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Martin County praises emergency response, honors road crew and approves two Road & Bridge hires
Summary
Officials credited utility companies, volunteers, rescue squads and county road crews for storm response during Winter Storm Blair, highlighted water-department generator work that protected about 1,000 residents, honored the county road crew and approved two hires to expand staffing.
Martin County officials on Jan. 16 praised emergency response to Winter Storm Blair, honored the county Road & Bridge crew for extended work clearing roads and approved two hires to expand the crew.
County leaders said outages affected thousands; power and utility crews, volunteers, fire departments and the Martin County Rescue Squad worked to restore services and open warming centers. The county judge singled out community volunteers and local media for quickly sharing preparedness information.
Officials credited the county water contractor with securing backup generators; the judge said the contractor secured four generators and installed one at a water facility that prevented water loss for more than 1,000 residents in Tomahawk, Rock House, Milo and along Route 3 during the outage.
The court honored the Road & Bridge crew for extensive work: the judge reported the crew scraped about 30 miles of county roads (with some routes cleared more than once), removed more than 40 trees from roadways, and spread more than 70 tons of salt during sustained shifts. The judge noted the road crew is among the county’s lowest-paid workers and that staffing had been minimal; with two hires approved at the meeting, the road crew headcount was said to total seven workers (plus foreman and administrative staff).
The court approved offering employment to Steven Hale (mechanic/welder background, expressed interest in learning operator duties) and Willis Priess (experienced operator). The meeting stated a starting hourly rate of $14.14 per hour for the positions; HR paperwork and start dates were to be processed after the vote.
Why it matters: The hires add immediate capacity to the county’s road operations ahead of additional forecasted winter weather; honoring and documenting the crew’s effort underscores operational strain and staffing needs the court may weigh in future budgeting.
