STE. GENEVIEVE – The Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen heard from Associate County Commissioner Mark Marberry concerning the possibility of bringing the tourist riverboats back to dock at Ste. Genevieve.
Marberry provided this written comment to the Sun Times News:
On October 09, 2025, I addressed the Ste. Genevieve City Board of Alderpersons during their regularly scheduled meeting about the effort to bring cruise ships to the city and county to increase tourism. These are prepared remarks to the city but not verbatim as I spoke to the city during the meeting.
I wanted to address the city on the matter of my attempt to bring riverboat cruise ships to Ste. Genevieve via docking at the New Bourbon Port. I realize that with the publicity in the press with this endeavor that I should actually report to the city leaders on a matter that would directly affect the city the most through the potential of additional tourism and tax revenues.
This will be a long process. It will certainly not happen this year or next year if all goes to plan at best. The first step of this process is already happening with the application to the United States Department of Transportation for a grant of $400,000 for a comprehensive feasibility study. If awarded the grant, the study is expected to take approximately a year to finish, a time period that I would think is a minimum and could take longer. The New Bourbon Port Authority Board approved this application process.
If awarded, the feasibility study would cover all aspects of transportation and shipping along with conditions at the port including barge traffic, multimodal, rail and any other potential uses along with cruise ships. The study would identify strengths and weaknesses of initiating all the previously mentioned and would possibly be converted to a strategic plan that would be presented to all parties interested in future port use.
Unfortunately, this application process and other issues that I am dealing with in this situation are on hold due to the federal government shutdown currently in place, but I have optimism that this will soon come to an end.
There actually has been a history of tourism from some of these boats in the past and the potential to leapfrog the process by a “reset” before any feasibility study is finished, but I plan on the longer scenario.
(The complete discussion may be viewed on the SteGenTV video of the meeting which is linked below)
In other business:
Interim City Administrator David Bova presented his report.
1. Concrete work on Parkwood and Oakwood was completed this week. Work on Brookdale and Pointe Basse continues this week and work will begin on Brentwood.
2. 9th Street is now complete.
3. Work on the cross streets in International Subdivision is tentatively scheduled to begin the week of October 20th.
4. We’ve received initial plans for the expansion of Crestlawn Cemetery and will be working with Taylor Engineering to finalize those and put them out to bid.
5. The auditors will begin their yearly review starting Monday, November 3rd, and will be here for the week.
6. Bid openings for the St. Mary’s sidewalk TAP grant will be next Thursday, October 16th.
7. MODOC Ferry received $88,000 in ferry assistance funds from MoDOT and were awarded a $100,000 Federal Transit 5311 grant – the city funds that were approved for the ferry to cover their April, May, & June bills were used as a part of the 5311 matching funds and helped them secure that grant.
8. Congratulations to Chief Steiger and his board and thanks to our board and the citizens of Ste. Genevieve for approving and establishing the Ste. Genevieve Fire District which began service on October 1, 2025.
Bova added some comments during the meeting:
The “bed” tax authorized by the state legislature, only affects the county. It doesn’t give the city the opportunity to raise its “bed” tax in the opinion of the city’s attorney.
He congratulated those who put in the years of work to create the Middle Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge.
Tourism Director Aaron Smith, who was recently named a “Rising Star” by the Missouri Division of Tourism, presented his report. (25:00 in the video linked below.)
Mark Marberry returned to the podium to present a report on the YMCA takeover of the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center (35:00 in the video linked below.)
The consent agenda was approved, including the following resolution:
Resolution 2026-01, Re-appointing June Ewing to the Ste. Genevieve Planning & Zoning Commission.
OLD BUSINESS
BILL NO. 4689: An ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter intо an agreement between the City of Ste. Genevieve and the Stе. Genevieve Community Access Television Board (CHANNEL 990/991) was given second round approval 8-0.
BILL NO. 4690. An ordinance of the City Of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri authorising a handicapped parking zone consisting of 50-feet on the Merchant Street side of the building at 10 South Main Street was given second round approval 8-0.
BILL NO. 4691. An ordinance providing for the issuance and collection of special tax bills and levying a special assessment against thе lots, tracts, and pieces of land for sidewalk improvements was given second round approval 8-0.
NEW BUSINESS.
BILL NO. 4692. An ordinance calling for the general election of officers of the city of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri to be held April 7, 2026 and providing notice to the general public received first round approval.
BILL NO. 4693. An ordinance authorizing the mayor to sign a one year amendment to the original order form with Placer Labs, Inc for visitor analytic data received first round approval. (Duiscussion at 41:00 of the video linked below).
OTHER BUSINESS.
MAYOR/BOARD OF ALDERMEN COMMUNICATION.
ADJOURNMENT.
WORK SESSION
1. Sewer back up appeals on Pointe Basse. An examination of the sewer line indicated a few issues. (50:00 in the video linked below).
2. Streets for Prop S repairs. (1:09 in the video linked below).
Bova told the aldermen the streets marked in red are being done, or are done. The streets in green would be completed next year. $2 million may be available next year. $493,000 may be available for water line work, which would be done before the streets are repaved. This would finish all scheduled street improvements with the exception of Rozier and South Gabouri, which would be completed the following year.
3. Real estate and personnel. (Held in closed session, not on video.)
Both meetings were shown live on the SteGenTV You Tube Channel and is now available at https://www.youtube.com/live/oDIrBKwFqG4?si=7S0pCiEOP7j5f7PV