LIVING NATIVITY play at Liberty Theatre

WOW!  On Sunday afternoon  we attended the LIVING NATIVITY program at the Liberty Theatre.  I have to say that it was especially excellent!  We all know that Watonga has some talented people, else we wouldn't have an active theatre group. With everyone's busy schedules, it is harder and harder to put on live entertainment at the Theatre, but the building itself is a treasure our town should be proud to have (and I know we are proud of it!) but should also make use of to bring the arts to Watonga. 

 

If you can, get out and see ithe program this evening. It is short and sweet. the pre-show musical entertainment was extra-special and highlighted some of the local talent this town has. I highly recommend the program!  The Watonga Community Theatre board is serving cookies and punch and hot cider afterwards. 

/Linda

Community Calendar for December

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
 and singing songs of joy and peace. - Joni Mitchell

Thanksgiving Day is over; we can now officially begin putting out the Christmas lights, Santa, reindeer, manger scenes, nutcrackers, toy soldiers, and whatever else represents the Christmas season to each of us (not that everyone waits this long!).  Personally, I really don't like to get all of the tinsel out until after Dec. 10.  But this year I'll probably get busy earlier, since the weather is going to be pleasant this next week and our children are coming to visit in mid-December.  As soon as I put on the James Taylor Christmas CD I get in the mood to bake and decorate the house.

In keeping with the real spirit of Christmas, bear in mind that there are needs in our community that YOU can help with. 

DHS Christmas Angels Trees (for children in custody and foster children) are placed in the following places in Watonga: Alco
Cornerstone Bank
First State Bank
Nazarene Church

 • Pick an Angel...
• Register the Angel with the initial & number
• Please do not wrap the gift
• Return the Angel to DHS office at  410 W. Main, Watonga, OK by December 2, 2013 ** Please attach Angel to the gift when you return it

 

Feather Warrior Casino is holding a canned food drive, and a toy drive.  On Friday and Saturday (one time per week), you can take in an unwrapped toy (worth $5.00) and receive $10.00 in FREE PLAY.  On Monday and Tuesday (one time per week), take in THREE canned goods and receive $5.00 in FREE PLAY.  Of course, you can take in your canned goods and unwrapped toys at ANY TIME just to help out.

There are lots of activities in town and surrounding communities to put on your calendar. Mary Larsen from the Chamber of Commerce does a great job of promoting events and putting them on the Community Calendar.  The calendar can be accessed by going to the website www.watongachamber.com and then clicking on CALENDAR on the top bar. Here are some of the things NOT TO MISS:

The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored "IT PAYS TO SHOP WATONGA" program is going on NOW.  A perfect time to buy that Angel Tree gift and enter your name for the drawing for Watonga Bucks!!

Sat. Nov. 30 -- SHOP WATONGA. Today is Small Business Saturday -- support your local busiensses AND for each $10.00 purchase at participating Watonga merchants you get an entry into a drawing for Watonga Bucks (drawing to be held on Dec. 19).
 Dec. 6 - Santa's Village and Holiday Bazaar at Blaine County Fairgrounds  9:00 am - 4:00 pm. There are lots of homemade gift ideas -- you can get most of your Christmas shopping done here!
Dec. 7 -- HOSTY DUO  performs at ROMAN NOSE STATE PARK LODGE --General Admission is $10.00, or book a room and see the concert for $105.00.  ROOMS also available at the Chaparral Retreat & Guesthouse just down the street from the Park. Call 580-623-4269 for discounted rates for that weekend.   
Dec. 8 - The Living Nativity live performance at Liberty Theatre.  2:30 pm.  Adult tickets are $8.00, members Free, and you can get in for half-price if you bring an unwrapped toy for the Blaine County Angel Tree.
Dec. 15 -- First United Methodist Church of Watonga will present its annual Christmas Cantata at the 10:50 a.m. service.  420 N. Weigle.  Everyone is invited.
Dec. 18 - Community Christmas Choir program at Liberty Theatre. Support our local talent by sharing an evening of beautiful music.
Dec. 19 - Centennial Park on Main St. (City Hall if weather is bad) -- 5:30 p.m. Chamber of Commerce's drawing for Watonga Bucks (everyone who shopped at participating merchants and entered their name into the drawing is eligible).   Come out and have some hot chocolate and see who won $500, $200, $100 (2) or $50 (2) for shopping in Watonga -- it might be you! 

OK. I'm tired of typing for now.  Time to get out and SHOP!  But check back later for more news.
/linda

Thanksgiving

The beginning of the holiday season started this past week with a covering of snow and freezing temperatures!  On Sunday Nov. 24, the Ministerial Alliance of Watonga hosted the annual Community Thanksgiving dinner at the Foley Building at the County Fairgrounds.  Many of our local churches, both ministers and members, provided the food, cooked, and served the homemade meal, including the Oasis Church, First United Methodist Church, Christian Church, First Baptist Church, New Hope Baptist Church, Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, and the Nazarene Church.  If I've neglected to mention any church by name, please forgive me. Pastor Steve Davis from the Methodist Church gave a short sermon, and we were treated to some beautiful Christian music by Matt Giles and his wife, and from Doug Jackson and his daughter.  Applemarket donated 25 turkeys for the dinner.  Around 175 people showed up in spite of the cold snowy weather. The attendance shows us the need in our community, and those who worked on providing the dinner deserve a big "thank you" for their Christian spirit. 

Today is Thanksgiving Day.  It will be filled with football, family, friends and lots of food for most people. Let us be thankful for the blessings in our lives, not just today but every day of the year. Let us be thankful that there are people who care about others. Let us be civil in our conversations and discussions about local and world events even if we don't agree with one another.  And most of all, it is my prayer that we can all be kind to each other.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY to all!
/Linda

Thur 11/21/2013

It is sad when people become so closed-minded that their bitterness is all that comes through. When a person who claims to be a Christian cannot accept that there are those who disagree with him/her and bad-mouths that person, smiles and even gives gifts to that person but then stabs them in the back, they've lost sight of what it means to be a Christian.

This blog is intended to report what is going on in Watonga and surrounding area that I hear about so that information can be shared and not hidden.  It covers both good and bad. We've tried to balance reports of actions taken by our City officials to reports of upcoming events in the community.  We welcome comments but only ask that they are not racist, unintelligible, or just downright mean spirited.  One does not have to agree with what is written here. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. No one is blocked from commenting unless those comments become inappropriate in the arena of decency.  Let's please just keep a civil discourse going.   [Ed.]

Hearing on BARRETT v. CITY OF WATONGA

Thursday 11/14/2013
You'da'thunk the City of Watonga had a BIG court case going on over at the Blaine County Courthouse on Thursday.  All of the city bigwigs (except Leroy Lage)  were present and they even brought reinforcements.  City Clerk Harriett Nitzel brought her husband Terry Nitzel; ex-mayor Dale Green was present, current Mayor Clay Loosen and his girlfriend Nicole, and of course Dan Webber, City Attorney were present.  There was no reason for ANY of them to be there. The issue at hand was on a legal technicality and it was not a hearing on the facts of the case. The defendant's motion to dismiss would be decided from the written briefs and attorney arguments, not testimony by either party.  Nonetheless, the city officials took an hour and a half off from their work to sit quietly in the lobby. None of them were in the courtroom except for Dan Webber when the case of  LINDA BARRETT vs. CITY OF WATONGA was called for hearing on the Motion to Dismiss filed by the City's liability insurance carrier.  The matter was heard by a visiting Judge.  Dan Webber was permitted to sit in as an "observer".    

