County Awaiting MRPC On ARPA Award

Crawford County commissioners are waiting on clarification from the Meramec Regional Planning Commission on whether to go forward on approximately $42,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to Practical POCUS.

Practical POCUS was one of the recipients of the county’s $2.3 million awards during the first round of funding.

The commission last year awarded around $540,000 to the company, which provides point-of-care ultrasound.

The money was awarded for a building remodel and training.

During the Oct. 25 commission meeting, Mark Neuman, director of Practical POCUS, made a request for final payment.

District 2 Commissioner Jared Boast motioned to pay the company $91,000 for its building remodel and $120,660 for training.

Presiding Commissioner Leo Sanders and District 1 Commissioner Rob Cummings voted yes.

The commission went into recess and when they reconvened, Boast rescinded the motion and provided a new one: $91,000 for the remodel and $78,000 for training costs.

The commission was unanimous in support.

Boast told the Independent News that they are waiting for MRPC to clarify before going forward with the additional money for training.

Treasurer Karen Sikes told Boast during the Nov. 15 meeting that she had written down the commission was awarding Practical POCUS around $540,000.

Boast told Sikes he would wait for MRPC.

The commission made ARPA awards to each of the three municipalities in Crawford County, along with the village of Leasburg, Missouri Baptist Sullivan Hospital, the Bourbon Fire Protection District and All Aboard Learning Center in Cuba.

The cities of Bourbon, Cuba, Steelville and Missouri Baptist all received around $300,000.

Bourbon used its ARPA award as part of its investment in the new UV disinfectant system at the wastewater treatment plant.

Cuba and Steelville also used money for public works projects.

Leasburg was awarded $360,00 for rehabbing its water storage tank.

Bourbon Fire received $108,000 for 20 self-contained breath apparatuses.

All Aboard received $60,000 to expand its staff.

Missouri Baptist used the money for a three-year project that will try to educated the public on how to better use hospital resources.

The commission has credited Practical POCUS for the county receiving ARPA funds. 

The county has said it would not have applied for funding had Practical POCUS not encouraged them.