I was just wondering ..... Is the GCCS (Gasconade County Courthouse Society) still "operational"? Does anyone happen to know what is or is not going on?
I paid my $10 membership fee and attended the first annual meeting of membership at the county courthouse on the evening August 10, 2009. Since that time I am not aware of any further public meetings of the GCCS. No meetings of the membership at large and no meetings of the board of directors .... at least none to my knowledge. But I could be misinformed.
What gives? Has the GCCS thrown in the towel? Has the GCCS given up on its once passionate and determined mission to renovate the existing courthouse building and build a county office annex? And if so, what is the reason?
I will be checking with the GCCS board members to see if anyone would like to make a statement on behalf of the GCCS for the record or would like to provide Hermann Hearsay an exclusive interview. I don't see anyone else pressing this issue, so Hermann Hearsay may as well ask a few probing questions!
For historical reference and perspective, I am reprinting hereinbelow the GCCS press release dated 8/25/2009.
Clark Kant
Editor In Chief
GCCS Press Release
from Sharon Meyer, GCCS Secretary
The Gasconade County Courthouse Society, (GCCS), held its first annual membership meeting on August 10. Jon Held, the acting chair, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with 46 people in attendance that included the Gasconade County Commissioners.
In his opening remarks, Jon Held spoke about the reasons the GCCS was formed by concerned citizens on April 23, 2008 and reiterated the purpose and mission as stated in the By-Laws, which is to acquire monies to restore, retain, preserve, and expand the facilities of the Gasconade County Courthouse in Hermann, Mo., as the county seat in order to meet the current and future needs of county government.
Jon Held recognized Joe Roetheli, who drove in from Kansas City to attend the meeting. Jon recapped how Joe’s extraordinary donation was a huge spark for the Society that gave us the ability to purchase the four lots adjacent to the courthouse, which are critical in achieving our purpose. Jon explained that the four lots held by the GCCS cannot be sold by anyone and must be used for the courthouse by 2012 or they revert back to Mr. Roetheli. Jon then reminded those in attendance that the only body that can make official decisions regarding county property is the County Commission. Jon recognized the Commissioners.
Jon then laid out the challenges for the Society as developing a plan which the citizens support, securing six to eight million in funding, and most importantly working together as a county to accomplish the goal. Then the meeting turned to the agenda items, which included the election of the Board of Directors. Jon explained that the By-Laws had recently been revised so that the Board was increased to thirteen members and includes a representative from each of the County’s nine townships and four members at large. Jon thanked the nominating committee, Muriel Brison, Debbie Weingarth, and Sam Bennett for their work and reported they had volunteers wishing to serve in all but four of the townships. Jon then took nominations from the floor and the GCCS voted on the nominees by ballot. Jon Held is in the process of contacting all of those that were nominated and elected to serve on the GCCS Board of Directors. Out of respect for the nominees, the GCCS will announce the names as soon as everyone has confirmed they will serve.
As Roger Prior, the former County Clerk, and Jon were counting the ballots; Joe Roetheli spoke to the group about the unique treasure the courthouse is for Gasconade County. Joe also remarked that out of over 1,300 counties in the United States, the Gasconade County Courthouse appears to be the only one built entirely with private funds. This demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit upon which our great country was built. And, this alone makes the Courthouse worth saving. Jon interjected that one other county in Wisconsin was built with private funds. Joe then asked the group to do the math and stated .15% of county courthouses were paid for with private funds. He asked if the citizens realized what a rarity this is and how he would love to find that in a business. Joe stated that this unique fact warrants the protection and restoration of the Courthouse.
During the meeting, the members took care of general items of business. At the end of the meeting, Sharon Meyer, the secretary reported that 27 memberships had been paid for during the evening and $1300 had been collected in dues. Jon Held and Sharon reminded those present to contact their family and friends about becoming members.
Annual membership in the organization is $10 for individuals and $15 for families. Additional information is available at http://www.gccourthouse.com/
The Gasconade County Courthouse Society encourages everyone to join and assist in such a worthy purpose. Together we can succeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment