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Brian Garms, Training and Quality Assurance Officer for the St. Charles County Emergency Communications Department, was selected for the 2020 Trainer of the Year Award by NICE Public Safety.

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Meeting and getting to know the residents of the St. Charles Hills neighborhood – and having a little fun – was on the agenda for the St. Charles County Police Department’s first Walk and Talk in September.

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The wait is finally over! St. Charles County’s newest event venue, the Landhaus at The Park at New Melle Lakes, will be available to reserve beginning Monday, Oct. 5.

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Avoiding a dual pandemic with two contagious respiratory illnesses — COVID-19 and influenza (the flu) — is top of mind for health care workers across the country.

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COVID-19 not only has had an effect on human lives, but on our four-legged friends as well. At the St. Charles County Pet Adoption Center in St. Peters, making adjustments for the pandemic has resulted in some positive news.

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I  was a history teacher in a former life, and mathematics and statistics have never been my strong point. But I do know one thing about comparing data: you have to compare apples to apples. Most news outlets are not doing that when it comes to comparing the impact of COVID-19.

There are a lot of numbers to crunch – positive cases, deaths, ages, zip codes, and so on. One thing people seem to be leaving out of the equation when comparing COVID cases is the population of the jurisdiction within our region. A recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Sept. 14, 2020) reported a rise in COVID-19 cases by comparing the actual numbers of cases and indicated that total daily cases in St. Louis City were declining, while daily cases in outlying counties, including St. Charles County were increasing. It’s not that simple.

What we should all be looking at is the percentage of the population in any jurisdiction that has been infected: cases per capita. According to 2020 estimates based on United States Census data, St. Charles County has a population of 407,056; St. Louis City, 292,782; St. Louis County, 997,539; and St. Clair County, IL, 258,325. When the Post-Dispatch article ran, 1.64 percent of the St. Charles County population had been diagnosed with COVID-19; compared to 2.19 percent in St. Louis County; 2.30 percent in St. Louis City; and 2.56 percent in St. Clair County, Illinois. 

Because the number of people living in each jurisdiction isn’t the same, you aren’t comparing apples to apples if you compare number of cases across the board. St. Charles County has nearly 115,000 more residents than the City of St. Louis, and nearly 600,000 less than St. Louis County. We can also compare our percentages locally to state and national percentages. St. Charles County is doing far better than the nation as a whole, while St. Louis City and St. Louis County are higher. We are nearly identical to statewide percentages, while we are not doing as well as the more rural counties of Jefferson, Lincoln, Warren and Franklin counties. 

While every death is a tragedy, our county is fairing comparatively well with this pandemic. Our Department of Public Health employees have been working non-stop to keep up with the pace of investigating, contact tracing, testing, quarantining, isolating and educating. It’s a tremendous task and I am proud of their dedication and diligence. 

One of the ironies of the pandemic is that some in the media have been asking why the jurisdictions with the lowest percentage of cases – Franklin, Jefferson and St. Charles County – don’t adopt a mask mandate like the two jurisdictions – St. Louis City and St. Louis County – that have the highest. I have not questioned the need for such mandates where the cases are significantly higher than the state and national average.  

My other reason for reluctance to a mask mandate is the inability to enforce it. Our health department is overworked already with contact tracing. Our police have put in over 2,000 hours of overtime dealing with protests. We do not have the manpower to send someone down to the hardware store to cite someone for not wearing a mask. Secondly, when The New York Times published a map in July showing the percentage of people wearing a mask in our region, there was little correlation with whether a mandate was in place.  

Along with our Public Health Department experts, I continue to watch our data closely and continue to work hard to educate everyone on the benefits to others of wearing a mask. I appreciate and thank our residents, businesses and schools for encouraging the important, precautionary measures we have communicated: social distancing, avoiding crowds, washing hands, and wearing a mask. I continue to have faith that we will keep our numbers down if we exercise these precautions and care about each other. 

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I think we could all use some good news in a year of bad news, so this month I’d like to share the latest about St. Charles County’s continued growth. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges and changes it presents, our economy remains strong.

The U.S. Census estimated population for the county is now over 400,000. St. Charles County continues to be Missouri’s fastest growing county by population growth.

