Returning commissioner McCasland named as chair

QCS Staff

At his first meeting Monday as a returning Quay County commissioner, Franklin McCasland, commissioner for District 3, was elected the commission’s chair as the first order of business.

Brad Bryant, the commissioner he replaced, had also chaired the commission. Bryant chose not to run for a second term. McCasland won the Republican Primary in June and ran unopposed in the November general election.

McCasland had previously served two terms as a county commissioner from 2002 to 2010.

On Monday, he presided over the remainder of the meeting, navigating through a nine-item agenda consisting mostly of routine county business.

“I’m honored to be serving as a commissioner and serving the citizens of Quay County,” he said, “and I was honored to be elected chair of the commission. It means a lot to me.”

The commission conducted the following business Monday:

• Approved annual grant applications for emergency medical services for th e Quay Fire Department, $7,000 for the year; Rural District 1, $1,500 for the year; Bard-Endee, $7450; and Forrest, $17,600. The grants cover training, maintenance and other expenses for these four districts, which have emergency medical service units, County Manager Richard Primrose said.

• Approved a $40,132 engineering contract with Engineers, Inc., based in Tucumari, for work releated to resurfacing a portion of Quay Road 63 near the Tucumcari Memorial Park Cemetery, which is being resurfaced with federal Community Development Block Grant funds.

• Approved an agreement with Curry County for housing Quay County Detention Center inmates. Under the agreement, Quay County will pay Curry County $200 a month to house Quay County inmates, mostly juveniles and women, as needed, jail administrator T.J. Rich said. The price has gone up from $125 a day, he said.