Under Construction: New EOC, PD Renovations Improve Safety, Response, Efficiency

St. Charles County is the third largest and one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri. Keeping our residents, business owners and visitors safe is a top priority. We continuously monitor and improve services so that we are prepared to respond to any level of emergency, and work to provide the best public safety services possible.
 
To that end, two important construction projects are underway in the county: a new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and renovations to the St. Charles County Police Department. Both are located in O’Fallon, off of Tom Ginnever Avenue.

The new EOC (rendering pictured above) will bring all of the County’s emergency communications functions together, including the Department of Emergency Communications (police/fire/EMS dispatch) as well as the Division of Emergency Management. This will allow for a more coordinated and efficient response during an emergency. The hardened structure will withstand an EF-4 tornado, protecting the services and investment in the equipment and infrastructure housed in the facility and allowing operations to continue during a crisis situation. The new EOC is funded with revenue from the ¼-cent sales tax for capital improvements. The facility is located behind the County Police Department and is expected to be complete by August 2018. Watch monthly time lapse videos of the progress on SCCMO-TV's YouTube channel!

Renovations to the County Police Department are expected to be complete by the end of October 2017. This project includes:

• Addition of evidence storage for the Forensic Services Division of the County Police Department as well as surrounding agencies. Evidence can be disposed only when a case is complete and sentences have been served, and there are some types of evidence that have to be kept indefinitely. The continuing growth of the county necessitated this expansion.
  
  
• Adding new officer briefing, media briefing and training rooms. As training requirements for police officers have increased, creating an environment to host regional and national training is a cost-effective measure. Taxpayer dollars are saved on registration and travel by hosting, and more police staff will have the opportunity to engage in advanced training opportunities to better serve the public.

Stay tuned to the Police website, Facebook and Twitter pages for news about a public open house!

In the Know...

Have Questions About Assessments and Taxes?

There often is confusion about the roles of the assessor and collector, and how taxes work in general. If you’d like to know more about this topic, make plans to attend the November #SCCMore Speaker Series where County Assessor Scott Shipman and County Collector of Revenue Michelle McBride will team up for a timely and informative discussion about the assessment and tax process. Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions during and after the presentation.  

The #SCCMore Speaker Series is designed to help residents learn about programs and services provided by St. Charles County Government, and to hear more about what the County has to offer. Speakers for the bi-monthly series are St. Charles County elected officials and staff, who address topics of interest to residents. All programs are free to the public and held from 7-8:30 p.m., at various libraries in the St. Charles City-County Library District. 

Visit the #SCCMore Speaker Series webpage for further information and to register!

GIS Mapping is Now Mobile

The County’s free online Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping Service has been available for residents and businesses in St. Charles County since 2012. The site is used in a variety of ways – by real estate agents and companies looking for assessment and parcel data, by new residents who want to understand various districts and boundaries in their new community, and by others just curious to see what the site is all about!
 
To better equip our users with the data they need, the St. Charles County Information Systems Department recently redesigned the online service to make it easier to use. And now, it’s mobile-friendly!
 
Users can view:

• County and municipal boundaries and jurisdictions, roads and other thoroughfares.
  
  
• Assessment and parcel data, as well as Google Street Views.
  
  
• Voting districts, County Council districts, boundaries for school districts and utility service providers, zoning information, park trails, physical features and topography, and more.

The mobile site works across all platforms and internet browsers, and features the same tools as the desktop version. The geo-location feature is the only new tool specific to mobile devices. Watch a video on SCCMO-TV and learn more about the service.
 
To view the site on desktop or mobile, visit map.sccmo.org. For questions or suggestions for improvement, contact GIS Services.

Historic Daniel Boone Home Featured on New Podcast

More people across the country now know about The Historic Daniel Boone Home and what it has to offer thanks to local comedian Greg Warren! St. Charles County Parks' very own Historic Daniel Boone Home was the first visit for his new Trip to the Lou podcast! On each episode, Warren and three friends take a trip to a St. Louis attraction and talk about it back in their studio. They had a great time with Boone Home staff as they toured the home, explored the grounds and interacted with Lead Interpreter and Tour Guide William Ray. Subscribe to the podcast and listen to it online – it is getting five-star reviews!

On the Move...

$48 Million in Road Projects Approved for St. Charles County

Watch SCCMO-TV's News Update

As the population of St. Charles County continues to grow, transportation infrastructure remains a top priority for County Executive Steve Ehlmann. A growing population means more demands on our roads and investing in projects that create safer thoroughfares and allow traffic to move efficiently as possible is a win-win for residents and businesses. 

A member of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWGCG) Board of Directors, Ehlmann voted in favor of funding $48 million for St. Charles County transportation improvement projects over the next three years. The money comes from federal, state and local dollars; $20 million for operations and safety, $19 million for preservation and maintenance, and $9 million for improving congestion.
 
