Mayes Emergency Services Trust Authority is off to a good start for the year with collections over budget by more than $32,000, according to Director Rick Langkamp at their meeting Tuesday evening.

“We ended the first month in the black despite the added expense of ice storms, stocking an extra truck, buying cots and increasing our fleet insurance by one,” Langkamp said. He added that sales tax revenue

continues to be down about five percent from projections.

Locust Grove has

appointed a new representative in place of Jodi Dunham. Jamie Starling was approved by the board to replace Dunham following a letter of request by the Town of Locust Grove.

Dunham has served more than 10 years on the board, according to Langkamp.

“We appreciate the time she has served with us,” he said. The board will provide a plaque of appreciation to Dunham for her service.

The weather definitely affected numbers for the ambulance service in the last month.

“There was lots of ambulance activity in January with the ice and snowstorms,” Langkamp said, reading from his report in the meeting. “Runs increased over the average amount and extra trucks were placed in the system to cover for the delayed response times

created by the road

conditions.”

The State of Oklahoma was considered a disaster area following the December storm and Langkamp said MESTA “put in some dollars to be reviewed for recovery.”

He also commended the county for keeping the drives plowed in front and around the station so that roads remained accessible.

MESTA has moved back into the Locust Grove station.

“I personally thanked members of the Salina Fire Department for their hospitality,” Langkamp said. MESTA sent cleaning crews over to the fire department after moving to “make sure everything was in good shape.”

The Locust Grove station got a face-life inside during the interim. The carpet was cleaned, rooms painted and new tile installed around the desk area, according to Langkamp.

In other business, board members approved the 2008 audit presented by Violet Kirkendall of Kirkendall & Swindell CPAs, PLLC out of Claremore.

She presented the board with a complete report and commented that everything was in order.

The bid for the 2009 audit was again awarded to Kirkendall CPA. Kirkendall was low bid at $3,000.

At the recommendation of Chairman Murray Underwood, Kevin Dodson was approved to fill the vice chair position vacated by Jodi Dunham’s departure. The vote was unanimous.
Susan Wagoner
Staff Reporter Pryor Daily