BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The Stoddard County Commission began the scheduling process for replacing a bridge on County Road 410 in Castor Township at their regular meeting Monday. The first step will be to contact the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to advertise for a statement of qualifications to retain an engineering firm to design the bridge.
The County Road 410 bridge is located northwest of the Aid community. The bridge was destroyed in the 2011 flood and qualified for FEMA funds to assist with rebuilding the bridge. The FEMA money required five percent local matching funds, which Castor Township did not have available. The township applied for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and that process delayed action on rebuilding the bridge. The CDGB was approved, but the project was not funded when grants were awarded.
Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis said he spoke with Connie Duke at the Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, who originally prepared the grant application. She indicated it could be another two years before any money would be available.
Mathis proposed at an earlier meeting that the county expend funds from the general budget for the matching part of the FEMA funds for rebuilding the bridge. He said the local money expended would count as "soft loan" funds in the Off Road Bridge (BRO) program.
Castor Township Board Members Ron Williams and Randall McCollom were present at the meeting.
Williams asked the commission if they had heard from Cape Girardeau County officials about exchanging BRO funds for soft loan funds. Mathis said they had just received the signed agreement from Cape County commissioners exchanging $120,000 in soft match money for $60,000 in BRO funds from Stoddard County. Stoddard County did not have the necessary soft loan money to use as matching funds to rebuild the bridge. The county already has two bridge projects underway.
"Are we waiting to hear from SEMA (SEMA administers FEMA grants)?" Mathis asked.
Williams said the FEMA money was available. He added the Corps of Engineers had already reviewed the project and signed necessary paperwork to allow the project to get underway.
Mathis, along with Commissioners Danny Talkington and Carol Jarrell, agreed to schedule the County Road 410 bridge for replacement and contact MoDOT to begin looking for an engineering firm.
Also present at the meeting were Robert Morris and Steve Jordan from Pike Township. Both said they were aware of the commission's intent to spend the county's BRO money this year. They said there were several old bridges in the township that did not meet MoDOT standards. The worst bridge is on County Road 307 near old Highway 25. Mathis inquired about the length of the bridge, and Morris said it was 20 to 30 feet in length.
"We have always tried to spread the BRO money around," said Mathis.
"We weren't aware there was BRO money available," said Jordan. "Pike has never had BRO money spent there."
Mathis said the commission needed to take a look at their remaining funds after the three projects already scheduled are bid.
"We will call you at that time, and have you come back to discuss it," Mathis said.
The commission voted 3-0 to renew the county code of ethics. County Clerk Joe Watson said the code of ethics must be renewed every two years. He said it was a standardized form and there were no changes.
The commission also renewed the maintenance contract for the heat and air system in the sheriff's office with Langford Mechanical and Sheet Metal, Inc. of Jackson, Mo.
Engineer Bill Robison with Smith and Company in Poplar Bluff and Engineer Jason Sivils of Great River Associates in Springfield each spoke to the commission regarding the County Road 754 bridge replacement project. That bridge is located inn Elk Township.
The commission has advertised for a statement of qualifications for an engineering firm to design the bridge. Robison left a qualifications package for Smith and Company. The deadline to have these qualifications in to the county is May 3. The commission will open these qualification packages at their meeting May 6. Sivils told the commission about his firm and listed their credentials. He said he wanted to look at the bridge before leaving the qualification package for his company.