Tom Kvass of KGM Contractors urges St. Louis County to move stalled projects and use federal funds locally

Tom Kvass, owner of KGM Contractors, urged the St. Louis County board during the meeting's public-participation period to accelerate upcoming county projects that he said have not been let because of a "PLA conflict." "We're here today to kind of push a little bit on the upcoming projects for St. Louis County that haven't been let yet due to a PLA conflict," Kvass said.

Kvass said federal dollars are available to complete the outstanding projects and argued the county should find a way to secure those funds promptly so work and payroll remain local. "We want you to find a way to acquire the necessary federal dollars for the outstanding projects that are out there in a timely fashion," he said, adding that doing so would direct work to local contractors and union members.

Kvass described his perspective "both as an owner of a company, a taxpayer and an individual with family members that are in the trades." He said his firm employs approximately 175 people and pays prevailing wages, and that delays force the company to send employees out of county or out of state. "As taxpayers of the county, both for the county and our employees, we would like to see these federal dollars used locally at this time rather than other places in the state or in the country," he said.

Kvass also urged the board to consider the broader infrastructure consequences of postponing work. "Not doing these projects this season only puts the infrastructure further behind," he said. He closed by stressing timeliness: "Time is of the essence."

No county response or formal board action on the projects is recorded in the transcript of this public-participation segment; the remarks were made as part of the public-comment period rather than during a board vote or agenda item.

The public-participation period continued with other speakers after Kvass finished.