Dirt Issue Surfaces Again at Cedar Oaks

Work on utility construction at Phase III at Cedar Oaks Leisure Living in Grove has been halted until a certified engineer report on compaction can be provided the city.
Part of the dirt is the same fill dirt that was hauled off the Grove Municipal Airport property last year and according to the deposition testimony of Frank Hallacy, owner of Cedar Oaks at the time, he "questioned the material that he (the contractor) was hauling in here that didn't look like it had enough clay in it to maintain the compaction that we wanted."
The city hired an independent inspector who two weeks ago submitted a report stating that the fill dirt did not have enough compaction qualities, or clay.
When the city learned that utility work was underway on Phase III at Cedar Oaks, City Manager Bill Galletly on Aug. 16, 2005 sent a letter to Robby Blair advising that the "City will not accept these utilities, streets, or other public donations wthout an Oklahoma registered engineer signing off that the fill and all public fixtures installed in said fill has been compacted to ASTM standards, and that no building permit is to be issued for any structure without said engineeer's certification that the site to be built on meets all compaction requirements."
Records in the County Clerk's office indicate that on Aug. 11, 2005, Christopher D. Marion purchased Lot 2 Phase 1 and a second tract of acreage of 2.49 acres and 22 lots in Phase 1, financing $658,000 with the Bank of Joplin and taking a second mortgage with Sunset Development Company LLC for $320,000. The fill dirt is in Phase 3.
According to his deposition testimony taken on May 12, 2004, Hallacy paid Larry Morris just over $94,000 to haul the fill dirt. The deposition was part of a lawsuit by Hallacy against the Grove Sun Daily newspaper, Dorothy Parker, and Bill Galletly, which was ultimately dismissed in District Court.
Hallacy also testified that about $7,800 was donated to the Delaware Baptist Church for "other material" to mix in with the fill dirt from the airport.
City Manager Bill Galletly said this week that due to Hallacy's own admission in his deposition testimony that the fill dirt would not compact properly, he could not approve work on the utilities until the issue of compaction was cleared up by an outside engineering company, hired by the developer.
"We would have foundation problems and all sorts of issues if we approved something that later on caused homeowner problems," Galletly said.
Phase II at Cedar Oaks was built on dirt dredged from Grand Lake, according to Hallacy's testimony. The cost of this was "in the neighborhood of $400,000, he testified.
Phase III covers about four acres, he said and enough dirt was needed to bring the elevation up to 757 feet above sea level. Some 28 units are planned in Phase III including 14 duplexes.
In his testimony, Hallacy said "I questioned him (Frank Morris) on the quality of the dirt after about the second day of hauling. And he assured me that even though it wouldn't be compactable by itself, that he had an alternate source to pick up more clay substance to mix in with it, which would give us the compaction that we needed."
Hallacy testified that between 200 and 250 loads came from the "alternative source" and that $7,824.00 was donated to the church, based on "approximately $2.00 per yard."
Since a truckload contains about 10 yards, this would compute to about $20 per truckload which would mean about 391 truckloads of alternative source dirt was hauled.
Hallacy also testified that "in excess" of 900 truckloads of dirt was hauled from the airport property. He also stated that he "left it up to the contractor to come up with a ratio that he needed" of airport dirt vs. alternative source dirt.
The contractor currently hired to do the utility work is Jack Bowers, Field Superintendent of GMSA, who works after hours on his own time on utility construction projects.

Council, GMSA Move Ahead on Utility Relocations

Members of the Grove City Council and Grove Municipal Services Authority unanimously agreed to direct a financial planning firm to proceed with the bid process in order to finance utility relocation along Highway 59 from Leisure Lane to Sailboat Bridge, a project estimated to cost about $6.5 million for both phases.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will reimburse Grove about $2 million, with the city borrowing approximately $4 million secured by sales tax revenue.
Final approval with bids is set for Sept. 20 by GMSA, which will then forward the package to the City Council for action the same day.
At a joint council-GMSA meeting Wednesday, Rick Smith of Municipal Finance Services, Inc., Edmond, presented an 18-page plan for financing water, sewer and gas line relocations and upgrades, with other needed improvements including a second water tower and 16 inch water line with three lift stations along highway 59.
The Board and Council approved a financing option involving the issuance of 15-year bank notes for net funds required. About $4 million will be borrowed by GMSA from the low bidder bank or financial institution. Annual debt service will be repaid from utility and other available revenues. Funds from ODOT, about $2 million, will go for other water and sewer system improvements on a pay-as-you-go basis. The city will also contribute about $775,000. Net costs to be financed for Phase One are $3,945,071, and $1,352,920 for Phase Two, totaling $5,297,991. Smith said an interest rate of around 4% should be available.
The loans will be secured by city sales taxes.
A similar financing project in Pawhuska brought five bidders recently, he said.
The city must have actual monies on hand in order to be reimbursed by ODOT.
Actual work on the utility project should begin in October.

