The Woodward News

Local News

March 31, 2009

Woodward County lifts burn ban

The Woodward County Commission lifted a burn ban Monday in the wake of 18 to 20 inches of snow that fell Friday and early Saturday, providing the equivalent to an inch-and-a-half of rain.

The snow caused damage to residents and businesses and was estimated to reach $1 million by County and City Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer.

Lehenbauer told the commissioners he would be working to get snow damage assessment forms drawn up and delivered to the Woodward Chamber of Commerce, so business owners and residents would have access to them to file damage reports.

Some of the property damage that occurred involved collapsed car ports to homes and roofs to businesses.

Commissioner Ralph Triplett Jr. said a hog farm collapsed near Mooreland.

Regarding the burn ban, Lehenbauer said the snow was more than enough to allow farmers and ranchers to perform controlled burns.

“It’s a slow soak, so we recommend the burn ban be lifted,” he said on behalf of the fire chiefs in Woodward County.

Last week, the county commission issued its eighth burn ban, because the area was in a moderate to severe drought.

However, farmers and ranchers were needing to burn brush and were anxious for the ban to be lifted, Lehenbauer said.

Meanwhile, the county commissioners and county employees were praised for their help getting roadways cleared of snow over the weekend.

Woodward City Manager Alan Riffel thanked them “for doing what they do. We just want you to know we appreciated it.”

Riffel said the county commissioners were cooperative with clearing snow off streets in Woodward.

The commissioners’ employees got out early Saturday and cleared blacktops and rock roads. They also tried to reach the elderly and helped clear city streets.

They cleared U.S. Highway 412 and opened State Highway 34, making a way to Woodward Regional Hospital. They then cleared a portion of U.S. Highway 270.

“We put it out over the radio that all county roads were closed,” Craighead said.

In other business Sheriff Gary Stanley announced the Woodward County Jail had received a surprise inspection and was found to have three violations.

The first involved trustees wearing street clothes instead of jail attire, Stanley said.

He noted that jail attire was on order.

The second violation occurred because too many beds were in one cell.

Stanley said he was told the cell was too small to hold six beds.

And the third violation occurred because sentenced inmates were sharing cells with unsentenced inmates, he said.

The commission in other action accepted a bid of $9,517 from Woodward Ace Hardware for materials to build a fire fighting module for the Woodward County Fire Department.

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