The COVID-19 pandemic is said to be the cause for the delay in the arrival of QuikTrip in Henryetta.
At the Tuesday city council meeting, mayor Jennifer Mulholland said she talked with a QuikTrip company representative who said the business should be, “up and running in 18 months. He said COVID threw them behind schedule.”
Mulholland said the city is not going to order everyone to wear masks at this time. “We are a statutory city. We will go by the governor’s orders unless a super majority of the city council votes for it.”
The council approved a request by Steve Sanford to add a Friday night event to his barbecue competition at Nichols Park Labor Day weekend.
“We are going to try and make it a bigger draw,” Sanford said. It is free to the public unless someone wants to participate in the barbecue contest.”
He explained many of the contestants will be staying in the park overnight.
Work on the East Main storm drain was completed this month at a major savings to the town.
The original estimate for the work was over $300,000 and Mulholland said the project was finished for under $100,000. “It took a lot of work by all departments and will significantly change the water flow on East Main.”
Council members approved a payment of $5,261.84 to Doug Wadley as a percentage of the quarterly sales taxes the city received from Shoney’s. That money will be reimbursed by the Henryetta Economic Development Authority.