Alva Review-Courier -

The Woods County Commissioners are now taking applications from any county residents who are interested in serving on the 522 Ambulance Board. Watch for advertisements in county newspapers listing the locations where applications are available.

Alva EMS Director Julie Dennis attended the meeting to answer questions. She gave the commissioners a map showing how county ambulance coverage is split among the three county EMS services. Only people who live in Woods County are eligible to serve on the 522 board.

The 522 board will oversee the funds collected from a county ad valorem tax approved by voters to be used for the three ambulance services in the county: Alva, Freedom and Waynoka. The commissioners will make the final decision about who will serve on the board.

All county commissioners – Randy McMurphy, David Hamil and John Smiley – were present for the regular meeting held Monday morning in their office at the courthouse. County Clerk Shelley Reed arrived with a large box containing paperwork to be approved and signed. She also kept the minutes of the meeting.

The commissioners accepted the bid for painting of three water towers for Rural Water District #3 (RWD#3). Three bids were opened at the March 29 meeting, and the RWD#3 board recommended accepting the $47,960 bid from Water Tower Maintenance as the best bid although it was not the lowest. This bid was considered best because RWD#3 has had a good previous experience with the company and because the company is located nearby. The project will be paid through a REAP grant.

A request to hold the Northwestern Oklahoma State University spring band concert on the courthouse stage and lawn was approved. The concert is scheduled for the evening of April 30.

The Woods County Election Board will be moving from the Professional Building to the Downtown Mall located at 5th and Barnes in Alva. The commissioners approved a one year lease agreement with Nitram Capital, LLC, the new owners of the mall, for $700 per month.

The election board will also be storing their electronic voting machines at Cushenbery Moving and Storage. The commissioners approved the $65 per month storage fee. This will be convenient for the election board because Cushenbery transports the machines to the precincts for elections.

Woods County Assessor Renetta Benson visited the meeting to answer any questions about the OSU IT service agreement. She said her office has been using OSU IT services, but CLGT is retiring and the agreement will be in a different company name. The commissioners approved the agreement with CLGT and AFE Technical Solutions, LLC.

Kay Decker attended the meeting to ask permission to hold a music event on the courthouse lawn and stage. Since the Nescatunga Arts Festival has been postponed until November, she wanted to offer a cultural event in June. She is planning for an outdoor music event on June 5 starting at 3 p.m. and lasting until around dark.

The headliner will be the Byron Berline Band. Berline is owner of the Double Stop Fiddle Shop in Gutherie. The band plays many American music styles, including old time, ragtime, bluegrass, Cajun, country and rock. Decker expects to add other performers. She said plans may include some local food providers as well. The commissioners approved the use of the courthouse lawn for the event.

Monthly appropriations approved include:

Assessor Collections $491.00

County Clerk Office Collections $11,797.25

Court Clerk Office Balance $91,488.63

Court Clerk RM & P Balance $4,935.27

Election Board Balance $3,822.10

Health Dept. Collections $505.00

Sheriff’s Collections $2,767.68

Board of Prisoners Expenses $4,018.65

Treasurer’s Office Balance $18,160.39