HERMANN — Roger Dahl, the second-in-command at the Gasconade County Road Department, has been named as the new head of the agency.

Dahl succeeds retiring longtime Road Supervisor Wayne Kottwitz. “After a long and arduous process, we have selected Roger Dahl as our road supervisor,” said Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel at Thursday morning’s session.

As part of the selection process, county administrators also modified the job description for the post. 

“We think it enhances accountability for evaluating employees,” Miskel said. He added that moves are being made to improve scheduling of employees, maintenance of equipment and the cross-training of employees on the various pieces of Road Department equipment.

The ability of personnel being able to operate the different pieces of equipment became an issue in the past year with vacancies occurring and a lack of applicants for those positions. Miskel said Dahl will select the department’s number-two person.

Along with the Dahl announcement, the weekly session focused on several other county road-related issues, from an update by Hermann Ford’s John Witte on the county’s upcoming order for a new truck for the road agency to a surprisingly few bids for road maintenance supplies to possible legal action regarding a fence placed on county right-of-way on Price Road.

As part of Witte’s submission of Hermann Ford’s bid on a new vehicle, Witte advised the Commission that Ford Motor Company is no longer taking orders for fleet vehicles and, he added, dealers are facing a deadline this week for ordering 2022 Super Diesel models. Hermann Ford, like other dealers, are contending with aggravating supply-chain issues, he said.

“We’ve had three price increases this year. It’s a circus,” he said.

Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore noted that delays in filling new-vehicle orders likely is attributable to the shortage of auto computer chips.

As for the annual bid process for road-maintenance materials, county officials had few to consider: one bid for cutting edges for the road graders; one bid for rebar (reinforcing bars) for use in concrete; two bids for concrete; and one bid for herbicide spraying. Of the few bids received, one stood out to Lairmore.

The bid for cutting edges came in at $177 each.

“$177 each?” Larimore asked.

“You act surprised,” quipped County Clerk Lesa Lietzow.

The bids were forwarded to the Road Department for review and a recommendation back to the Commission.

Regarding the Price Road fence matter, Miskel said consulting attorney Ivan Schraeder has advised the Commission that it can do “what the Commission deems proper” in removal of the fence that encroaches on the right-of-way. 

If talks with the property owner don’t result in the removal, then the Commission can take legal action against the property owner.

The Gasconade County Republican last week reported that county administrators were concerned about the fence, which narrows Price Road’s width to about 12 feet at one point. A constricted roadway makes regular maintenance difficult, officials said. The presiding commissioner contacted Schraeder with a list of questions about the fence issue and asked for recommendations regarding its removal from the right-of-way.

The draft version of the audit of Gasconade County’s use of $1.7 million of CARES Act money has been delivered to county officials for comment — and the auditors indeed have questions. Lietzow noted that at this point the audit is not public, pending answers to those questions from her office, County Treasurer Mike Feagan and Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC). It’s not clear at this point whether the questions are focused on the procedure used to allocate CARES Act funds or if the auditors are questioning specific projects funded with the money.

The CARES Act money initially was intended only to reimburse government agencies, non-profits and businesses for expenses incurred in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. 

By the time the CARES Act program was in its final phases, the use of the money became more relaxed.

On a related note, county officials still are waiting to hear about the status of those $40,000 doors that have been ordered for the courthouse. 

New no-touch-entry doors for the main southside entrance and new doors for the east entrance and north entrance. The doors were ordered about a year ago.