Bock closes Cape County Commission's year at final meeting

With few items on the agenda for Monday, Cape Girardeau County Commission met briefly.

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones asked 1st District Commissioner Larry Bock, who retires this week, to lead the meeting.

The commissioner went on to review checks totaling $773,481.89, taxes paid by Procter & Gamble for its local facilities, the final invoice for the $197,369 bridge on county road 274 and accept a study by Strickland Engineering on fixing the county jail's heating and cooling system at an estimated cost of $131,000.

The only action items on the agenda included a request by Jones to record the commission's commendation to Bock in the weekly minutes. The board, including 2nd District Commissioner Jay Purcell, approved that measure as well as commendations for volunteer firefighters.

The firefighters are commended annually. This year's honorees are Andy Renner, Bill Doan, Billy Castile, Chris Bruce, Chris Grebe, David Amelunke, Dean Riley, Dennis Koebrel, Jeremy Laurentius, Jim Sander, Ken Sauerbrunn, Marty Schuessler, Mary Loos, Paul Westrich, Pete Hashley, Ralph Birk, Randy Moore, Richard Lyke, Tyson Medlock, Tom Krydynski, Terry Lufcy, Stephen Limbaugh, Robert Loos and Ron Francis.

Though not listed on the the meeting agenda posted Friday, the commissioners agreed to reappoint Purcell and Mike Jennewein of Procter & Gamble to the Magnet board for one-year terms starting Thursday.

After the meeting, Bock left the commissioner chambers for more than an hour before returning alone to clear the space he has occupied in the chambers for more than a decade.

He returned several boxes of paper clips, tossed out a stack of old documents, including copies of budgets from years gone by. He chuckled after pulling out a small plastic bank, a replica of a portable toilet. He recalled the day he put it on the commissioners' shared counter and suggested that Jones deposit change into the toy whenever he swore during a meeting.

"That didn't go over very well," Bock said, grimacing slightly.

Bock said he plans to be present to witness the swearing-in ceremony set for county officials elected to office last month at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the county administration building, which will include his replacement, Paul Koeper. Bock said he and Koeper will meet today to talk about projects and duties.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

388-3646