The basis of the motion to dismiss was that Ms. Barrett, the plaintiff, had not filed her lawsuit "timely".  Under state law, a person with a claim against a municipality cannot file a lawsuit until and unless specific pre-suit requirements are met under statute.  The claimant MUST give notice  of his/her claim to the government agency (the City) by a specific written notice with specific content to the City Clerk,  and wait 90 days for the City to consider it before the claimant can file a lawsuit.  Then any lawsuit must be filed within a certain time after the expiration of the 90 days. According to the law, the written claim MUST be given to the City Clerk (not the Mayor, not a councilman, not the city attorney). 
Prior to filing suit, Ms. Barrett had made several attempts to resolve her dispute with the City for wrongful termination (the basic facts are public record in plaintiff's petition) by correspondence with the Mayor and city councilmen and discussions with city council members about her claim prior to her formal notice to the City Clerk in November 2012.  During this time period, the City was in turmoil over the resignation by Dale Green and his subsequent refusal to honor that resignation;  the issue being brought up that any action taken by him or by city council while Mr. Green presided at city council meetings after his written resignation were of no effect; and the preparation of a complaint to be filed with the Oklahoma Attorney General to enforce Mr. Green's resignation and stop him from presiding over city council meetings.   On June 5, 2012, Clay Loosen presided over the council meeting as temporary mayor, and at that gathering Loosen announced to the public that he wanted "anyone who has a problem" with the city to try to work it out with the appropriate city department head and if  a resolution couldn't be accomplished, then to come to him before bringing matters to the city council.  [The official minutes of City council meetings generally document only the "action" taken on agenda items and how each councilmember voted.  The official minutes of the June 5, 2012 meeting do not reflect the Mayor's statement but a recording of the meeting does.  The City Clerk and Mayor claim that they do not have a recording of that meeting in 2012 because they do not keep recordings for more than three months.]  Following the then-sitting mayor's instructions, Ms. Barrett communicated with the Mayor, as the mayor had requested of the public and in an effort to avoid negative publicity for the City. [ As anyone can read in the plaintiff's petition, the allegations of conduct by the City Clerk are not pretty and specific evidence that would be presented at a trial would not put a good light on the city official(s).]  When the Mayor did not respond in any way to letters and phone calls, Ms. Barrett proceeded with a formal notice to the City Clerk, as required by statute, which was received by the Clerk on November 26, and then proceeded to file the lawsuit.

At the hearing on Thursday, plaintiff's attorney argued that" strict compliance with the statute" was required and followed with the November 26 notice to the City Clerk. The defendant's attorney argued that the earlier written and verbal communications to the Mayor constituted "constructive notice" to the City , that "strict compliance" with the statute requiring notice to the City Clerk was not required; therefore the lawsuit itself was not filed timely.  None of the facts of the case or the allegations of wrongdoing by the City Clerk were brought up. The Judge ruled in favor of the defendant's argument and the case was dismissed on the technicality of using the dates of earlier communications instead of the formal notice of November 26 as the beginning of the timeline.  The plaintiff's attorney gave notice that a motion to reconsider would be filed.
Another hearing will be scheduled.

Town Hall meeting with Frank Lucas

[Editor's note:   This is an essay.  It contains not only facts but also some of my personal views.]

Representative Frank Lucas was in Watonga on Thursday afternoon, preaching to his choir.  Less than twenty people (I counted fourteen) showed up and Mr. Lucas basically told his constituents what they wanted to hear:  that Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) is bad, that the Senate isn't helping matters, and that nothing is going to be done in Washington for the next couple of years except for possibly the passing of “his” Farm Bill.  

He did acknowledge that government is being strangled by (1) campaign finance reform that allowed contributions to political campaigns to go to PAC's, taking control of those funds out of the hands of the political parties with a wide platform and putting control into small groups with specific agendas; (2) the Supreme Court decision that allows corporations to be treated as individuals with regard to contributions to political campaigns (which means that the wealthy, individuals or businesses or unions, can basically push their agenda through with the size of their check); and (3) the public's general attitude of disgust with politicians.

One problem with our government is money in the political system; the other is that Congressmen are no longer statesmen but are strictly politicians.  Our government representatives seem to have lost the knack of working together toward a goal.  

Now that it is apparent that the Affordable Care Act is going to be the law of the land (in spite of all of the time and effort spent –in vain - to repeal it or modify it after the fact) the only thing Mr. Lucas seems to be interested in is pushing forward his Farm Bill.   It's a complicated matter and there are definitely many layers to the issue, but as long as the public keeps their heads turned toward one side of the fence and doesn't look at the other side, politicians like Frank Lucas will be able to use their speaking skills to convince their followers  that there is only one side to the issue. Except for a few intelligent comments and questions from the audience, the town hall meeting was like a  preacher giving a sermon to a group of true believers, with every derogatory word and phrase about President Obama and the current administration being responded to with an "Amen".

As for Obamacare (a derogatory term referring to the Affordable Care Act), which Mr. Lucas believes is bad for the country because it will be subsidized by federal spending, most of his gerrymandered constituents really don't know the details of what the law actually entails.  They only know what they've been told in unfavorable terms by politicians, news pundits, and talking heads who are against it.  If anyone would bother to listen to anything other than FOX entertainment, they might be able to see a positive side to Obamacare.  Talk to someone who will now be able to get health insurance coverage, or someone who will now be able to go to see a doctor without fear of getting a bill they cannot pay. 

The truth is that the Affordable Care Act will benefit MILLIONS of people, including YOUNG ADULTS, THE ELDERLY, THE UNEMPLOYED, PART-TIME EMPLOYEES, THE SELF-EMPLOYED, AND SOME DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS!  How?  Here's just one example:  Every person needs health care at some point in their lives.  Currently,  hospitals write-off possibly millions of dollars in medical care costs which they are unable to collect from the uninsured, the poor, the elderly, young adults who don't make enough to either pay for insurance or pay for their medical expenses. Under the ACA more of those costs will now be paid. The  less money the hospitals have to write-off, the less they will have to raise fees for medical care to make up for the write-offs.  Granted, insurance companies will probably raise their premium rates because that is the business they are in -- profit, profit, profit--not a touch of "compassionate conservatism" in their corporate bones.   The only involved industries that don't get a direct benefit from the ACA are insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies ....corporate entities that help keep politicians in office with their millions of dollars in campaign contributions. There are too many other benefits that the public will see in the future to list here, but anyone with an open mind can find some good in the new law and how it will help ordinary Americans.  No, it’s not the perfect answer, but a “perfect answer” has not been proposed by anyone; even if it were, someone would object.  We have to compromise and see what happens, and I personally don't see what use it is to bad-mouth the law at this point except to make the public more devisive (and disgusted with politicians).  Let's move on.  

Years ago (early 1980’s?) when HMO’s came onto the market, most everyone whined and complained about it.  But the system had it’s good side, and I for one am glad I had HMO coverage when my son was born premature and had to stay in the hospital for six weeks in NICU . I didn’t have to declare bankruptcy after giving birth to a child who needed special medical care and an extended stay in the hospital.  Yes, the doctor who delivered him was one “on call” and not the doctor I had seen two days earlier for a prenatal check, but in the moments between life and death, it didn’t matter who the insurance company was going to pay for the delivery.  As years went by, more and more people saw the benefits of the HMO system  and then the PPO system, one of which was cost savings to the consumer.  [My son is now a healthy 28 year old, not covered under his parents health insurance and cannot afford his own health insurance coverage.  Even with good health, he still needs to see a doctor once a year and has to pay for it out-of-pocket. ACA will at the minimum allow him to get affordable health insurance coverage.]  

Anyway, Mr. Lucas seems to have lost sight of the fact that his congressional district covers a large group who live below the poverty line or are disabled or unemployed, and the Affordable Care Act (he couldn't even use the correct term while speaking to the group; when corrected, he tried to call it mandated healthcare) will benefit a large number of his constituents.  These are not just people who are lazy and don’t want to work and don’t want to pay for health insurance or pay their medical bills.   But  Mr. Lucas is working for individuals and businesses who don't really have to worry about the everyday issues of putting food on the table or going to the doctor. He works for businesses and individuals with money and doesn't see why those that "have"  should contribute to provide health insurance or health care for those who cannot afford it. 

