Acting Police Chief Harman Winters took his place on the 911 Commission at their March meeting. He takes the place of Chief Micky Dove who retired. The commission discussed the procedure for interviewing the remaining candidates for 911 Director. Current director Willis Carter is retiring and vacating the position July 1.
There were 21 applicants that the hiring committee narrowed to five. The final three candidates will be interviewed in person by the full commission. Carter said the district was granted $9,000 for expenses incurred during the recent winter storm.
Also in light of the storm, the NATCOM center purchased a 65 gallon water tank for non-potable water to ensure restrooms would remain operable should a similar event occur in the future. Commissioners discussed a group of homes on Cunningham Camp Road that have misleading, or are causing misdirecting, when using a GPS system.
Some structures on a side road have Cunningham Camp Road addresses. The commissioners are looking for a solution so addresses do not have to change. They also discussed road signs in the Oak Grove community.
The district contracted with Direct TV for 20 drops in the NATCOM center. Initial cost was $1,825 with monthly fees of $173. The television sets constantly broadcast weather, news and other notifications. An emergency siren in Marthaville that was inoperable has been repaired.
In February, there were nine applications for new addresses for residences and one updated. There were 395 emergency calls routed through the Natchitoches Police Department call center and 1,558 through the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office call center in February.