Henryetta council members gave their nod of approval for some entertainment in town during the coming weeks.
A proposal by the chamber of commerce to use the civic center for pickle ball play on Saturday afternoon was unanimously accepted by the council.
Chamber member Bruce Jones asked the council to waive rental and cleanup fees for the civic center on the Saturdays the facility was not being used by other individuals or organizations.
He said two, or even three, portable pickle ball courts would be set up from noon until 5 p.m. They would be open to individuals wishing to either learn the game or those who have played and want a local court to enhance their abilities.
There will be no charge to the public to use the courts.
Jones pointed out there had been interest shown in converting two tennis courts off the Lake Road into pickle ball courts and hoped this would generate enough public interest to help with that conversion.
Council members also approved these of city property next to the football field for the annual Labor Day Carnival. At the same time, they allowed the Labor Day committee to hold the parade on Main Street.
It was announced city officials are looking into problems with water bills either being received late or not at all.
Mayor Michael Dickey said the type size on the bills had been increased to make those addresses more legible but there is a problem with the card stock the bills are printed on.
“The card stock gets jammed in the machines at the post office he said. “We are looking into that issue.”
Some local residents received their bills late this month because of the massive power outage in Tulsa. Dickey said the sectional center there was without electricity for a week making it impossible for bills to be sent. Even though mail for local residents is deposited in the Henryetta post office, it is still required to go to Tulsa for sorting then returned to the post office here for delivery.
He urged anyone with issues on their water bills to contact city clerk Donna White. “If there is an exorbitant amount, we can set up payments,” he said.
On utility payments, city manager Ron Casey said the switch to a credit card reader has been going relatively well. “There have been some bumps but they are being handled.”
He said street crews used 15 tons of asphalt on streets in June. He told the council a number of street signs on the north side of town have either been damaged or have been stolen and replacements are on the way.
The recent heat has caused a number of small water leaks to be reported around town and Casey said workers are busy repairing them.