Winfield fire chief Alan Stovall announces retirement

WINFIELD — Winfield Fire Chief Alan Stovall announced he would be retiring during a Winfield City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Stovall said he would be retiring effective Oct. 1, and the council voted to post the open position and accept his retirement.
Stovall was appointed as chief in 2012 by Mayor Randy Price after starting as a volunteer for a few years and then going full-time with the Winfield Fire Department.
“It’s been great,” Stovall said. “I got to do what I grew up wanting to do. I was a lot like other kids when I was young. I liked watching shows about fire and stuff. Then when I got to be a teenager, I was somewhat of an adrenaline junkie—I liked to parasail and bungee jump. It was just appealing to me to get into the fire service and go through fire training.
“It’s been great being able to do what you wanted to do, and not only that, but to get to do it in the town where I was born and raised.
“I appreciate the opportunity that Mayor Price gave me to serve as chief. I didn’t know at the time if I was ready for that step, but it’s been great, so I’ve enjoyed serving the citizens of Winfield. It’s been an honor to do so.”
Stovall said he is looking ahead to his next adventure in life.  
“I’m going to try another adventure,” he said. “Twenty-five years in emergency services is a lot. It’s time to step away and let the younger generation take something over.
“I want to try something different for a little while. I’m about to be 58 years old, but I can’t just retire and sit down. I’m going to get into something else and enjoy spending time with my kids and grandkids.”
In other business:
- Councilman James Odum made a motion to amend the agenda from the previous meeting to include the total amount for the $2.2 million bid for the I-22 infrastructure project;
- The council voted to begin advertising for fuel bids, which it does every year;
- The council voted to approve the police department to hire Matthew Parrish as a police officer;
- Under old business, Odum expressed an issue with procedure regarding the approval of the $2.2 million loan, saying that council members were not made aware of the amount before voting. Mayor Randy Price responded, saying that while Odum wasn’t at that meeting, the other council members were made aware of the amount and went by proper procedure;
- The council approved a measure to keep a part-time senior program bus driver on staff at minimum wage until the fate of federal funding is determined;
- The council discussed possible ways of helping the public stay more informed of city business, such as posting minutes and agendas, or posting links to the livestream of each meeting;
- The council voted to allow the park to purchase new equipment like lawnmowers and weed eaters and other essential tools. Councilwoman Jeana Estes said she wanted to see a total first before she would approve, but the motion passed.