St. Charles County is setting a 3-year record for single family housing permits, with O’Fallon, St. Charles and Wentzville in the lead. Multi-family housing unit numbers continue to remain strong. Additionally, 31 commercial building permits were issued as of August 2020, a 35 percent increase over August 2019.

Although unemployment spiked during the height of the pandemic, St. Charles County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area at 5.7 percent for August 2020. As you can see in the chart below, it is also below Missouri and the U.S. Amazon is officially the largest employer in St. Charles County, with 5,400 full-time employees at its St. Peters Fulfillment Center. FedEx recently opened its 491,000-square foot facility along the Highway 370 Logistics Corridor and plans to fill 1,200 jobs.

St. Charles County Parks have had record-breaking attendance in 2020, reaching 3 million visitors at the end of August, and in July topped the previous record high set last year at 2.5 million. Parks staff have continuously worked to provide safe, clean and open spaces to help residents feel relief from the pandemic.

St. Charles Community College opened its new agriculture and food science building in August after a $2.8 million renovation of the former gymnasium at their Dardenne Prairie campus. The building will house future programs in culinary arts, brewing science and nutrition, and will be used along with surrounding fields for crop research and development.

Several major mixed-use destination developments are underway around the community, including RiverPointe in St. Charles, Streets of Caledonia in O’Fallon, and Wentzville Bend in Wentzville.

For the fifth time, the City of St. Peters was named to Money Magazine’s 2020 List of Best Places to Live in America. It is ranked 13th in the nation and is the only Missouri city recognized this year.

And it looks like the good news is set to continue into next year: The EDC of St. Charles County is preparing for 2021 to be a major growth year with more residents moving here and continued business growth, especially in manufacturing and logistics.

I’d like to extend a special thank you to the EDC and the St. Charles County Community Development Department for providing the charts and information in this article.

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Pet fostering creates better outcomes for animal adoptions. To further help St. Charles County animals, the Pet Adoption Center seeks additional foster volunteers.

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Attention trail enthusiasts and anyone who wants to make a mark on a St. Charles County park! The Parks Department is looking for volunteers of all ages to assist with fall and winter Trail Work Days at three County parks. These volunteer events are

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Road reconstruction and realignment with some minor drainage improvements.

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Learn more about the various special event rental facilities in St. Charles County Parks.

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St. Charles County Parks have perfect venues to say “I Do!” Learn more about our wedding venues.

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What is sure to be
St. Charles County’s most sought after scenic venue, the Landhaus at The Park at New Melle Lakes, is opening in October and waiting for your reservation! Whether you are a newly engaged couple looking for a wedding or reception venue,

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If you have a passion for the outdoors, are 16 years of age or older, and want to acquire the skills and knowledge to thrive in the natural environment, “Survive the Wild: Practical Application of Bushcraft” is the challenge for you! Join the St. Charles

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The St. Charles County Highway Department is hosting an Informational Virtual Open House on proposed intersection and traffic flow improvements at Central School and St. Peters-Howell roads.

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The St. Charles County Highway Department is hosting an Informational Virtual Open House on proposed intersection and traffic flow improvements at Central School and St. Peters-Howell roads.

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Project information for Highway construction improvements at Central School and St. Peters-Howell roads

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St. Charles County’s free mask distribution program to help stop the spread of COVID-19 continues Sept. 19 with another “Mask Up Pick-Up” event for county residents.

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St. Charles County’s free mask distribution program to help stop the spread of COVID-19 continues this Saturday with another “Mask Up Pick-Up” event for county residents.

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Watch the Planning & Zoning Commission meetings live on YouTube.

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St. Charles County Public Health is joining with area organizations to distribute 800 flu vaccinations during a free, drive-through clinic at St. Charles Community College.

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Despite limiting program participants and postponing some events because of the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Charles County Parks already has had a record year for attendance. The County’s 17 parks surpassed the 3 million mark at the end of August, and in July

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Get spooked or enjoy some not-so-scary family-friendly fun with the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department this Halloween season. All ages are welcome to participate in spooktacular weekend events in St. Charles County Parks during the month

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To protect residents against influenza, the St. Charles County Dept of Public Health is joining with area organizations to distribute free flu vaccinations at a drive-through clinic on Oct. 7 at St. Charles Community College.

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