Ironically, in the long run they pay for it anyway!  

The most interesting  thing I heard Mr. Lucas say was that he and his staff are going to give up their health insurance through the federal government and sign up with the DC health coverage exchange (as soon as he can get on-line and get signed up--another jab at the administration).
What a good citizen, you might say,  giving "one for the gipper".  My question - why?  I asked, Why would you all give up your good insurance to go into the exchange that you all complain is so bad?  Well, it happens that the law contains a provision that says congressmen and their staff must get coverage through the exchange.  So, he isn't doing it voluntarily, but is being required to do so.   As for Congressmen continuing to be paid during the sequestration or the government "shut-down", Mr. Lucas explained that there was a provision US Constitution that prevented congress from being unpaid and Mr. Lucas made a reference to it being a result of King George's relationship with the English Parliament  [anyone want to look that up?  I did, and I contacted an expert on the Constitution. Like much of what politicians tell us, a half-truth.... ?]

There is so much that the public doesn't understand about the Affordable Care Act, and most of what is spread around on the internet and social media is either half-truths, flat-out lies, or statements made that skew the facts.  Yes, the Act does help those who cannot afford to pay for health insurance (or healthcare itself!) and since the private sector doesn’t work to make health care affordable, the government has to step in.  That is what government is for – to help those who CANNOT help themselves.  Unfortunately there are a lot of people who WILL NOT help themselves who get caught in that net. 

The current health insurance plans that people are complaining about having to drop are plans that do not meet the requirements under the ACA.  More about that later …

Thanks for reading.  

"Young cat, if you keep your eyes open enough, oh, the stuff you would learn! The most wonderful stuff!"  the beloved Dr. Seuss

 

City Council meeting 11/5/2013

The November 5 city council meeting was relatively short, was adjourned in about twenty minutes. All city councilmen were present except for Bobby Spencer. The City Clerk and City Attorney were also present.
The PublicWorks Authority meeting was longer and dealt mostly with discussion of the painting project at Mercy Hospital. I arrived late, at 7:40 p.m. and it appeared that the minutes and reports had already been approved, along with approval of  Police Chief Chris Teply’s salary in the amount of $1700.00 per pay period and approval of an additional salary to be paid to  Michael Herdman as Building Inspector in the amount of $300.00 per pay period.

 

I came into the meeting while the council was discussing a request from Mark Noe to place a 4X8 sign advertising his crop spraying operation on the Watonga Corporate Hangar, which he rents.  The matter was tabled and referred to the Airport Committee (Olsen, Spencer, and Province) to discuss what fee should be charged for that advertising sign.  The Airport Committee will meet on Monday, Nov. 18 at 6:30.  Clay suggested that they meet at the airport terminal so that the committee members can see the work that has been done at the airport terminal.

 

That was the last action item on the agenda, and the Mayor then announced the meeting open for discussion of old/new business.  

 

Kendra Baker commented that the restrooms in the common area of the City Hall building were not handicapped accessible.  People have to be carried in to use the toilet. Fire Chief Verlin Bills said that the door to the restroom itself is not wide enough for a wheelchair so it didn't really matter if the stalls are accessible -- you can't get a wheelchair into the room in the first place. There was discussion about the need to be ADA complaint and questions raised as to why the building (and specifically the restrooms) are not compliant, and what would need to be done to make them compliant. Clay said that he has "never thought about it before."  Doyle suggested that nothing be done at this time but that the matter be considered at budget time next year as it will involve a construction project. Olsen said something about limiting the number of people who can attend meetings if there is not an ADA compliant restroom.  Edna Justice said that the one restroom in her business building had to be ADA compliant.  Verlin Bills said he has a whole list of needed renovations for the City Hall. [there was aa lot of talking over each other during this portion of the meeting -- if anyone has a question about this transcript, a recording of the meeting can be listened to at the City Clerk's office].  Clay ended the discussion saying that the matter will be considered at next year's budget discussions. 

 

Edna Justice asked if the water tower was up and going and Warren replied that it is, that they have 60 to 62 pounds pressure and have been fixing leaks. 

Richard Hightower then brought up Code Enforcement.  He said he had not objected to paying Mr. Herdman an extra $150.00 provided he does the required inspections.  With Mr. Herdman being assigned new duties and with Chris Teply taking over as new police chief, and now that the lawn-mowing season is pretty much over, Mr. Hightower asked if these city officers can work on code enforcement.  Chris Teply said he intended to get on it but has just been able to keep up with crimes in town.  Mr. Hightower requested that the Council receive monthly reports by the police department and by the code enforcement officers on the status of actions being taken (letters sent, citations issued, vehicles towed) so that the council knows exactly what code enforcement efforts are being taken.  He noted that the Council has had no measurable way to know what the city has been doing about code enforcement and he requested monthly reports.  Clay said that would be no problem.
Chief Teply also said he would provide monthly reports. 
Clay noted that Chief Teply has had removed all of the illegal signs on street corners advertising businesses and returned them to the businesses with notice that they are violations of state law and city code.  Signs put out in the future will be picked up and destroyed.

Doyle Province brought up the torn-up condition  of Skyview Drive, and was told that the cracks and holes in the street are because of the water main line that goes down the middle of that street.  Warren Rice indicated it would do no good to make repairs until such time as Marvin can overlay the entire street. 
 

Clay Loosen indicated that  Mrs. Laughlin (the wife of Vance Laughlin, new warden of Diamondback) has been contacted and will be interviewed for the finance director position after they move to Watonga.  When asked "when will that be", Clay said that they were supposed to have moved here by the end of October but he hasn't heard anything more. 
Clay said that the bid awarded to  Aaron's Home Entertainment for the video camera installation project has been put aside because Aaron's could not get a bond.  [according to a contact in the office of the Oklahoma Attorney General, a bid is supposed to include the bidding company's bond at the time it is submitted--there may be some "exceptions"or extenuating circumstances but this is the general rule].  The City has therefore awarded the job to Pioneer Telephone, which presented the next lowest bid in the amount of $26,360.
Clay reported that the airport lights are now installed and they have received a letter from the engineer firm that that project is complete, so the City is ready to move onto the next project on the FAA's plan.  Clay also said that the fire truck is fixed, the pump is working, and Lloyd Hursh, airport manager, has been selling gas. 
The council meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
 
The Public Works Authority meeting began immediately thereafter.  Reports and claims were approved and the meeting then took up the action items.

 Nov. 5 2013  PWA Action Agenda 
Council members discussed the  removal and reconstruction of a closure of the west side outlet of the Mercy Watonga Hospital by Gordon Construction, in the amount of $4950.00.  There was a question by council as to whether or not this project was the same as or a portion of another project previously approved by the Council, and Robbie Pearson from Mercy stated that it was not.   The expenditure was approved.

 

There was extensive discussion regarding the withdrawal of  part of the bid from Breeden Painting Company for the painting project at Mercy Watonga Hospital.  Breeden Painting Company has requested to withdraw its bid for the interior painting job but wants to continue with the painting of the exterior of the Mercy Watonga Hospital.  The reason for the request to withdraw the interior painting bid was a misunderstanding of the nature and extent of the work to be performed on the interior relating to removal of wallpaper and putting on texture.  The Clerk did not have a copy of the newspaper notice with the specs as published for the council to look at. There was no other bid presented for the job, so the council could not simply take the next lowest bid (as they did with the video surveillance equipment bids). 
City Attorney Dan Webber stated that the options available to the City are:  (1) put the entire project out for bid again;  release Breeden from its bid on the interior and publish for new bids for the interior; sue Breeden for "specific performance", requiring them to do the job; or "mitigation" -- hire someone else to do the entire job (interior and exterior) and sue Breeden for the difference in cost.  Mike Childs, who is responsible for all of Mercy's facilities in Western Oklahoma, gave his opinion that the job be rebid with a more definitive statement of what the job entails.  The City Clerk asked Robbie to get her the specific information for her to put in the legal notice of bids. Gary Olsen expressed concern that a new bid will be higher now that the previously accepted bid numbers are public.  Motion to rebid the project was made, seconded and approved.  New bids will be opened at the December 3 City Council meeting.
  

