County Hears Opposition To Potential Spot For Coroner

Crawford County commissioners heard only opposition to the potential purchase of a property on Mapleshade Lane in Cuba on Wednesday that would serve as the facility for incoming coroner Darren Dake.

The commission was only considering the purchase from Woodrow and Debbie Martin, who reportedly offered a bargain price.

However, the property is located in a residential area and the residents there were adamantly opposed to it.

Nancy Montgomery spoke for the residents. 

She said she contacted the city of Cuba, planning and zoning and variance committee and received assurances that the county would not receive a variance.

“The county cannot override the city,” Montgomery told the commissioners, adding that they needed to look elsewhere, preferably Steelville, which is the county seat. 

Montgomery also told the commission to look at a property that was offered by the city of Cuba in October 2019, located in the industrial park.

Weeks after that meeting, the commission tabled the issue and backed off the idea of building a new facility following negative feedback from county residents.

However, the commission is now actively searching for a solution for reasons laid out by Dake on Tuesday.

Dake, who currently serves as deputy coroner, said he understood that residents were opposed to that property and that he had no problems, but that the coroner’s office currently uses four different locations for all its equipment, including storage for cadavers. 

Coroner Paul Hutson has allowed the county to use his funeral home facilities for more than 20 years, but now that he’s retiring, a replacement option must be secured.

Dake pointed out that 74% of calls for the coroner come from north of the Meramec River. 

“It makes sense to be in Cuba,” Dake said. 

He also added that the coroner’s office already uses Cuba to perform some of its functions.

“We’re not moving to Cuba; we’re already in Cuba,” he said.

District 2 Commissioner Jared Boast said the county promised voters as part of its April 2018 sales tax increase that funds would be used to construct a new coroner facility.

“We promised taxpayers we would build a facility,” Boast said, noting that COVID-19 has impacted the timeline.

Montgomery said the county never specified between a coroner facility and a morgue.

“You misled us,” she said. “There’s a huge difference.”

Dake pointed out that a morgue is a critical part of a coroner facility. Bodies must be stored for medical examinations.

He also pointed out that neighboring counties are constructing similar facilities. 

Presiding Commissioner Leo Sanders said the county has looked for temporary solutions, including the use of Rolla Crematoriums for storage. Sanders said the cost would be $85 for every day of storage.

Montgomery asked why the county couldn’t just use that instead of building a new $200,000 facility.

Dake and Hutson argued that the transport of bodies to and from Rolla would add more costs and more time to the coroner’s job.

Montgomery was not sympathetic.

“Do your and stop complaining about your pay,” she said. “You chose to do this.”

Annalee Williams addressed commissioners and criticized them for what she believed was squandered time.

Williams said that a residential area was not suitable for a coroner facility and that it belonged in a commercial zone. 

But Williams said the county needed to make a decision.

“You need to make a decision and fast before you have no place for the bodies,” she said. “You’ve wasted six weeks.”

Williams departed from the meeting, which was held in the courtroom to accommodate the larger crowd. After she left, Boast said the commission has been working on finding a facility.

Regarding property in the industrial park, Boast said language in the contract shows they are explicitly forbidden from building in that area.

“We’ve gone back and forth on this (issue) for months,” he said.