BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Jim Mayo, with the Stoddard County Historical Society, asked the Stoddard County Commission to preserve the exterior appearance of the Trust Building on the courthouse square as remodeling begins for new offices for Sheriff Carl Hefner and to place an antique table in a prominent place for public viewing. Mayo addressed the commission at its regular meeting July 10.
Mayo said the Historical Society had not yet met, but he had talked with members who were concerned about remodeling the Trust Building. The building was home to the Stoddard County Trust Company when it was built in 1912. The president of the financial institution was Alfred L. Harty.
"Our main concern is the appearance of the outside of the building," stated Mayo.
Mayo said the only reason the building was not listed on the Historic Registry was that an addition had been built by the county some years ago. He said the Historical Society had wanted to have it added to the Registry when the old courthouse received that designation.
Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis said the renovation plans called for leaving the arched windows in the upper area of the building. He said the regular windows had been replaced several years ago, and were now "rotten." He said the county had no choice but to install new windows.
Sides Construction of Cape Girardeau, Mo., was hired as the contractor for remodeling the Trust Building at a cost of $117,800. They were one of three bidders on the project. The inside is being remodeled to include offices for the sheriff and deputies. The project calls for new windows to be installed, a new door, new interior walls, new acoustic ceiling, new flooring, electrical work and some exterior wall work, along with painting.
Mayo also questioned what had happened to a table that was formerly in the foyer of the Justice Center. He said the Historical Society had previously had the table refinished to preserve it. He said the table was found to have gone through a fire, and it was believed that it may have been in the courthouse when the courthouse was burned during the Civil War.
Mathis said the table was removed during the installation of new security at the Justice Center. He said the table was moved to the basement of the Government Building, where it was discovered by Prosecutor Russ Oliver who moved into his office upstairs.
"It's time our county starting preserving our history," said Mayo.
He said the buildings and accessories owned by the county were not just for the people of Bloomfield, but for people across the county.
"There are people who are interested in that table," Mayo said. "All we know is that it is not where it was and it is not viewable by the public."
Oliver said he discovered the table in the basement and made inquiries about whether anyone was interested in using it. He said he moved it because it was a better place to have it than in the basement.
Mathis noted there was no longer room in the Justice Center hallway for the table, but that the commission would look for a place for it to be viewed by the public.
Mayo also said he had talked with the City of Bloomfield, the county and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) about parking around the courthouse. He said he understood the need for more parking, but he objected to parking in front of the memorial honoring veterans in the county who had died in war. He said there should be no parking in that space.
The commission thanked him for sharing his concerns.
Bridges discussed
The commission heard from Engineer Bill Robison with Smith & Company, Engineers, about the bridges in the county most in need of replacement. He said there were 77 bridges in the county which were rated low enough by MoDOT that they were fully fundable using Off-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (BRO) funds.
Robison presented the six most deficient bridges in terms of the rating by MoDOT and by a visual inspection of the condition of the bridges. Four of those bridges were in Elk Township (southeast corner of the county) and two were in Castor Township (central part of the county). The bridges in Elk Township that were deemed most deficient were on County Road 780, County Road 784, County Road 743 and on County Road 772. The bridges in Castor Township that were rated most deficient were on County Road 467 and County Road 541.
Robison listed the bridge on County Road 476 as the first priority, on County Road 772 as the second priority and on County Road 743 at the third priority.
The commission had planned to program two bridges for replacement in 2017, but decided to add a third in the event funding was sufficient from the BRO program. The county does not receive BRO funds until October, but it takes roughly a year or more to complete new bridge construction.
Mathis asked if all the proposed bridges were the single span design, or whether any could be replaced using a box culvert.
Robison said the plans were for single span bridges, but the CR 743 bridge might be a candidate for a different design. He said the ditch was shallow and the bridge was short. He said the problem with a box culvert is that debris catches in the middle and causes problems. He said there is a three-sided design that may be possible for the CR 743 bridge.
Commissioner Steve Jordan said he believed a different design was possible at that location.
Mathis asked Robison what the life expectancy of a box culvert was compared to a single span bridge.
The estimated life of a box culvert is 25-30 years while the life expectancy of a single span is 50 years.
Jordan asked Robison how much a three-sides bridge would cost and if it would qualify for full BRO funding. Robison said it would qualify, but he would have to do some research to provide a cost estimate.
Commissioner Carol Jarrell said she would like to talk with township officials, drainage district officials and farmers before making a decision on which bridges or what design.
Mathis agreed, and the decision was postponed until the July 17 meeting.
Contractor dispute
Mathis asked Oliver if progress had been made on having Kjacs Construction pay for repairs to a sewer line that was damaged causing flooding to a portion of the Stoddard County Jail. Oliver said he was preparing the paperwork. He asked the commission several questions that needed answers before the paperwork was filed.