February 2025
I use my newsletter space this month to praise St. Louis firefighters and municipal employees who responded quickly on Dec. 29, when high winds broke a utility pole behind 4 Seasons Gym downtown, causing at least $37,000 in damage. Firefighters were first to arrive. “You could see the pole was broken in two locations landing all three transformers on the roof of the building,” said Fire Chief Bill Coty. “Gratiot County Central Dispatch notified St. Louis Electric Department, and they arrived fairly quickly to start the process of shutting down electric service to the buildings.” It was all hands on deck for the Electric Department, as Foreman Mike Parsons turned out along with Jake Oswald, Todd Leslie, Kipp Krenz, Jon Ruggenstein and Ryan Roehrs from DPW. (It was Parsons’ last emergency for the city, as he retired less than a week later after 30 years on the job.) “As we awaited the Electric Department to shut the circuit down, we secured all driveways in the a...