Key projects include:

• Route 61 at Route P and Peine Road: Construction has begun on a $10.9 million project to remove the Route P and Peine Road crossovers and replace them with a new interchange serving both roads. This project is scheduled to be completed in late 2018. 
  
  
• Route W from I-70 to Highway 61: Shoulder and safety improvements will take place in 2018 for this 5.7-mile stretch of Route W. Cost is approximately $2.8 million. 
  
  
• Missouri Route 364 and Gutermuth: A new interchange to reduce congestion is slated for construction in 2020. Cost of the project is estimated at $9 million. 
  
  
• Route N at Route Z: “Drivers who sit in traffic at the intersection of Routes N and Z will be pleased to know that improvements are on the way,” Ehlmann says. More than $2 million has been allotted for construction, which will begin in 2021.
  
  
• Pitman Hill Road to New County Park: Construction will begin in 2019 for an extended multi-use path accessible from Mid Rivers Mall Drive that will provide easy access for pedestrians to the new County park between Pitman Hill and Kisker Roads. The path project is estimated at $740,000.

Why Do YOU Choose St. Charles County? 

Does anyone ever ask you why you choose to live, work, play or do business in St. Charles County? If so, what do you say? Everyone has their own reasons, but we want to give you a few more.
 
Not only do we continue to be the fastest growing county in Missouri by population, but for two decades, we consistently have had the lowest unemployment rates in the metro St. Louis area.
 
In the last few weeks alone, local and national companies have announced the expansion of their St. Charles County facilities. Seyer Industries, Nike, and True Manufacturing will add a combined 350,000 square feet of space to their existing county locations in the coming years. This comes on the heels of an $82.3 million investment by GM in Wentzville for new materials/equipment and environmental/facility improvements in 2016, and a $40 million investment early this year for plant improvements.
 
Those expansions are part of a wave of economic growth. Here are more reasons to choose St. Charles County:

• St. Peters and O’Fallon have been named as two of the Best Places to Live 2017 by Money magazine. St. Charles County was the only Missouri county—and one of just four counties nationwide—to have two cities rank in the top 50.
  
  
• O’Fallon, Wentzville, Lake Saint Louis, St. Peters, and St. Charles were named to the “100 Safest Cities in America 2017” list by the National Council of Home Safety and Security.
  
  
• Both O’Fallon and St. Charles were included in the list of top 10 Best Small Cities to Raise a Family by SmartAsset.
  
  
• Seven businesses in St. Charles County were included on the Inc. magazine list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S.: Worth Clark Realty (property management), J. Bloom (jewelry design and distribution), BoardPaq (paperless meeting solutions), Tactical Sh*t (retail), Pacifica Consulting Services (IT), MTM (logistics and transportation) and CarShield (insurance).
  
  
• BoardPaq and Worth Clark Realty were featured on the St. Louis Business Journal’s list of 25 fastest growing privately held companies in the St. Louis region.
  
  
• The Wentzville Logistics Center, constructed by the city to support the nearby General Motors Corporation assembly plant, was one of seven facilities in the St. Louis area to receive a St. Louis Building Award from the St. Louis Business Journal. Structures and facilities were chosen that are “changing the face” of the region.

“St. Charles County continues to lead the region, state and nation in areas that are important to residents and businesses,” says St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. “Our municipalities are leaders individually, and as a whole. Together, we have a vibrant economy that can attract large, global businesses like Nike, MasterCard, General Motors, Boeing and Citi, while providing award-winning schools, family-focused and nationally recognized communities, exceptional health care, and outstanding parks and trail systems."
 
There’s so much more to explore in St. Charles County. Visit sccmo.org or any one of our municipality websites for more information, events and services.

On SCCMO-TV...

Click on the images below, or visit the SCCMO-TV YouTube channel or tv.sccmo.org, to watch recent County Council meetings, hear the latest local news and happenings on County Buzz and see what's happening in County Parks on Active by Nature! 

Safety First: Tips for Medication Disposal

Medications are harmful to people, animals and the environment when not used or handled properly. Non-medical use of prescription drugs ranks second to marijuana as the most common form of drug abuse in the U.S. 

To dispose of your medications for free, visit a drop-off location near you. The St. Charles County Police Department also has a kiosk that will be available again 24/7 after renovations are completed. Visit the County Police website, Facebook and Twitter pages for updates and more information - including details about National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 28.

Before dropping off unused or unwanted medications: 

1. Keep the medication in its original container.
2. Remove or blacken out all personal information, but leave the name and dosage of the medication visible.
3. Place the medication in the disposal kiosk and ensure that the container is closed properly.

#SCCMOThrowback

1921: Daughters of the American Revolution dedicate a memorial in front of the former office of the first two Spanish commandants in St. Charles: Louis Blanchette and Charles Tayon.

Photo courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more St. Charles County history and pictures during #ThrowbackThursday!

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