HERMANN —The latest wave of the coronavirus quickly worked its way up Interstate 44 into Gasconade County, making its presence felt within county government.

County Clerk Lesa Lietzow last Thursday told the County Commission that her chief deputy clerk and her husband were dealing with mild cases of the latest version of COVID-19. Lynne Kurrellmeyer was scheduled to have completed her 10-day isolation on Friday, Lietzow said.

Gasconade County Public Administrator Kelly Thomas, however, was not as fortunate as Kurrellmeyer. Thomas wound up in the hospital and as of Thursday morning reportedly was improving. How long her recovery would take wasn’t known, which is why her designated assistant, Allison Grzeskowiak, was pressed into duty.

The public administrator is responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of those deemed unable to handle such matters as personal finance issues, bill paying and so forth. A public administrator’s caseload can reach into the hundreds in some counties. It is one of the busier — but much lesser known — jobs in county government.

Grzeskowiak formally was appointed to the position recently by Associate Circuit Court Judge Ada Brehe-Krueger.

Also at last week’s session, Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, said that after a recent meeting about broadband availability in Gasconade County, it’s clear getting high-speed Internet service to more residents simply is a matter of money.

“It was a preliminary meeting,” Miskel said of the session sponsored by Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC).

He referred to comments made by the head of Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, one of eight participants of the conference.

“He put it very succinctly. It all has to do with money and the cost,” Miskel said, explaining that just upgrading existing utility poles to handle strands of lines bringing high-speed Internet to the outer reaches of the county would cost millions.

Where the money would come from isn’t clear, he said.

“I don’t know where the feds are at; I don’t know where the state is at” regarding broadband expansion, the presiding commissioner said.

He added that there are about 3,000 counties nationwide that don't have access to high-speed Internet, including the vast majority of Missouri counties.

“You take Missouri's 114 counties, about 110 are rural. Half of Franklin County is rural,” Miskel said.

Also Thursday morning, county administrators were told by Treasurer Mike Feagan that the county’s first half of its $2.8-million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money is in the bank and entered in the county’s financial reports. The second $1.4-million allotment is scheduled to be received next year. Counties have until the end of 2024 to have the money committed and until the end of 2026 to have the money used.

But at this point, Gasconade County officials don’t have a road map for use of the money. Administrators are hoping to receive more detailed information on the use of the money, which is aimed at helping local economies recover from the effects of the coronavirus.

County government officials say they likely will be meeting with MRPC personnel in the coming weeks and months to map out a strategy for using the money. But until they learn more about the potential uses of the funds, they are content to leave the money in the bank and wait for a course of action to be charted.

“Our plan right now, with the ARPA plan, is no plan,” Miskel said.

Still, there are other agencies looking to tap into the money allocated to Gasconade County. Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, said he has talked with two entities that inquired about a portion of the funding.

“They’re in high gear,” Holland said of the entities’ interest in getting some of the money.