Submitted by Presiding Commissioner Marilyn Ruestman


Now that spring is here, we begin to think about being outdoors.  Well, so does our County road and bridge crew!  They are anxious to begin repair on damage done to our roads over the winter.

In Newton County, District One Commissioner Alan Cook oversees all County road operations.  The County Common Road District covers approximately 340 miles, and we cooperate daily with the seven other special road districts located in Newton County.  Our County Common Road District Superintendent Lee Booyer has been with the County 22 years, and the road and bridge crew consists of: Craig Doty, Matt Friend, Kenny James, Scott Ramaeker, Gray McKinney, Wade Scheppert, Ward Scheppert, Brad Turner, Bob Ward, David Doty, Ben Trammell, Jason Hart, Kenny Link, and Mike Smith.

The County Commission meets weekly with Superintendent Booyer and Newton County Engineer Leon Glover.  Commissioner Cook communicates daily with Booyer, as they discuss present or ongoing projects as well as long-range plans for our road system.

The County has eight individual road districts which maintain collectively 980 miles: the County Common, Diamond, Fairview, Joplin, Midway, Neosho, Seneca, and Stella.  Each district has three elected road commissioners, with the exception of the County Common, which works under the oversight of the Newton County Commission.  Of the nearly 1,000 miles, almost 50% are white gravel, 42% are chip/seal, and 8% are asphalt. 

Each road district operates from three sources of funding: (1) a tax levy used for operations and equipment purchases, (2) a County Aid Road Tax (CART), which is distributed from MoDOT to the County for each mile of County-maintained roads for routine maintenance of mowing, grading, etc., and (3) a ¼-cent sales tax, which was passed by voters in 2011 and is to be used to upgrade and improve road surfaces to a hard surface preparation condition.

Newton County also maintains most of the bridges on County roads.  There are approximately 175 Bridge Replacement Off-System (BRO) bridges in the County.  Ninety-three of those bridges have been replaced since 1996.

Not every County road is perfect, but each district has an active road inventory and mutli-year plan they diligently work from.  This past winter was very destructive to many roads, and the County is taking every opportunity to patch them so that the road districts can continue with improvement projects.

Nearly every citizen in the County has an interest in County roads.  Either they live on a county road or visit someone that lives on a County road.  Thanks to a crew who works tirelessly to serve our County!

Submitted by Presiding Commissioner Marilyn Ruestman

 

Among our unsung heroes of Newton County is our 911/Central Dispatch Center.  They are always on duty 24/7 and are really our first line of defense.  Our director, Vickie Bayless, brings 19 years of experience and knowledge.  This month we want to say “thank you” and tell you a little about them.

With a staff of 19 full-time and 2 part-time employees, the Newton County Central Dispatch Center answered 192,514 calls in 2013.  Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, they serve the 59,000+ citizens of Newton County.  They answer emergency and non-emergency calls as well as dispatch for 10 fire departments, 5 law enforcements agencies, and Newton County Ambulance District.  They dispatched nearly 67,000 calls in 2013.

The Newton County Central Dispatch Center was formed in 1995 and began operating out of the Newton County Courthouse.  In 2010, Dispatch moved to the former National Guard Armory in Neosho after it was remodeled.  The move provided many upgrades and space to grow.  In addition to Dispatch, the center houses the Warrant’s Department and 911 addressing.

Dispatchers maintain certifications in CPR, Haz-Mat Awareness, National Incident Management Systems (NIMS), Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement Systems (MULES), Emergency Telecommunicator Course (ETC), Emergency Medical (EMD), and Fire Dispatching (EFD), and they must receive continuing education throughout their employment.

In 1994 a Congressional Resolution designated the second full week in April each year as National Telecommunicator’s Week.  Each year we honor the hard work and dedication of these every-day, behind-the-scenes heroes.  Newton County Dispatchers will be honored with achievement certificates, fun casual dress days, barbeque, and will close out the week with cake and punch.

Again, we cannot thank Vickie and the Dispatch crew enough.