By Sherri Blevins
During the March 14 DeKalb County Commission Meeting, Celia Moore and DeKalb County Commissioner Lester Black, representing the Alabama Mountains, Rivers, & Valleys RC&D Board, presented a $5,100.00 check to the DeKalb County Homeland Security Management Service for the purchase of NOAA Weather Radios.
At the meeting, Homeland Security Assistant Director Michael Posey said the radios would be distributed to representatives from four community organizations. Holly Swanson with DeKalb County Home Healthcare, Sandy Scott with DeKalb Regional Home Healthcare, Slade Carden, Kevin Burt, Angie McCurdy, and Tricia Shankles with Leadership DeKalb, and Emily McCamy with the DeKalb County Council on Aging will be responsible for receiving and distributing the radios to DeKalb Countians who may not otherwise have access to weather radios.
The funds were provided through a grant that targets a population group who may benefit from early information and warning of approaching severe weather and tornadoes, civil alerts messaging, and other lifesaving notifications, and who may be underserved, have English as a second language, are on a fixed/low income, are homebound, or living in housing which is at greater risk of impacts from high winds and tornadoes.
Posey stated, “DeKalb Countians understand the risk associated with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Most have the capacity and ability to develop the capability of obtaining public information and warning to provide the greatest amount of time to seek shelter before impacts occur. However, many within the targeted populations lack this capability. It is then the responsibility of this agency as a branch of the DeKalb County Commission to find mechanisms to help stand in the gap between capacity and ability to help connect the necessary linkages for those who cannot.”
Weather radios will be given to deserving individuals through the organizations listed above.
Information about the upcoming 2023 Spring Clean-Up was given during the meeting. DeKalb County residents may take items to be disposed of to the Sand Valley Landfill located at 3345 Co. Rd. 209, Collinsville, AL, between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm on select dates in April. The landfill will be free for DeKalb Countians on April 5-8 and 12-15; however, residents cannot dump tires, paint, batteries, or hazardous waste products. This service is made possible by Republic Services Inc. and the DeKalb County Commission.
In the absence of Commission President Rickey Harcrow, President Pro-tem Shane Wootten presided over the meeting, and the Commission approved the following actions:
• Posting an Assistant Road Superintendent Position at the Road Department
• Hiring Scott Woodall as a full-time employee for the District 3 Road Crew
• Placing a 2017 Tractor in the vehicle auction with a $35,000.00 reserve price
• $2,648,671.48 of Rebuild Alabama Funds to Charles Watts Inc. for the low bid to pave roads
• Award $45,810.66 to Donohoo Chevrolet for the low bid on Sheriff’s Department vehicles
• Approval of a preliminary subdivision plat for a subdivision on County Road 180
• Resignation of Joshua Patterson from the Sheriff’s Department
• Hiring of Tyse Lawhorn and Steven Bieberly at the Sheriff’s Department
• Transferring Elijah Avila from Jail Officer to Transport Officer
• Transferring of Charles Young from Transport Officer to Jail Officer
• Promotion of William Watson to Sergeant
• Hiring Sadania Lance as a Revenue Commission Receptionist
• Approval of the Red Bud Agreement & Resolution
• Re-Certification Training for Animal Shelter Managers
• Appointment of Dana Greeson to replace Hubert Paul Tumlin on the DeKalb County Library Board
• Reappointments of William Dalton and William Black to the DeKalb-Jackson Water Board
• Appointments of Tim Maness, Rains, and Kent Rogers to the High Falls Park Board
• Resignations of Mack Smith and Michael Edmondson from the High Falls Park Board
The next DeKalb County Commission meeting will be on April 11, 2023.