HERMANN —  Have you seen the new doors on the entrances to the Gasconade County Courthouse?

No?

Neither have the members of the County Commission — and therein lies the problem.

Those anti-COVID doors should have been delivered and installed quite some time ago. But as of last Thursday morning, there was still no indication of when county government officials could expect delivery of the new doors for the main entrance on the south side of the building and the entrance on the east side.

It has been more than a year since the doors were ordered from a Montgomery County milling company. Indeed, County Treasurer Mike Feagan told the County Commission that July 1 would be one year since the $40,000 check was written to pay for the doors.

“I’ve got his check in my safe,” Feagan said.

The funds for the doors come from the CARES Act money the county received two years ago during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The money — $1.7 million for Gasconade County — was among the first round of federal stimulus funds aimed at reimbursing public agencies for expenses related to the virus. The Commission decided to use some of the funds for new doors aimed at combating the virus. It also used some of the money for new hands-free water fountains in the courthouse. The main doors to the courthouse will have an automatic opening device that allows hands-free operation, aimed at reducing the possible spread of the virus.

The doors were ordered through local contractor Glenn Englert, who has done a significant amount of work at the courthouse and has been coordinating with the wood milling company on the project. Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, during Thursday morning’s session noted that he had not heard from Englert recently about the status of the doors.

Meanwhile, Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, reported that Hermann city government and the Hermann-Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as the city of Bland, have not paid membership dues to the Gasconade Valley Enhanced Enterprise Zone (GVEZ) committee, an arm of Meramec Regional Planning Commission aimed at promoting economic development with the Gasconade River Valley area. Lairmore’s report is notable because Hermann City Administrator Patricia Heaney recently told members of the Hermann Regional Economic Development Corporation and the Hermann Board of Aldermen that the GVEZ panel would be helping Hermann market the building that now houses Pretium Packaging. That production facility, one of the larger employers in the community, is scheduled to shutter operations by the end of the year.

Lairmore also noted the county is receiving something it doesn’t often receive: Compliments about the work being done by Road Department employees. He said there have been several good comments received about the work being done by the two employees responsible primarily for cutting brush along the roadways. Lairmore pointed out that those two employees are among the newer members of the Road Department staff.

More good news regarding the Road Department: County Clerk Lesa Lietzow reported that Ameren Missouri has submitted a check for about $3,800 to reimburse county government for work by the road agency to correct damage to Old Woollam Road near Route P outside Owensville as a result of utility work in the area. Miskel applauded Ameren for its quick response to the county’s request for reimbursement.

Conditioned air

Facing a significant cost to replace and or repair two aging air-conditioning units at the courthouse, county administrators might be switching to small, individual-room interior units referred to as “mini-splits.” A 5-ton air-conditioning unit that serves the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department office and related spaces needs to be replaced; that unit has a price tag of about $8,900. A 3-ton unit that serves the offices of the Associate Circuit Court needs to be replaced at a cost of about $7,900.

County officials suggested that mini-split units be considered as replacements for the larger units. Those small units that have been installed in the individual offices are doing the job, Lietzow said. 

“For all of us who have it down here, it seems to work well,” she said.