Dear Santa,
I know the kids come first, and I hope all of them get at least one of their major wishes fulfilled this Christmas. But if you can find a spare moment, please give some attention to these wishes expressed by the department heads of Carthage city government. I promise you they’ve been working hard all year.
I think you ought to consider fire Chief John Cooper’s wish for a new fire substation. He’s been talking about it for about 40 years now — as long as he’s been with the department. The city already owns property at Airport Drive and Missouri Street, so all you would have to do is provide the money for construction. John was hoping you could help some of that stimulus money flow this way, but already $165 million of the $210 million available to Missouri has been awarded, and we haven’t seen a plugged nickel yet.
It seems that you favored St. Louis with $13 million and Kansas City with $10 million, and we’re needing only around $489,000. Actually, John says he could build it for $300,000, except if we build it with federal money, the feds require some extra safety features that jack up the cost.
Police Chief Greg Dagnan says he knows your resources are limited, but he wishes you could reach down into the bottom of your bag and find a couple more dispatchers. He normally has a dispatcher for each of the department’s four shifts, and when one is gone because of vacation or sickness, he has to take an officer off patrol duty, which means the residents aren’t getting the protection they deserve.
He also needs more IT help. Boy, those guys are expensive! FYI, Santa, IT means information technology. But you probably know that already, as long as you’ve been in the business.
Parks Director Alan Bull wants you to know, Santa, that your reindeer are welcome to take a breather and nibble the grass in our really nice parks. Just don’t expect to use the facilities, because we don’t have any at Kellogg, Carter or Griggs parks, and we need another one at Fair Acres. Alan gets more complaints about the lack of restrooms than anything else. Four prefabricated restrooms around his Christmas tree would make him flush with happiness.
City Clerk Lynn Campbell is a bit nervous about a major change coming up at the first of the year when city court personnel come under her supervision. One full-time court clerk and one half-time worker will have offices in City Hall, with the actual court hearings being moved to Memorial Hall. Lynn says her one wish is that the transition goes smoothly. She’s a nice girl and doesn’t ask for much, so please work your magic.
Bob Williams, supervisor of Carthage Water & Electric Plant, is thinking about global and environmental issues and how they affect Carthage. His wish is for the federal government to back off the actions it is contemplating for regulating carbon dioxide. He knows there are good reasons for limiting carbon emissions (he understands you have to fly through them, Santa), but he is concerned that such regulations might wreck the economy. He’s optimistic though, if the global warming issue isn’t over-hyped, that scientists and technicians can come up with prudent solutions that will, over time, correct the problem.
Tim Hill, street department supervisor, has only one request, Santa. He wants his stocking to be filled with a nice, warm winter. I think that’s the wish you may be most likely to grant. And Tim’s a really nice guy, too.
Tom Short, the city administrator who oversees all departments, says the many different needs of the city are all important, and that money from sales taxes or matching grants would solve many problems. His biggest wish, therefore, is for the overall economy to improve and bring in more tax dollars. Maybe we should “Shop Carthage First” when we can.
So, Santa, as you fly over Carthage this year, breathe deeply of our fresh, clean air and think kindly of us. We’re not whiners. We’re all just little kids at Christmas, dreaming of you, or maybe our own sugarplum fairy.
