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Woodyard stepping down as Wood County 911 director

PARKERSBURG — Wood County is looking for a new 911 director.

Sheriff Rick Woodyard is stepping down as director at the 911 Center to fully concentrate on his responsibilities as sheriff, he told the county commission Monday morning.

“I have served as the 911 director and later combined services 911/Homeland Security director since April 1, 2014,” Woodyard said in his resignation letter to the commission. “It is now time that I step down as the director and focus my full attention to my sworn duties as Wood County Sheriff. I am comfortable the center is in excellent hands, and I remain confident you will make the right operational decisions as to its future.”

Many things are happening at the sheriff’s department that need his full attention, such as personnel and law-enforcement issues, Woodyard said after the meeting.

When Woodyard first applied for sheriff on an interim basis after Steve Stephens stepped down, he said he would step down as the 911 director if he won the election for the full-term.

“I feel my time and effort needs to be focused with the sheriff’s department,” he said. “Likewise, a 911 director needs to focus on the 911 Center.”

Woodyard said in his letter he stayed to guide the construction phase of the new 911 Center at the former Suddenlink building at U.S. 50 and I-77 and not leave that responsibility to someone else in the middle of the project.

“As this phase reaches completion it will allow your new director and staff to equip and arrange the facility to their decisions and standard,” he wrote.

Officials said the estimated date for completion of the building will be April 1.

Woodyard wrote about his time as the 911 director.

“During the past nine years I had the opportunity to build upon the foundation previously established by my predecessors,” he wrote. “Many changes have taken place which has brought newer technologies to enhance our capabilities and better serve our communities and public safety partners.”

His primary goal was to strengthen the level of experience in the organization by placing key personnel in senior positions of leadership which has helped strengthen team efforts, raising confidence and efficiency so they were not always dependent on one single leader within their operations.

“It is my belief this goal has been accomplished, as the center currently has well qualified personnel in the roles of deputy director, operations coordinator and in-house IT/IP personnel,” Woodyard wrote.

He credited the telecommunicators as “the backbone of the center” who are highly dedicated personnel and provide a key role in the overall safety of the public, the local communities and the responders who serve and protect.

“It has been an honor working with the supervisors and telecommunicators during my tenure, and I am proud of their performance and the professionalism in which they did it,” he wrote.

Woodyard’s resignation date will be effective April 1, the anniversary of his starting date. He said if the commission can find someone sooner, he will step down and allow the new person to take over.

Commission President Blair Couch said they will start advertising the position in the early part of February and accept resumes.

The commissioners expect they will receive interest for the director’s position from people at the 911 Center as well as from the community. The commission will narrow the applicants to the top three and hold public interviews in an open meeting, Couch said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com.

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