County Executive Dennis Gannon released his office’s goals and intentions for the county’s capital improvement projects for the next five years, including some big-ticket items like a new park and an emergency alert system.
No funding has been allocated for most of the projects outlined in the 57-page document, called the Jefferson County Capital Program and Strategic Plan. Gannon said at the Aug. 12 County Council meeting that the plan provides a road map for council members to include funding for priority projects in future budgets.
The council voted unanimously to approve the plan at the meeting.
Some of the items detailed in the plan have been on the county’s wish list for many years, but the funding hasn’t been available to move forward with them, Gannon said.
He said county staff members work to keep important projects on the five-year plan in case future funding becomes available.
One of those important projects is an outdoor warning system for highly populated portions of unincorporated Jefferson County, which would cost an estimated $3 million. The system would alert the public of hazards where “little or poor cell phone reception is available,” according to the plan.
The project has been on the plan for several years but has been put off because of a lack of funding.
“Ever since I’ve been in this job, for the past five years I suspect, an early warning system has been listed as one of the capital projects,” Gannon said. “That’s one of the items that I know there might be some who say, ‘Well, why do you keep putting it on there?’ Well, in the near future, there may be a chance that we might find a funding source to do just that.
“Once you remove an item from your list of projects, sometimes they just go away and you never get the chance to do them. With all these projects, we try not to let them die.”
Priority projects
The emergency warning system is one of the plan’s nine projects aimed at addressing the most important needs of the county within the next year. Those projects will be included in the 2025 budget presented to the County Council for approval in December. Funding for some of the projects was included in the current budget but haven’t been finished and will carry over into the 2025 budget.
In a letter included with the plan, Gannon said county officials have encountered challenges in completing desired projects.
“Although the recent high levels of inflation have tapered off to some degree, we still continue to experience market challenges of higher fuel costs and some continued supply chain disturbances,” he said. “We continue to see higher costs of materials and labor shortages, which has forced us to monitor cost projections. These conditions may also require us to modify timelines for projected completion dates and project start dates of certain items contained in the (Capital Improvement and Strategic Plan).”
The following are the nine projects expected to be funded in next year’s budget:
■ Outdoor warning installation for $3 million. The county is seeking grant funding to mitigate the cost. According to the plan, the system would be built to reach areas of greater than 2,000 residents per square mile in unincorporated parts of the county.
■ Phase 1 of Jefferson County Courthouse repairs for $315,000. The project includes window replacements, bathroom remodeling, door signage installation, elevator repairs, and ceiling and lighting replacement.
■ Phase 1 of Jefferson County Jail repairs and upgrades for $225,000. The project includes exterior power washing, sealing, tuckpointing, structural column repairs and elevator repairs.
■ Phase 2 of Justice Center repairs for $225,000. The project includes masonry sealing, tuckpointing, roof replacement and elevator repairs.
■ Animal Resource Center upgrades for $130,000. The project includes overhead lighting installation and building kennels on an existing concrete slab. According to the plan, the center needs more kennels because it is often at maximum holding capacity.
■ Office phone replacements for $300,000.
■ Vehicle fleet upgrades for the Sheriff’s Office for $835,000.
■ Parking lot lighting and security camera installations for the Office of Emergency Management for $75,000.
■ Conceptual plans and timelines for the new county courthouse and jail, with costs to be determined. According to the plan, a space needs assessment was completed in 2019.
Park projects
Highlighted in the plan are county parks projects to be completed from 2025 to 2029. The projects don’t have specific funding allocated for them but show what the county intends to do if the County Council approves funding. In total, the projects will cost an estimated $6,465,000.
Over five years, the county plans to install access control gates at various park entrances for a combined cost of $295,000. Earlier this month, the council agreed to spend $54,415 for an automated control gate to the entrance of Rockford Park in House Springs, which will be installed by the end of this year or in early 2025.
Three pavilions are in the works for various county parks for a combined cost of $380,000. The first to be installed will be a pavilion used to store county maintenance equipment at Kimmswick Park in 2025. The second will be a replacement for the 40-year-old pavilion at Pleasant Valley Nature Preserve in High Ridge, also scheduled for 2025. Finally, Morse Mill Park near Hillsboro will get a new pavilion in 2029.
Several park playgrounds will be upgraded in the coming years. The playground at the Big River Saddle Club in Dittmer will be removed and replaced for $150,000 in 2026. In the same year, the equipment at Pleasant Valley Nature Preserve will be replaced for $150,000. Both projects will be paid for with funding from the Jefferson Foundation Grant and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).
Other potential projects include:
■ Replacing a portion of Northwest Sports Complex skate park in House Springs in 2027 due to degrading concrete surface for $200,000.
■ Installing a sun shade over the playground at Northwest Sports Complex in 2027 for $180,000.
■ Installing turf soccer fields at Northwest Sports Complex in 2028 for $800,000 “to improve the use of the fields and eliminate 75 percent of maintenance costs and time spent managing the areas,” according to the plan.
■ Replacing the bridge at Beck Park in the Eureka area in 2029 for $1.5 million. The county anticipates replacing the bridge due to “safety and age issues,” according to the plan. The project costs will be shared with area landowners who use the bridge.
■ Acquiring property and developing athletic fields in Imperial or Barnhart in 2029 for $1 million to “improve park presence” in that area.
■ Installing a splash pad at the High Ridge Civic Center in High Ridge in 2029 for $300,000.