Commissioners OK hire of fire training center facility manager

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners approved the hiring of a facility manager for the Chief Bob Adrian Regional Fire Training Center during a June 17 meeting.

Tahlequah Fire Chief Casey Baker spoke on behalf of the Fire Department Tax Advisory Board and he said the facility can be reserved by various departments that are conducting trainings or other fire related business.

"People come in and do their training, making sure they have the right equipment and different things. Overtime, the facility has grown as far as more training, deliveries there and the tax board thought to try to hire an independent contractor to come in just to facilitate those things," Baker said.

He added that the person the board had in mind was retired Tulsa Firefighter Mitch Parnell.

"It's someone who is not affiliated with the departments, that's one of the things we wanted to try to keep from happening," Baker said.

The board gave its nod to a contract between Woodall Public School and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office for a school resource officer.

"This is a renewal of our contract with Woodall school for a school resource deputy. The only thing that changed is the salary, that's gone up but [Andy Williams, with the District Attorneys Office] looked it over and made his approval," Sheriff Jason Chennault said.

In other business, the board approved a bid to purchase a used 2020 backhoe in the amount of $64,175.

Several resolutions for road machinery and equipment lease renewals were approved by the board.

All claims, purchase orders, blanket purchase orders, appropriations, and transfers were approved.

What's next

The next Board of Cherokee County Commissioners meeting is slated for Monday, July 1, at 9 a.m., at the Cherokee County Courthouse.