Mike Childs and Darin Ratliff of Mercy Hospital were present to discuss the Heating and Air System at the Hospital.  Mr. Ratliff is an expert on Trane equipment. They presented a proposal showing what needs to be done on the HVAC system immediately for the comfort of patients.  Mr. Hightower indicated that he had met with the Mercy representatives and Robbie Pearson to go over all the shortcomings of the current heating and AC system.  The current system at the hospital is a 1967 model and none of it is "working the way it is supposed to."   The estimated cost of trying to repair the current system is $33,362.00, with no way of knowing what the system needs and the nature and extent of additional repairs once that exploratory and diagnostic work is done.  They gave a "ballpark" estimate for a new system to be $150,000 to $200,000.00.  Brent Wilkinson asked if Mercy has any recommendations for an engineer the City can talk to, and Mr. Ratliff said he would get a name to Brent. 
It was decided that the situation be declared an emergency and that the Council  hold a special meeting of the Public Works Authority to vote on (1) accepting the proposal for temporary repairs and going out for bids on that job; and (2) going out for bids to hire an engineer to oversee the repair/replacement of the HVAC system at Mercy Hospital.  The special meeting is scheduled for November 12 at 7:30 at the City Council chamber.  An agenda will be posted at the City Clerk's office by Friday, Nov. 8. 
 

Whew!  No other business was discussed. 

 

 

New Places in Watonga

On Thursday evening, I ate at the Eagle's Nest, which is located across the street from the high school.  It is now under new ownership and Levi McKinsey has added to the menu a delicious dish of rice, and a Phillipino eggroll called a "lumpia".  It is lighter than an eggroll and filled with a flavorful meat instead of vegetables.   They are now open from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm every weekday. She also features "specials of the day".  Students can pre-order in the morning and have their lunch ready to pick up and eat at the beginning of their short lunch period.  Being open in the evenings is a big plus for our community, so show your support by eating dinner there sometime.  She also has the regular favorites that have always been on the Eagle's Nest menu. Prices are very reasonable.

Another dinner option on Friday and Saturday is Smokin' Eddie's BBQ at the Noble House Restaurant.  Open from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eddie serves BBQ sandwiches (beef and pork), smoked ribs and chicken, and maybe even hamburgers (call for the complete menu!) along with choices of side dishes: french fries, green beans, baked potatoe, beans, cole slaw, break and side salad. Eddie's is a good dinner option on football nights as he can get to-go orders ready before the game!

A couple of new shops have also opened on Noble Street.  Maggie Tookolo has opened a vintage store across the street from the Noble House restaurant called Aunt Toot's.  She carries "shabby chic" and repurposed items -- old furniture that has been painted and refinished, antiques, and  interesting handmade gift items.  Maggie grew up here and has brought some neat things to Watonga that aren't available in the Country Antique store or other shops.  A great place to get Christmas gifts this year!! Go by and say "hi" and show her that Watonga supports new businesses.

Next to Aunt Toot's is another new gift shop, Random Halos, owned by Angel Gibson.  Not just another gift shop, Angel also carries interesting handmade crafts and gift items.  I haven't spent too much time in this shop yet but will write more when I do.  I did notice a very cool art drawing on a green door -- you'll have to go by and see for yourself.  

The Liquid ART events are going to start up again now that Cheese Festival is over. We are planning on meeting on Saturday, November 16 at 6:30 at the Whirlwind Winery.  I'll be posting our "inspiration piece" on the watonga news blog Facebook page soon.  We already have several reservations but still some spots left, so call 623-4269 or the Whirlwind Winery to reserve your place, as space is limited.  Don Molnar will be tending the wine store today and Saturday, so if you are out and about on Main Stree, you can stop in and let him know also if you want to come to the Liquid ART evening.  The cost is a $35.00 donation to the Phoenix Circle Foundation. All supplies are provided for you to paint a picture and take it home, and the remaining proceeds go to provide an after-school art program to high school students here in Watonga.  The evening is a partnership event co-sponsored by the Whirlwind Winery and the Phoenix Circle Foundation (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization).  Why drive to Oklahoma City for "Wine & Palette" when you can do the same thing here in Watonga!

As I've said in a previous post, Watonga has some good things going on that we as a community can build on to attract visitors.  Does everyone know about the music shows scheduled at the Roman Nose State Park Lodge in November & December? Check it out!
 

Notes from OKLAHOMA ART COUNCIL annual conference

After three days of discussions and workshops with three hundred art advocates from around the state of Oklahoma, I am reinforced in my belief that Watonga can be a vital place to live and an attraction to people from all across the state and neighboring states.

The focus of the Oklahoma Arts Council annual meeting was not just "making art". It was how the arts can be used in any, and every, town to enhance the education of our children and citizens; to boost economic development; and to improve quality of life. The concepts presented at the conference apply to EVERY town, regardless of size.

Watonga has the "good bones" upon which to build a community where people want to come (and spend money). In one of the workshops I attended, the question was posed to every attendee: what does your town have to offer right now. I was able to say that we have a State Park, a stained glass studio and store, a fabric arts store, a winery, an historic theatre that is used for live performances and a theatre company, a lovely park with a stage, the Armory, antique stores, gift shops, many local talented musicians ..... several civic clubs  ... an active senior citizen center ...  a quilt guild ... a hospital...  an established annual Festival.  [please feel free to send comments on what other assets we have here in Watonga].  So why aren't we drawing people to Watonga with these assets? Because we aren't organized about promoting our town and events.

It will take the partnership and cooperation of the Main Street Association, the City government, the Chamber of Commerce, civic groups, businesses, non-profit organizations, the school administration, and each and every individual who is interested in progress for our town.   It will take some new ideas and willingness to have an open mind in implementing those ideas.  Many of us don't just want simple bare survival. Some of us want better for the town. We want the city to have the money it needs to provide the services we all need. We want good streets, more beauty, more opportunities more local jobs ..... We want higher salaries for city employees. We want what other towns, large and small, have been able to provide by incorporating ART into the fabric of our lives here. We want businesses and attractions that will draw people to Watonga and spend money here. What this path will bring to Watonga is SALES TAX DOLLARS. This path will not only bring in more tax dollars, but can also be a way to keep young people here and possibly even bring young people back here to live and work.
   
Watch here for more about a vision statement and a plan of action for Watonga's future.

Answer to Police Question

Thanks to those who responded with an answer to my last post -- I've been told that the police officer and his passenger had indeed transported someone to OKC.  That was the question. The facts were reported but I also made an assumption.  I apologize for the "conclusion" I made about abuse of resources, which was only based on previous experiences and not this particular event.
The purpose of this blog is communication and information, and I'm glad people are reading and responding.  In the future I'll keep my assumptions out of posts.  I truly abide by the adage "when you assume, you make an "ass of u and me" and I did so in the comment in that post. I hope all of my followers will continue to read and comment!  /Linda
 

POLICE question

Fri. Oct. 25.
Does anyone know the explanation for why a Watonga police officer drove a city police vehicle to the Cherokee stop at Hwy 281 and I-40 after 10:00 p.m. on Thursday evening, with a civilian passenger?  Was the officer on duty at the time?  Unless there was some official business conducted (and it didn't appear so, as the couple went into the Subway store, purchased some food, and then drove back to Watonga), it would appear that the trip was an abuse and misuse of City resources.  If someone has an explanation, please comment!

