Durant City Council handed out the year’s first quarterly service awards during the April council meeting held on Tuesday April 9.
The council honored a combined 60 years of service Tuesday as seven city employees were honored. Five employees received a certificate, lapel pin and a $50 check for five years of service.
These employees included Keith Cook, Jay Bergner, Reba Titsworth, Jeff Langford and Barbara Wigley. One person received a certificate, a lapel pin and a check for $150 for 15 years of service. This honor went to Linnie Stinson.
Finally, one 20-year award went to Joe Dillard. Dillard received a certificate, a lapel pin, a check for $200 and a plaque for his years of service to the city.
The council also accepted a check donation to the city in the amount of $100 from Paul Griebel of WF Freightliners out of Burnsville, Minnesota.
Griebel wrote a letter to the mayor explaining that the check was due to a kindness given from a Durant business owner.
Griebel had to come to Durant recently to locate the truck of one of his drivers who had a heart attack and was in the hospital in Durant.
Griebel said that every person he talked to in Durant was very kind. When his truck was located, the owner of Jordan’s Truck and Trailer repair helped him retrieve it.
Griebel said this gentleman “went out of his way to go over and get the truck started and helped get the trailer unhooked” so that someone could deliver the driver’s load.
Griebel went on to say that Jordan held the truck at his location to keep an eye on it and that Jordan’s wife also took the personal belongings in the truck to the driver’s family at the hospital.
When Griebel went to get the truck, Jordan refused reimbursement. Griebel said that he found this kind behavior “typical” of the people in Durant.
Griebel said he would not take no for an answer in giving this money to the city and hopes it will be put to a good cause in the community.
Griebel also said in his letter that Jordan makes a fine ambassador for the City of Durant.
When the mayor finished reading the letter during Tuesday’s meeting, he said that he has not yet met Griebel but does plan to meet him.
The council also approved the appointment of Mayor Tomlinson to represent the city in a settlement conference in the case of Quintana vs. City of Durant.
Plaintiff Ricky Quintana from Alaska was visiting family in Durant in December 2009 when he said he was wrongfully arrested during a late-night walk.
Quintana said that an officer arrested him with no cause while he was taking a walk due to his inability to sleep that night.
Quintana further claims that the officer used excessive force, leaving him with a dislocated shoulder for which the officer showed no concern.
The police said Quintana was arrested for public intoxication. Quintana stated that no form of sobriety test was given.
The settlement conference will be held at 1o a.m. on July 11 in Muskogee.
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