, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Williams said that last year, the county received a PILT payment of $172,159, and this year the county received $176,896. Williams also said that the county had received $20,273.96 in CART (County Aid Road Trust) reimbursements.
Before ending her report, Williams noted that the transfer of banking services over to the Bank of Salem was going well, and that the majority of accounts were now with the Bank of Salem. The transfer of depository services to the Bank of Salem was approved by the commissioners through a bidding process that happened earlier in the year.
• During road reports, District One Commissioner Wes Mobray reported that in his district, crews would be grading county roads 5410, 6400, and 6320. Crews will be hauling rock to county roads 5410, 5465, 5670, and 6320. Mobray said brush had been cut the day before on County Road 5465.
Mobray then reported on FLAP project 56 at Tan Vat Hill. He said the project was completed, and MODOT would be coming out the next Tuesday for an inspection. Finally, Mobray reported that crews are “rebuilding” County Road 5080. He asked the public to watch for road graders and workers. According to Mobray, the road is being prepared for chip-and-seal asphalt next year.
“A lot of work, a lot of dust,” said Mobray.
• Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson gave another report for District Two. Larson is acting in the role of district two commissioner when it comes to roadwork, since the District Two seat is vacant pending a gubernatorial appointment. Larson reported that crews were set to cut brush on county roads 2300 and 2270, hauling material to 2370, and stockpiling rock for later use.
During his presiding commissioner’s report, Larson said that he had attended a June 7 meeting of the Meramec Enhancement Corporation. He reported that officers were elected, and lease agreements with MRPC were discussed.
Larson also attended a meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) on June 8. He said they went over current projects and nominated offroad bridges for funding. He said Dent County was not eligible for the bridge funding, so he voted for projects in other counties.
He also said he attended an MRPC regular meeting. He said he nominated two people to receive awards from MRPC during an upcoming dinner: Easton May, and Delores Gray Wood, both of Salem. He said they also discussed opioid settlement funds, as well as Senate Bill 190, which according to Larson may reduce taxes for senior citizens. “Right now, it’s on the governor’s desk, whether it’s going to go anywhere or not,” he said.
• At 10 a.m., the commissioners began opening bids for chip-and-seal asphalt services. Mobray told The Salem News that the contract is for various chip-and-seal asphalt projects that the commission will be working on throughout the year. Two bids were received, one from Blevins Asphalt, and one from Stewart’s Asphalt. After discussing the bids, the commission voted 2-0 to accept the bid from Blevins Asphalt. The accepted bid was for $266,112, or $1.80 per square yard, according to Mobray, who later said they went with the slightly more expensive option of the two that were included with the Blevins’ bid due to the inclusion of better-quality oil.
• No meeting was held Monday, due to the courthouse being closed in observance of Juneteenth.