The Watonga Liberty Theatre

A Watonga city official recently said that the Watonga Theatre (Liberty Theatre) has been "defaced".

Over two years ago, the Watonga Theatre Board presented a plan to the City Council to revitalize the outside of the theatre.  The City Council approved the plan and even contributed some money toward the project (the bulk of the project was paid for by the Theatre Board). The tile work was done by volunteers, and a  design for the windows was commissioned instead of having to spend the money to replace those windows.  Even the artist donated his time and talent in designing the artwork and etching it.  
If you haven't gone by and looked at the front of the theatre and the windows, please do.  According to the artist, the window etching represents the sun shining on Oklahoma wheat stalks.  It is an "art deco" design in keeping with the age of the theatre.  There is still some work left to be done to complete the project.  Once finished, the building will be a showpiece on Main Street. 


 

Photos from Watonga Cheese & Wine Festival

All photos by Linda Barrett

   WATONGA HIGH SCHOOL BAND ENSEMBLE led by Brian Pope

 

                                            JENNIFER BASE receiving the Knudsen Cup for "BEST OF SHOW"

at the first annual OGIC Oklahoma Wine Competition.  



 

                 WE WERE GRACED WITH THE BEAUTIFUL VOICE OF ALISON CLARK, singing America the Beautiful at the end of the opening ceremony on Friday. 

 

ZUMBA demonstration by our local ZUMBA group

Watonga City Government -- Part 1

Comments and questions made by the public at the Oct. 15 City Council meeting has prompted some research on the procedures set out under State law and in the Watonga City Code pertaining to the mayor's powers to hire and fire personnel.

STATE LAW - Forms of Government in Oklahoma

1.        Aldermanic Form of Government (form of government in the City of Watonga)

Title 11. Cities and Towns  Article IX - Aldermanic Form of Government Section 9-104 - Mayor - Duties as President of Council.

The mayor shall preside at meetings of the council, and shall certify to the correct enrollment of all ordinances and resolutions passed by it. The mayor is not considered a member of the council for quorum or voting purposes; except that he may vote on questions under consideration by the council only when the council is equally divided.

Title 11. Cities and Towns  Article IX - Aldermanic Form of Government Section 9-105 - Mayor - Duties as Chief Executive Officer.

The mayor shall be chief executive officer of the administrative branch of the government of the city. The mayor shall be recognized as the head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes and by the Governor for purposes of military law. The mayor shall:

1. appoint, subject to confirmation by the city council, a city attorney and all heads or directors of administrative departments including members of boards and commissions and shall appoint all other administrative officers and employees of the city; and

2. sign the commissions and appointments of all officers, elected or appointed; and

3. remove or suspend city officers or employees against whom charges of incompetency, neglect, or violation of duty are made, until such time as the council shall take action on the charges; and

4. supervise and control all administrative departments, agencies, officers, and employees, act promptly on a charge of neglect or violation of duty of any officer or employee, and require any officer to account for and report to the council in writing on any subject pertaining to the duties, powers, or functions of the officer when the mayor deems necessary; and

5. prepare a budget annually and submit it to the council. The mayor shall be responsible for the administration of the budget after it goes into effect; and

6. keep the council advised of the financial condition and future needs of the city. The mayor shall submit to the council a report after the end of the fiscal year on the finances and administrative activities of the city for the preceding year; and

7. make recommendations to the council of measures for the well-being of the city; and

8. enforce the city ordinances; and

9. grant pardons for violation of city ordinances, including the remission of fines and costs, subject to the approval of the council. Said approval may only be given at a meeting of the council after the reasons and order of remission or pardon have been entered on the journal; and

10. have such other powers, duties, and functions as may be prescribed by law or by ordinance.

Title 11. Cities and Towns  Article IX - Aldermanic Form of Government

Section 9-106 - Mayor - Signing Ordinances - Veto Power

The mayor may sign or veto any city ordinance or resolution passed by the city council.

Any ordinance or resolution vetoed by the mayor may be passed over his veto by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the council. If the mayor neglects or refuses to sign any ordinance or return it with his objections in writing at the next regular meeting of the council, the ordinance shall become law without his signature.

[Emphasis added.]


CITY CODE 
Chapter 2 - MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
2-201  Mayor, Duties.
          The Mayor shall preside at meetings of the council and certify to the correct enrollment of all ordinances and resolutions passed by it.  The mayor is not considered a member of the council for quorum or voting purposes, except that he may vote on questions under consideration by the council only when the council is equally divided.  The mayor may sign or veto any city ordinance or resolution passed by the city council.  The mayor shall be chief executive officer and head of the administrative branch of the city government.  He is also recognized as the head of the city government for all ceremonial purposes and by the governor for purposes of military law. He shall have such powers and duties as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.
State law reference:  Powers of mayor and duties, 11 O.S. sec. 9-104 through 9-106

***
2-408  Suspension and Termination Procedure.
         Specific procedures for suspension or termination of a city employee shall be as follows [emphasis added]:
         1.  The city through the mayor hasthe proper authority and power to suspend with or without pay or to terminate employment of any city employee and the mayor hereby delegates the authority to suspend to each appointed department head, who is a regularly elected city official or who has been appointed, as required by law, to fulfill an unexpired term of office of any regularly elected city official;
        2.  The department head, after taking suspension action, shall within three (3) working days thereafter submit to the mayor in writing a detailed and specific report outlining the suspension and recommend to the mayor and council  a course of action.  Failure to take the aforesaid action by the department head shall result in automatic reinstatement of suspended employee;
        3.  Any employee so suspended, or terminated under the provision of Paragraph A of this section  shall retain the right to request in writing review of the decision at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the council, or at any special meeting of the council which may be called for this purpose.  After reviewing the decision the council may make a formal recommendation to the mayor;
         4.  In the event of suspension, it is the ultimate and final decision of the mayor, whether to retain or terminate the employee, after previous suspension.  The mayor shall within a reasonable time, give notice of his decision by letter to the department head affected and to the employee involved; and
          5.  In the event of termination under the provisions of Paragraph A of this section, the mayor may, after review and recommendation as provided in Subparagraph C above, either affirm or reverse the order of termination. 
State law reference:  11 O.S. sec. 9-105 states the mayor may remove or suspend only until council can take action on the charges. 

NOTE: There is NO Paragraph A or Subparagraph C as referred to in the above sections of the City Code. 

The City also has an Employee Handbook that sets out the procedure for reprimands, suspensions, and termination, which the City Clerk does not follow.
 

City Council meeting Oct. 15

Oct.15, 2013
The City Council meeting this evening was, in spite of Mayor Loosen's tactics to keep it from being, a circus. It was attended by over 60 people and was held in the City Hall auditorium.  All City Council persons were present except for Richard Hightower. 

The Mayor started the meeting by saying he would not listen to any comments from the public until after the meeting, until after all matters had been voted on.  That  kind of defeats the purpose of a "public meeting", and there were several objections from the audience to that mandate. But the Mayor ignored those who tried to speak up.  The Mayor did not repeat his warning to the public to not record anything during the meeting.

The subject in contention was the appointment of Chris Teply as new Police Chief.  Evidently, not many of the Watonga Police Officers are in favor of hiring Chris Teply and two officers tried to express their dissatisfaction, but the Mayor would hear none of it.  Mayor Loosen stated that, in spite of the Police Committee being unable to make a recommendation for police chief, he was going to name Chris Teply as new Chief.  (The Police Committee is comprised of three City Council persons, and the vote at the committee meeting was 1 vote for Teply, 1 vote for Almaguer, and 1 vote for a candidate named Cancemi.)  Then he called for a vote of the City Council and Teply was approved by one vote.

