By Chris OrletManaging Editor Now that 2014 has arrived, local leaders are beginning to focus on various projects they hope will improve services for residents in the coming year.Warren CountyCounty officials have a lot on their plates for the coming year. Topping that list is a plan to improve county bridges.“We are looking at replacing at least two deficient bridges,” said presiding commissioner Arden Engelage. “The funding is in place, we are just looking at securing the easements and rights of way.”Another goal is to lay six miles of new blacktop road. The commissioners would not say which bridges would be replaced and where the new blacktop would go.The county is also working with the Missouri Department of Transportation on 10 to 15 asphalt aprons. “Our goal is to have all these approaches taken care of in the coming years,” Engelage said.Erik Maninga, MoDOT’s area engineer for Lincoln, Montgomery and Warren counties, said over the last couple years, MoDOT and the county have worked together to add aprons where county roads meet state roads. “MoDOT has been paying for the material and the county has been conducting the work. Some of these are located along Route 94,” he said.Engelage said video will debut in Warren County courtrooms this year. Last year the 12th Judicial Circuit received a grant from the Office of State Courts Administrator to purchase state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment.According to presiding judge Wesley Dalton, video hearings can save thousands of dollars in deputy time, gas and wear and tear on vehicles, and it is safer because police do not have to transfer criminals as often or as far. Video conferencing also can speed up the judicial process by increasing the number of cases a judge can hear in a day.In addition, the county will complete the remodeling of the prosecuting attorneys offices in the courthouse.WarrentonWastewater projects are on the top of the agenda for the city of Warrenton in 2014, according to Mayor Jerry Dyer.Dyer said the city will upgrade aging sewer lines and its lift stations. “We will probably do a bond issue to pay for it,” he said.The city will also upgrade Hickory Lick Road. “We have appropriated money for it, now we are just waiting for the engineering. Upgrades will include curb, guttering and sidewalks, he explained.Wright CityMayor David Heiliger said a main focus of his administration this coming year will be beautifying the Interstate 70 corridor.“We want to clean it up and make it look nicer,” he said. Heiliger said he is hoping to work with MoDOT to find a way to give a facelift to the I-70 overpasses. This would include landscaping. “We want to make it more appealing when you drive up to it.”Heiliger also said the city has several road projects on its agenda.InnsbrookAccording to Innsbrook City Administrator Chris McCormick, the village’s major project for 2014 includes working with MoDOT on phase one of the Highway F shoulder project.The project will add 4-foot wide aggregate shoulders on Highway F from the intersection of Highways F and M going south for 1.6 miles. The remaining 1.1 miles of Highway F in the village is slated for phase two.“The Highway F shoulder project is presently undergoing the bidding process and the board of trustees is hopeful that the bids will be within budget so that they can award the bid on Feb. 12,” said McCormick.Funding for the project will come from the village’s Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Fund which is comprised of tax money that can only be used for transportation-related matters. McCormick said residents will not see a tax increase. “The goal is to make Highway F a safer road to travel,” she said.MarthasvilleMarthasville Mayor Jason Schantz said city officials are looking forward to finishing the city’s first comprehensive plan.Schantz said the “citizen-driven project” will give officials a road map of where the community would like to see the city go in coming years.“This will allow us to conduct short, mid and long range planning and budgeting, which should result in cost savings to the taxpayer, a more responsive city hall, and continued, visible progress,” he said.As for specific projects, the city will complete a project to modify and upgrade its wastewater treatment. “This will help us ensure compliance with clean water regulations, as well as providing for long-term capacity,” he added.The city also plans to complete construction of new public restrooms in city park. Schantz said that project is due to the generosity and efforts of the Marthasville Area Chamber of Commerce.The mayor said the city additionally will continue recent progress on maintenance projects with streets, water and sewer. “My hope is residents will be able to look back on 2014 with pride in their city and a sense of accomplishment,” he said.TruesdaleTruesdale Mayor Murray Bruer said his administration has two big projects on tap this year. Both are intended to attract businesses and new residents to the city.“Our demolition grant came through so our focus will be on making the city look nice,” he said.Bruer said the city has five or six structures it plans to demolish in the spring. “We are in the middle of a study now to see if there are any problems with the properties, like asbestos,” he said.The second is a street project. “We’ve started the engineering,” he said. “So the first phase will begin in the spring.” The first phase involves North Depot Street and Market Street. A second phase, which Bruer says will hopefully begin next year, will take up Smith and Water streets.The work will standardize the width of the streets and add storm drainage and concrete gutters.“We want to get ourselves recognized as a progressive town,” Bruer said.Area Officials Make Plans for New Year