HERMANN — Gasconade County officeholders will offer their thoughts about proposed security upgrades at the courthouse during their Nov. 18 gathering for the biennial session of county government’s Salary Commission.

County administrators have been discussing beefed-up security measures for some time; indeed, Emergency Management Director Clyde Zelch has been advocating steps to make the courthouse a more “hard” target for potential incidents. The County Commission recently heard an abbreviated presentation on possible security measures for the courthouse and county employees from a Chesterfield-based company.

An upgrade seems to be favored by commissioners.

“I think it’s time to upgrade our security system,” said Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann. “What I’m concerned (about) more than anything is some kind of upgrade of our surveillance,” he added.

Miskel at an earlier meeting said input is needed from the various officeholders regarding security measures and that a good time to poll the elected officials will be the Salary Commission meeting set for Thursday, Nov. 18. The Salary Commission meets in each odd-numbered year to consider a pay increase for officeholders elected in the next year’s General Election. Half of the county’s dozen officeholders are on the ballot every two years. Any pay raise would apply only to those officeholders beginning a new term after the next election.

Transportation on the agenda

Also on Nov. 18 will be the annual meeting of the Commission and MoDOT Regional Director Preston Kramer and Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) Executive Director Bonnie Prigge to update the county’s priority list of transportation projects. The 5-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) is an ongoing priority list that’s updated in each of Missouri's 114 counties and incorporated into the state’s TIP by the Missouri Department of Transportation. 

One of the most recent priority projects completed — after being on the list for many years — is the two-lane bridge over First Creek on Route J. That span replaced a 1930s-era one-lane, wooden-piered bridge that for years was considered to be among the worst condition bridges in the eight-county Meramec Region.

Miskel noted that representatives of Owensville and Hermann city governments have been invited to attend the TIP meeting at the courthouse.

Hermann resident Paula Pierce was recognized at the recent annual dinner of MRPC for her work with Crusade Against Cancer. She was nominated by Miskel and was among several individuals and organizations throughout the Meramec Region cited for their efforts in a variety of areas. Miskel noted that it appeared that Gasconade County was the only Meramec Region that had all three commissioners in attendance at the dinner.

Finally from last week’s session, residents of a recently-improved county road — converted from gravel to chip-and-seal,  a move sought by residents of several roads throughout the county — now has another problem to contend with and have reached out to county government for help. It seems the road improvement has brought with it faster traffic.

Sheriff Scott Eiler brought the matter to the Commission on behalf of the residents, who are hoping to have a lower speed limit set on the road. Unless otherwise posted, all county roads have a top speed of 55 miles per hour.

The Commission explained that the residents need to gather signatures and submit them to the Commission, which will support or oppose the proposed lower speed. The administrators’ recommendation will be submitted to MoDOT, which will have final say over speed limits.

“That’s the problem with improving the roads,” noted Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville. “It does create faster traffic,” he said.

Commission members meet next at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Owensville City Hall.