The question that several people tried to raise was whether or not Mayor Loosen followed the proper procedure in dismissing/firing John Massey from his position as police chief.  And in fact, he did not follow proper procedure (according to the City's employee manual and, some say, the City Code) but it is Clay's opinion that he does not have to follow procedure -- he says he has the power, as Mayor, to hire and fire without city council approval. Though he brought Teply's appointment to the Council for approval, he did not ask for a vote of city council to approve his firing of John Massey.  Mayor Loosen said he didn't need to get a vote -- he told the meeting last night that he had talked about his reasons for firing John Massey in executive session and that's all he needed to do.  Both Kendra Baker and Edna Justice commented that there had not been a "vote" to approve his action in that executive session.

Most of the other discussion of items on the agenda were inaudible except for some discussion about hiring a new financial director.  Doyle Province is against hiring a new person, in spite of the variances in monthly charges billed by RS Meachum, the current CPA firm that the City employs.  This was not an action item on the agenda, so there was nothing to be voted on by the Council this evening. 

The Mayor then called out Andy Barrett, and complained that the Liberty theatre windows had been "defaced" without the City's permission.   Mr. Barrett replied that he had been commissioned by the Watonga Theatre Board to do that art work, and he asked Mr. Mayor if  he didn't like it. The Mayor replied that whether or not he liked it didn't matter; that Mr. Barrett should have asked permission from the City to do the etching.  Mr. Barrett again referred him to Patt Curtin and the Watonga Theatre Board if Clay has any questions about the work done at the Theatre.  A NOTE:  Clay Loosen was not the Mayor when the Watonga Theatre Board asked for permission of the City Council to renovate the front of the theatre building -- and in fact the City even voted to expend funds for the renovation!   Now, at the urging of some unknown malcontent (though we all know who is whispering in the Mayor's ear), Clay Loosen wants to complain about the artwork because HE wasn't asked for permission or for approval of the design. The Theatre Board and Mr. Barrett have been working on the theatre renovations for over two years and this is the first time anyone from the City has had anything to say about it!  [Ed.note - this is merely an attempt at more retribution by the Mayor and Ms.Nitzel against me for standing up to the City for their illegal and unethical actions, and only serves to bring their wrong actions more vividly into the public eye. /Linda]

Throughout the meeting there were calls from the audience for a "recall" of the Mayor, and at the end a contingent was asking for an investigation of our City government by the Oklahoma Attorney General.

Watonga Cheese & Wine Festival -- Update #1

The 37th annual Watonga Cheese Festival (now known as the WATONGA CHEESE & WINE FESTIVAL, is now over and reports are coming in from the chairpersons of the various events, with very positive results. 

Unfortunately, Saturday morning was marred by an incident involving an elderly man who ran through a rope barricade with his truck and hit a pedestrian, causing severe injury to her.  The incident could have been avoided had the local police not been "too busy" to put up the more substantial wooden "sawhorse" barricades as they have done in past years. It is not yet known if the driver of the truck was incapacitated, or if he was arrested.  The city police department is closed on Monday for Columbus Day, so we'll have to wait until later in the week to see a report of the incident.

Fortunately, that seemed to be the only cloud over the Festival. The weather was cool in the morning and sunny and warm in the afternoons. The Oklahoma wind wasn't strong enough to disrupt the activities.  On Thursday afternoon the town was bustling with vendors setting up their booths and food trucks. Set-up time can be disruptive to some of the merchants on Main Street, but until the City closes off the entire street there is plenty of commerce that goes on, and plenty of parking for merchants and their customers.  Most Watongans understand that this disruption is only for one weekend out of the year, and the benefits to the town far outweigh the inconvenience of someone having to move their car from their regular parking space in order to allow a vendor to set up.   

This festival has been going on for thirty-seven years (though not always on Main Street), and the visitors here on Friday was reminiscent of the days before the 2007 hurricane.  Conspicuously absent  from participation and helping was the Main Street Association board and members, though many of the merchants on Main Street benefitted from the influx of visitors to the town. The City itself (and its residents) will benefit from the extra sales tax dollars the Festival brings in.  The Mayor was unavailable to appear during the opening ceremonies to welcome visitors but he was seen helping with the ticket booths later that day. The new pastor at the 1st United Methodist Church was on hand to give a prayer at the opening ceremony, which was followed by the entire audience participating in the Pledge of Allegiance.  As is tradition, an ensemble from the Watonga High School band performed before the opening ceremony and then played the Star Stangled Banner after the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Andy Barrett thanked all of the people involved in putting together the Festival and all of the Sponsors, businesses, and local citizens who donated money to support the Festival.  Unless you've been involved in organizing the festival, you may not know how much money it takes to it put on.  The Chamber of Commerce relies on ticket sales (wristbands) to pay for the bulk of the expense, but without the cash Sponsors and support of local businessmen and citizens, the Festival wouldn't have as many activities and entertainment to attract people to Watonga.  The Festival can no longer rely solely on Watonga and Blaine County residents to bring in the dollars needed to sustain the Festival.  It is for that reason that the Festival organizers have taken action to market and publicize the Cheese Festival to Oklahoma City and its suburbs.  And this year's marketing efforts seem to have paid off.  We'll have more figures on a later post, but judging from the crowds that were present on the streets and the feedback of the vendors, we had a lot of new visitors to Watonga this weekend!!

Watch here for more news about the Festival!  /Linda

No news is good news?

A couple of things were accomplished at the October 1 City Council meeting.

On the recommendation of the Building Committee, which met on Monday evening, the council unanimously voted to  approve Land Run properties to be given for "investment" (rental) property, including multi-family buildings,  subject to approval of re-zoning as applicable.  There was much discussion of the subject and it is hoped that it doesn't have to be revised again other than for zoning decisions.  That is where the public has a chance to have its say -- at Zoning Committee meetings -- so watch for postings of the meetings.  Even though it is the policy of City officials to discourage the public's attendance at Committee meetings, and they don't feel the need to publish minutes or notes from those meetings (their answer to complaints about that is "we aren't legally required to do so," it is the citizens' right to attend and give input BEFORE DECISIONS ARE MADE FINAL. 

In executive session, which was closed off to the press and to the public, Mayor Clay Loosen explained to the City Council his reasons for

firing Police Chief John Massey. Pretty much what was in Wednesday's newspaper article. Though there have been calls of support for Massey, the bottom line is, he hasn't been doing a good job as police chief.  We'll have to wait until the next issue of the Republican to see if Mayor Loosen gives a comment following the executive session, as he said he would. 

There was more discussion about Code Enforcement -- there was no item on the agenda but under new/old business, Councilman Richard Hightower continues to ask the Mayor "what's being done about code enforcement".  The answer is: not much other than notice letters mailed and yards being mowed. No citations are being issued under any of the three Chapters of code violations [yards with weeds and trash; abandoned and junk vehicles; and health and safety hazards/dilapidated buildings].  The Fire Marshall is not taking action on dilapidated buildings that are fire and safety hazards.  A proposal presented at a prior council meeting to hire a private contractor to do code enforcement has evidently been put on a back burner.  After the upcoming cheese festival, I will publish the Codes and remedies it provides.  

 

Speaking of cheese festival, city employees have been busy around town painting new stripes on the streets in preparation for the annual Festival.

 

Bids for painting jobs at Mercy Hospital, of approx. $60,000 for inside and outside, were accepted at the Public Works Authority meeting.   

