County Commission Discusses Waterpark, Welcome Sign, Christmas Lights

Christmas lights, a welcome sign and waterpark retainage fees were all addressed at the Ste. Genevieve County Commission meeting on November 21.

The County Commission voted to pay the remaining 5 percent owed to the contractors and sub-contractors who had completed all of their work on the River Rapids Waterpark. Five percent had been held back, prior to completion of all work, a standard building practice.

Presiding Commissioner Garry Nelson had previously expressed disappointment that only 11 of 46 items on a final “punch list” of things to be completed at the waterpark had been completed by mid-November.

“It’s only right we go ahead and pay the retainage for the ones who have completed their work,” Nelson said last Thursday. “We can release enough to pay the ones who have completed their jobs.”

Nelson said many of the contractors and sub-contractors have “kicked in gear” since his complaints appeared in the Herald and more of the list is being checked off.

The commission also voted to allow the Rotary Club to place a “Welcome to Ste. Genevieve” sign on Highway 32 next to the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center.

Brad Arnold, community center executive director, and Brian Keim of the Rotary Club showed plans for the sign to the commissioners.

The sign will include a 2-foot-by-3-foot brick column and will have an overall height of 63 inches. The side facing town will tell drivers leaving the city, “We hope to see you soon!”

The commissioners also discussed decorating county buildings for Christmas with Annette Rolfe, leader of the Holiday Christmas Festival Committee. Rolfe showed them on photos of the courthouse, old jail and Chamber of Commerce building how the shapes of the building would be outlined with Christmas lights.

Rolfe said she had initially hoped to have each window of the county buildings outlined with lights, but realized that would not be practical.

She hopes Gary Roth, the city’s field operations supervisor, may be able to hang them.

Nelson said he had no problem with Rolfe’s idea.

See complete story in the November 27 edition of the Herald.