Julie Yates
Mayes County is waiting for AT&T;’s approval on rerouting emergency service calls.
Mayes County Commissioners approved a resolution Monday to change the 911 service for northeastern sections of the county.
Rick Langkamp, director of MESTA (Mayes Emergency Services Trust Authority) is working toward routing all 911 calls within Mayes County to the county 911 center. Currently, hard line telephone calls from the northeastern region of the county route to Craig County’s center. The emergency calls must then be transferred from Vinita to Mayes County.
Langkamp confirmed that there have been eight to 10 minute delays when the calls have to be transferred from Vinita.
Langkamp feels the 911 calls need to come to the Mayes County center because Mayes County emergency personnel respond to the calls.
“Frank responds in all of Mayes County,” said Langkamp, speaking of Sheriff Frank Cantey. “MESTA responds in all of Mayes County.”
The request to change the 911 routing will be sent to AT&T.; Langkamp said after the phone company approves the change, Mayes County will also receive the 911 funding from the hard lines in that section of the county.
Cellular calls from the northeastern region route to the Mayes center.
Commissioners are requesting equipment through the revolving fund. District 1 needs a tractor/mower. Districts 2 and 3 each need a dump truck.
In last week’s meeting, the commissioners approved buying laptops for the sheriff’s department from Ages Computers. Cantey explained the reasons why the department chose Ages, which was not the low bid.
Ages’ price was $300 higher than the low bid, which came from a company out of state. Cantey’s reasons included Ages’ reliability and “the convenience of being able to deal with somebody here.”
The laptops will be purchased with a grant and mounted in county patrol cars.
Commissioners signed jail use and dispatch agreements with Mayes County towns. They signed agreements with Adair, Chouteau, Disney, Langley, Salina, Spavinaw, Sportsmen Acres and Strang. Agreements with Locust Grove and Pryor were for jail use only.
Mayes County Jail was housing 122 inmates Monday morning. The county jail has a capacity of 148.
