| The Henryetta Parks board has a new name and more members following the city council meeting Tuesday. Under the previous ordinance, the board consisted of five members and live within the city limits. The ordinance change renames the group the Henryetta Parks, Recreation and Tourism Board and provides up to seven members. It also sets the qualifications to allow members to own property within the city as well as live outside the city limits but who own a business within the town. Councilman Henry Keolzer said for the past year a planning group has come, "to the conclusion the real jewels in our area is the parks and we have been working toward improving them." |
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| See the full video of the city council meeting here. | He said the city has, "allocated a good bit of money to tourism through the motel tax and we need to have one member of the board who is in the tourism industry." By that he was referring to motel owners and urged appointment of at least one motel owner to be a part of the board. |
| At a meeting last week, Jill Francis was selected president of the parks board, Tammie Hiatt vice-president and Jeanitta Berry as secretary. Other present board members include Ronald lee and Connie McCullough. Francis was also named to the Henryetta Economic Development Authority. She will fill out the unexpired term held by Steve Pearson. It expires June 30, 2017. City manager Ted Graham said work has started again on the splash pad but, "we ran into the largest rock pile in Henryetta." He told the council workers have had problems digging the water and sewer lines through a large rocky outcropping on the site. So far the footings have been poured for the bathrooms and the walkway started. |
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| Graham said he is hoping to have the facility completed around the first of August, "but realistically I expect around the end of August." In his manager's report, Graham told of a recent Oklahoma City Managers Association meeting he attended that resulted in an idea to revitalize some of the neighborhoods in town. He said a program now underway in Owasso could spark an interest in the various neighborhoods and, ultimately improve the town and raise home values. Graham said the project involved getting residents within the various neighborhoods involved and included marking off those neighborhoods with signs that reflected the additions on some of the old town plat maps. "That way when people drive down the streets, they know they are in that neighborhood." He pointed out the residents in Owasso kept asking what is the city going to do for them. "The city ultimately pointed out that 'us' are the city and turned it around on them." "I want to get the people to buy into the program instead of us sending a letter or fining them," he said." Part of that change started with neighborhood block parties and Graham said he envisioned monthly or quarterly meetings for their neighborhoods. He suggested some of the funding could come eventually from motel tax revenues. following a 90 minute executive session, the council approved a $20,000 purchase of property on North Eighth Street. The approval was given with four of the five council members voting in favor. Councilor Christy Jeffcoat abstained. The council approved purchasing new body cameras for the police department. The new cameras will replace those purchased several years ago when the concept of police wearing cameras was still a novelty instead of being a national topic of discussion. Police chief Steve Norman said the existing cameras are reaching the end of their operational usefulness. The police department will also receive new Tasers. Both purchases were included in this year's city budget. The fire department will be upgrading it's rescuer equipment with a new Jaws of Life. The extraction tool costs $25,781 and will be joining older equipment. One of the tools used in getting trapped victims out of danger was said to be over 35 years old. The council also renewed the lease on the senior citizens center with Project H.E.A.R.T. That company is based in Shawnee and oversees the food preparation at the center. |
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