Recently HEDA member Jill Francis, chamber of commerce executive director Genny Mooney and city manager David Bullard attended a meeting announcing the SITES Program.
That program, Supporting Industrial Transformation and Economic Success was launched by the state Feb. 1, 2023.Because three entities, chamber, HEDA and the city, were represented, Henryetta can list of to six properties that could be listed with the state for development.
Site maps for the Shurden-Leist industrial site and the 37 acres owned by the city near the I-40 137 exit were presented.
“The state will be sending people here and they will visit those properties, evaluate them and report what it could or could not be used for,” said Mooney.
That evaluation is free of charge and will give the community the insight how best to market them. The deadline for submitting the properties is March 21.
Once the properties are evaluated they will be listed on the state website and made available to any prospective business or industry.
Also on the subject of business development, HEDA members were given a contract between the Okmulgee County Area Development Council (OADC) and Okmulgee economic development authority to review.
Members of the OADC met with HEDA in February to discuss the benefits of the two entities working together. The partnership would see OADC receive leads on business and industry and send them to Henryetta. That organization would also develop information about available sites and provide that to local officials to give immediate answers to those prospective entities.
“There’s things in here that I like and thinks that don’t apply to us,” said HEDA chairman Keith Estes. HEDA members will review the sample contract and discuss it at the April meeting.
A decision by HEDA is expected to save around $12,000 a year for the city.
City manager David Bullard told the Authority the city spends about $1,000 monthly to lease eight porta-potties. “If we have a special event, we have to get more.” He said it averages about $12,000 a year for the city to lease the porta-potties. He requested HEDA to help purchase ten regular facilities and two handicap-sized potties at a cost of $14,879.
The city would contract with a company to empty and clean them until a special vehicle could be built to handle that work by the city.
HEDA members unanimously voted to make the purchase up to $15,000.
Bullard told HEDA members rebuilding the spillways at both Nichols Park and Jim Hall lake is getting ready to start. Erosion at the Nichols spillway has threatened to damage the road surface. That erosion has been stopped according to Bullard.