 

/Linda

OGIC Wine Competition

Saturday was a busy day for a group of Watongans working on the upcoming Cheese & Wine Festival.  Andy and Linda, proprietors of the Chaparral Retreat & Guesthouse, hosted the first (hopefully annual) official Oklahoma Grape Industry Council wine competition at their quiet and peaceful place just outside of Watonga.  Brad Stinson, owner of the Whirlwind Winery, and Andy worked with Dr. William McGlynn from OSU to put  the contest together.  Dr. McGlynn along with Amie Hendrickson and Clayton Bahr  acted as judges.  They tasted and critiqued sixty-five different Oklahoma wines and graded them on a number scale.  It was a blind taste test, with the Judges not knowing what wines were from what winery. Entries came in from all across the state of Oklahoma. Local attorney Vicki Williams acted as wine steward, while Tanya Stinson and Maria Laubach helped with rotating wine glasses for the numerous wines. Lunch was served and it was a perfect day to sit outside on the patio and eat.
 The number grades for each wine were entered into a program and scores tabulated, and then forwarded to OGIC. The Best of Show and medal winners will be announced soon by the OGIC. 

The winning wineries will be represented at the Watonga Cheese & Wine Festival on Oct. 11 and Oct 12, and the public will have an opportunity to taste the wines and choose a "People's Choice" by popular vote.  Watonga is getting lots of publicity for  the Cheese Festival this year, so if the weather holds out it may bring record crowds to Watonga. The Chamber of Commerce wants to thank the advertising agency StapleGun for all of their help and guidance in promoting our festival  [in addition to the article in the Tulsa World, I even heard the guys on 96.9 FM radio talking about the Festival! -- that's a first for Watonga!!]   Andy Barrett and Brad Stinson will be appearing on Channel 43 on the morning show (Rise & Shine) on October 8 at 8:15 a.m. to promote the festival.
  /Linda

Sept. 16 City Council meeting

After hearing a last night’s city council meeting and talking to a couple of people who were present,  it is frustrating to see that some of our city leaders are simply against doing anything to bring people and money into this community.  It was also good to hear from those city council persons who understand what it is going to take to better our community.    

[by way of background: Some time ago, the Chamber of Commerce worked with the Watonga Action Committee (WAC) to come up with a program called the “Watonga Land Run”.   Blaine County has many properties on their rolls that are abandoned or had been deeded to the County for unpaid taxes.   These vacant lots have a negative impact on our city and county.  The County was willing to transfer title to some of those properties to the City under the “Land Run” program, which would in turn give the real estate to anyone willing to build a residence.  Changing the character of empty lots into homesites would provide not only water and sewer and electricity income to the City, but would also provide property taxes to the County, not to mention other economic benefits to the community.  After several months of getting the details of the Land Run worked out between the City Attorney and the Mayor’s office, a list of properties available from the County was approved by the City Council to be transferred to the City.   The meetings where those matters were approved were on or about May 2012. ]  

On the Agenda of last night's meeting were three items in connection  with the Land Run.
Approval to transfer six specific Lots to the City for the Land Run was once again on the agenda.  Although a list of lots was approved by City Council back in 2012, a recent review of the records at the County Treasurer’s office revealed that only a few of the lots approved for the Land Run were actually legally transferred to the City of Watonga. Now the matter has to be revisited by the City Council.  The Watonga Action Committee reviewed the list of lots presented to the City Council in 2012 and weeded out lots that might not be appropriate for building for one reason or another, like being in a flood zone.  Six lots were listed on this week’s agenda to be transferred from the County to the City.   However, the property at 516 N. Montgomery was said to be in a flood zone.  Harriette Nitzel stated that the property at 1015 N. Leach St. had already been transferred to the City, but the City Clerk could not produce a copy of the deed at this meeting.  Additional research will be done by WAC committee members to determine the status of the Leach St. property.  

Agenda item #9 was also miss-stated in the posted agenda.   [Who asked for  item #9 to be put on the agenda -- the WAC committee did not.  The Land Run documents already approved by Dan Webber and City Council allow for land to be used as an investment-- the program allows for a house to be constructed and used as rental property.]  The Land Run documents DO NOT allow for multi-family housing, which City Attorney Dan Webber pointed this in the meeting though not stated on the Agenda as the issue before the Council. 

A request from Gene Pfughoft (from CORD) to acquire the property known as Block 4, Lots 1-4, under the Land Run, was tabled on the grounds that he wants to build “investment property”.

Doyle Province voiced his objection to  property being “given” to an investor.  [Disregard the fact that these lots are costing the City money to maintain while not being used -- and could generate hundreds of dollars in revenues if given away to be built on.]  This item was tabled for further research as to what amount could be charged for empty lots in the City of Watonga.  The figure of $500 was thrown out.  Discussion and hopefully action will be put on a future agenda. Doyle Province wants to see what prices have been obtained for other empty lots auctioned off by the County.   A compromise was proposed by a WAC member:  that the City approve the building of multi-family housing on Land Run properties for a period of one year, and then reevaluate if such a program will benefit the City.  That idea was dismissed. 

 [Auctioning off property for unpaid taxes is one thing, but when the property also has multiple  unpaid liens from the City, the sales price generally does not cover both.  For example, one particular property we looked at has unpaid property taxes from  2010, 2011, 2012  totalling approximately $1,000.00,  but also has additional City liens of $300+ for mowing the property over three years.  The building itself is abandoned, unoccupied, and open to the elements --a health and safety hazard to our community.   NO ONE is going to pay $1,300.00 plus for  a lot that will require an additional investment of over $2500.00  just to tear down and clear off the existing structure to get the lot ready to build on!   This is a perfect example of a lot that should  go into the Land Run program and given to someone willing to put money into it by building a house on it.  Right now that property is costing the City money and generating nothing in the way of utilities or taxes.  Allowing someone to build on it would not only remove an expense from the City and County but would also generate actual income for the County and the City in utility services and property taxes, not to mention sales taxes and income to local businesses!   How hard is this to understand?]  
 The Agenda for both the zoning committee and the City Council meeting on Sept. 16 indicated that the owners of 616-618-620 N. Montgomery wanted to put a modular home on the lot(s).  That was an incorrect posting by the City Clerk.   In fact, the property owners requested that they be allowed to put a mobile home on the lot(s).    In the past, an error in posting required that the matter be re-posted correctly and re-published in the newspaper and then placed on the next agenda for action.  However, at last night’s City Council meeting, the Council voted to allow one mobile home to be put on the property. [ There is a difference between a mobile home and a modular home, and even the City Council has, in the past, indicated where they won’t allow a mobile home but would allow a modular home in some locations.   Where a neighbor might not appear to object to a modular home, one might appear to object to a mobile home -- but hey, the public wasn't given the correct information in legal postings put out by the City Clerk.]
A lease of the city-owned property at 203 N. Weigle, previously leased to Phoenix Circle Foundation for use by Dr. Robert Spencer as the Watonga Medical Clinic, has expired.   Mercy Hospital has asked to lease the property and use it as “Mercy Clinic”.  The terms of the lease were discussed.  Richard Hightower raised the question of responsibility for maintenance of the building.  A motion as made and approved to lease the property for the sum of $350.00 per month, using the same lease that was used for Phoenix Circle Foundation.  A copy of the proposed lease was not made available to the meeting.

Consideration and discussion to address the sub-leasing of office space by Opportunities to other parties was deferred to item #7 on the agenda, which was consideration to renew the contract with Opportunities Inc. for use of property (the old police station) for $200.00 per month.    The Council voted to renew the contract with the proviso that any sublease must be approved by City Council.  No written contract was provided for councilmembers to review.

Donnie Dunn, Park Department head, will be having shoulder surgery and unable to work for an extended period of time, including the remainder of the summer season.  TJ Douglas, who is a current part-time employee with the Park Dept., will exceed the 1,000 hours allowed for a part-time employee.  The City does not want to hire him as a full-time employee because it would cost additional monies to provide health insurance and other benefits to him as a full-time employee.  Instead, the City wants to enter into a contract with TJ Douglas for $760.00 bi-weekly (which is the regular starting salary for a full-time City employee), or $19,760 a year.   [This "contract" is merely a tactic to get around state and federal labor laws.I didn't hear if this action was reviewed by and recommended by the Personnel Committee. ]  The City Council approved the contract with TJ Douglas in spite of "no" votes from Richard Hightower and Brent Wilkinson.

