County turns down District Nine request

Donley County Commissioners this week made a final determination on a repeated request by the District Nine Volunteer Fire Department to be recognized and dispatched for fires in the northwestern part of the county.

County Judge John Howard said District Nine volunteers first approached commissioners in August of 2019 about having a designated service area and to be dispatched by 911 to respond to incidents in that area. County officials, however, had questions about the department’s equipment and their ability to respond.

Howard said the county did eventually designate a service area for District Nine, north of Howardwick, so that the department could apply for a grant, which he says they did not get.

“That area is already covered by the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department as well as by mutual aid agreements with Groom and McLean,” Howard said. “The City of Howardwick Volunteer Fire Department covers that municipal area and a little bit outside of it as well, and Clarendon is dispatched to assist them.”

District Nine again approached the county last month requesting to be dispatched to its service area, but the commissioners’ court tabled the issue.

This week, Howard said District Nine’s representative did not satisfactorily answer questions about the department in terms of water supply, power, funding, and insurance. That led commissioners to unanimously vote not to dispatch fire calls to the District Nine department and to not reconsider the request, the judge said.

“We are very appreciative of volunteer firefighters, people who stand in the breech to protect the lives and property of others,” Howard told the Enterprise. “But we also have to think of the county’s potential liability in this case.”

In other county business, commissioners tabled a request from the Smiley Johnson Municipal Airport Board for financial support, approved travel for training requests from the County Attorney and Precinct 3&4 Justice of the Peace, and approved tax deeds for the City of Howardwick.

Commissioners discussed a proposal to replace aging hot water heaters in the Courthouse but took no action pending further proposals.

The court also discussed soliciting bids to repair paint, plaster, and woodwork damaged by a water leak earlier this year.
Judge Howard said a dehumidifier has been reinstalled in the vault of his office and has pulled out about 70 gallons of water in the last week. Restoration will likely not proceed until more moisture is pulled from the 1890 building. The county will then seek a general contractor to oversee repairs to the building.

Representatives of the NRCS addressed the commisioners’ court Monday regarding Lakeview Site 1 – Sandy Camp and a conservation dam built in 1974 that is leaking and is under the care of the county. Howard said the federal government will be undertaking repairs on that dam that will cost an estimated $1 million.