By Greg Grisolano
Globe Staff Writer
STELLA, Mo. —
Residents of Stella are one step closer to having a safe place to go when severe weather strikes.
The Newton County Commission approved a shelter operations plan for a new storm shelter and community center last week.
Gary Roark, Newton County Emergency Management director, gave his stamp of approval to the plan as well.
“If you’ve got a building and people can’t get into it, that’s a problem,” Roark said. “But they’ve addressed that well in their plan.”
Bill Beckett, a Stella resident who serves as one of the site coordinators for the shelter, said 16 residents are serving in a variety of roles to oversee its operation. The shelter is operated by a volunteer staff.
He said now that the plan has been approved by both the commission and the emergency management director, the group will schedule a meeting to discuss details in preparation for the building’s completion.
“We’re still not sure who all is going to have keys,” he said. “We’ve still got to discuss that. Maybe we could open it at a certain point, especially if we know that there is severe weather in the area.”
In November 2009, the Newton County Commission awarded a $218,000 contract for the construction of a shelter to Branco Enterprises Inc., of Neosho. Construction, including completion of the building’s heating and air-conditioning work, is under way.
The bulk of the funding for the structure is to come from a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, with the balance coming from a donation by Stella residents Bob and Mona Hart.
The county, along with the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council, submitted the grant application on the town’s behalf last year.
The shelter is being built next to the village’s Veterans’ Memorial Park.
Beckett said having the shelter in place means a lot for village residents from a public safety standpoint.
“We didn’t have any kind of shelter or protection for this area,” he said.
Double duty
The 1,500-square-foot tornado shelter will double as a community building.