Andrew Gering from American Community Contractors made a proposal to the Council to provide private Code Enforcement services for the City of Watonga.  Mr. Gering was unable to satisfactorily answer some questions from the City Council and he will return with more information on the contract at a future City Council meeting.  No action was taken on this item except to put it on a future agenda.

Edna Justice was approved as Watonga’s CORD representative. 

The Council had no information or specifications in order to approve advertising for bids for video camera equipment to be placed around town.  

There was also discussion about Code Enforcement and what Robert Daugherty has been doing, though no report was provided by him.  No citations have yet been given out to Code violators, even after months of the Council telling him that they want citations to be issued. 

[PLEASE COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CITY COUNCILPERSON and/or attend City Council meetings to prevent actions being approved that may be detrimental to residents of Watonga.] 

   

 

Watonga Action Committee

Notes from WAC meeting on Sept. 9, 2013

A meeting of the Watonga Action Committee was held on Monday 9/9/2013 in City Council chambers. An agenda was posted on the door of the City Clerk’s office.  Dr. Bobby Spencer called the meeting to order, saying it was not an “official committee meeting”  and that anyone can speak.  This committee does not make decisions but makes recommendations to the City Council.

Dr. Spencer introduced Vance Laughlin as the new warden at Diamondback Correctional facility.  He has been warden at three CCA facilities. Mr. Laughlin confirmed that it is trying to fill approximately 400 positions, and that the prison staff will need approximately 75 rent houses.

Dr. Spencer then asked for nominations for a new CORD representative.  This committee cannot appoint a representative but can recommend someone to be appointed by the City Council.  Dr. Spencer nominated Edna Justice and no one objected.  This item will be added to the next City Council agenda on September 16.  The next CORD meeting is Sept. 19 at 2:00 at the Canadian Valley Technology Center. Edna said she will go to that meeting.   

Dr.Spencer asked Gene Pflughoft from CORD to introduce the representative  from American Community Contractors LLC,  Andrew Gering.  There was discussion about the City possibly contracting with ACC for Code Enforcement services. Mr. Gering handed out a printed power-point presentation.  Gene P. said that lots of towns are dealing with the problem of blight and code enforcement, except for Okarche.  At a recent CORD meeting, the Okarche representative said ”we just don’t put up with it.”  It was  noted that Okarche is a nice looking town.  The recent study that was done for Oklahoma City was referred to in these discussions.  That study says that property owners that aren’t motivated to do anything with their property don’t –they just hold on to it.  It doesn’t cost them anything except their annual property taxes to keep a dilapidated building and not make any effort to fix it up or sell it.  But it costs the City a lot --- to provide police and fire protection, may cause increased vandalism and other crimes, loss of income to the city for utility services, and reduced property values overall.  Clay said there are “definite advantages” to hiring an outside contractor to handle code enforcement.  ACC intends to contract with other towns also, and that experience will be valuable to Watonga in determining what ordinances work and which ones don’t.  Bobby said the City has a graduated fee scale for mowing but none present knew what exactly the fees were, for first time mowing and for repeat offenders. Edna Justice asked “what kind of fees are we talking about” for an outside code enforcement service.   And Gene P. said that Andrew Gering would make a presentation to the city council on the 16^th.  Clay said that matter is already on the agenda but Bobby Spencer suggested that Andrew call the City Clerk and fill out the appropriate paperwork to be on the agenda for the 16^th.

It was noted that many property owners have started taking care of their yards since the article in the Watonga Republican about Code Enforcement.    Clay said another article will be in the newspaper “in the near future” to remind people that Watonga is enforcing codes.  Eric W. from the Watonga Republican suggested printing offenders names and addresses in the newspaper, or publishing a list of offenses and the fee and costs.

Clay said there was a difference in dealing with junk vehicles on public property (i.e., on the street) vs. on private property.  He didn’t elaborate other than to say that the police have to be involved for code violations on private property.  Mary Larson noted that inoperable vehicles on private property are a safety hazard to the public and to the City. Fire and police responders cannot get to the building if they are blocked by junk vehicles. 

Dr. Spencer brought up past discussions of a Retirement community project at 11^th and Laing.  Due to the economy, the investors who were interested in the past have “changed their focus”.  Gene said they are looking at possibly building housing for incoming CCA employees.  Four lots that are available through the Land Run would have to be rezoned for multi-family. 

The nursing home continues to sit vacant and is deteriorating.  The owner has no incentive to fix it or sell it.  It is a safety hazard and the question was asked as to whether or not it could be cited for violation of code enforcement.  Lawayne Flaming pointed out that there are many buildings in town that are unsecure and are fire and safety hazards.  Clay said there are 13 properties on the list to be torn down, but that Marvin Schweigert doesn’t have the time to tear them down.  Bobby Spencer suggested that we bid those jobs out.

Bobby Spencer has talked to Kaci Cronkhite about putting in a walking/bicycle trail between the town and Roman Nose State Park, possibly along the highway that goes past the prison.  Andy suggested a trail from the high school along the now-closed road to Hwy 8A and then along 8A where the  city owns an easement.  Clay said he’d like to see sidewalks in town, especially between the high school and the middle school.  Andy Barrett suggested sidewalks from the elementary school to the Library, as that route is used a lot by children to attend programs at the library.  There was discussion about where there might be an easement to put in a sidewalk and what area to start with. 

Mary Larson said she had signs prepared by the Chamber and paid for out of economic development monies to advertise which lots in town were available for the Land Run.

Andy Barrett told the meeting that he had met with the County Treasurer and discovered that all of the lots that we previously thought had been transferred to the City by the County for the Land Run had not, in fact, been transferred to the City.  Only 4 lots have been transferred to the City for the Land Run.  Donna Hoskins at the treasurer’s office said that the County is going to put the other lots up for sale by bid if the City isn’t going to take them for the Land Run.  Everyone was surprised to hear that title to the properties previously approved by City Council had not been signed over to the City and Clay Loosen was not able to answer "why not?"   Andy indicated that some of the lots on the list might not be appropriate as they are in a flood zone.  Bobby asked Andy to put together a list of the lots that might be best for the Land Run.  Clay said he would get this matter on the next city council agenda, to approve getting the paperwork done to sign over those lots to the City.

Bobby Spencer talked about properties along the highway that are tied up in probate.  He also brought up downtown properties that are beyond repair, eye sores, code enforcement problems that need to be dealt with.  Everyone agreed that the City needs to enforce Codes on Main Street properties especially, to motivate the property owners to do something with their property – either fix them up so that they can be rented, or sell them.  It was agreed by all that financial pain will get action by the property owners.  [Why doesn't the City of Watonga go forward with the remedies and penalties that the City Code provides for to deal with safety and health hazards?

Gene P. reported to the meeting that CORD is going strong, that the WAC committee in Watonga is the envy of other communities because they are actively trying to get things done.  Noble House and Eddie’s BBQ, Firestone has rented property,; Eagle Nest is being sold and will reopen on Sept. 20 under new ownership with special meals in the evenings.  Everyone is glad that there will be more places to eat dinner in Watonga.  Lawayne said that he’d heard that the Lodge is going to  be closed for meals in the near future because of needed work on their kitchen. 

Vance Laughlin from CCA said he needed the name of a caterer who could serve 150 people coming in for training at the prison.  Eddie Johnson’s name was given.   Eddie's BBQ & More will begin serving meals at the Noble House on Friday and Saturday evenings, beginning on Sept. 13. 

Next meeting will be Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m.

 [Does anyone know what number in the City Code says there is a $200.00 reward for information leading to a vandalism conviction?  I haven't found it and I can't get an answer from the City Clerk's office ... please comment or post on facebook if you know!  /Linda]