P&Z Board at Crossroads

With three vacancies on the five person board, the Grove Planning & Zoning Board will undergo some changes in the coming weeks.
Jim Weeks, Chairman, has resigned for health reasons after many years of service; Jamie Zellow has resigned for personal reasons, and a previous resignation by Dr. Bryan Sheehan has caused a vacancy for several months.
The board set up a committee of citizens from all walks of life which has been working on zoning regulations and standards of design for eight months, meeting most Monday evenings.
It has addressed the issue of metal buildings and has been spent weeks on overhauling the signage code. The metal building issue--calling for a brick type facing on three sides--was approved for commercial structures by the City Council; the residential code was modified. The committee's signage code recommendations will make their way to the full P&Z Board Sept. 13 and to the Council Sept. 20.
City Manager Bill Galletly, who wrote a paper in December 2003 outlining a Master Plan and asking for input, said the new signage codes are especially important for the Highway 59 widening project.
"New businesses will be able to get new signage at no cost, as this will be paid by the State, so this is a great opportunity to upgrade" he said. Existing businesses will be grandfathered. "This is the perfect time for this community to adopt new standards without any costs to local businesses," he said.
"When the existing billboards in the right of way come down on highway 59 for the widening project, they will not be replaced," he said, adding that "we are on the verge of setting a course to the future that everyone will be proud of."
Three or four individuals have applied to Mayor Nuckolls for appointment to the P&Z Board, with the decision being made by City Council. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday at noon.

Airport Authority OK's Overlay Project

The Grove Municipal Airport Authority approved the low bid from Ellsworth Sealcoating of $273,351 for runway overlay at its meeting Wednesday afternoon.
In other action the authority will recommend to the City Council that a Public Officials & Employee Liability Policy for insurance be approved for authority board members and the airport manager. Mike Thompson of Grove Insurance Associates said the policy would cost about $6300 a year in premiums for $1 million in liability insurance. City employees covered, as they relate to airport matters only, include the city council, city manager, city clerk, treasurer, accounting clerk and others.
The authority members also agreed to attend a seminar in Tulsa Sept. 13, with the airport manager, at a cost of $85 per person plus travel expenses. Money for this is in the budget, it was explained. The seminar is on Open Meetings/Records.
The high price of aviation fuel was also discussed and the authority agreed to accept a bid from Arrow Energy as supplier next year. Refiners are limiting the amount of fuel that can be purchased and those who exceed their allocation will be hit with an extra $1 per gallon.
Aviation fuel was going for $3.45 per gallon yesterday, it was reported.

The Dam Builders...Fifth in a Series

John Bennett
John Bennett, now living in Norman, worked for two years hauling freight for his Dad’s company, Harley Bennett Truck Lines. John was still attending Tulsa Central High School and drove a Chevrolet Straight Truck (no trailer) from Tulsa to Inola, Chouteau, Pryor, Salina, Spavinaw and Langley. A one-way trip took 3 hours in those days, at 45 miles an hour, and on at least one occasion John drove three trips in one day. A ferry crossing was required north of Spavinaw, he recalls, as there was no bridge over the Grand River at that point.
In addition to chemicals, steel, tools and almost everything else, John hauled the 7,000 pounds of paint it took to cover Sailboat Bridge. He remembers one occasion that a call came in for cinders…to keep the concrete on the dam from freezing. He went to several places in Tulsa and gathered up all the cinders he could find and drove the load to Langley. On several occasions he had to climb in through the truck window, as a long load of steel was tied to the side, blocking the doors.
After high school graduation he worked for a short time at Public Service Co in Tulsa before being drafted into the Army Air Corps. He spent four years in the southwest Pacific.

The Canine Corner...by Missy MacTavish

The other day I was watching a golf tournament on TV with Dad and some announcer said the guy was playing like a dog.
I resent that! How does he know how dogs play? Personally I've never seen a dog play golf so I don't think announcers should make statements like that on TV.
Maybe he should have said the guy played like a TV announcer.
How many of them do you see hitting the ball on Saturdays and Sundays after the cut is made?
Some don't even try anymore...they just sit in their air conditioned booths high in the trees above the greens criticizing the golfers out their windows. There are a few that still can play well, but we all know that there have been a few that didn't even play the game.
I really like their shows though, as it makes for great sleeping. They talk real quiet like, in hushed tones, and I can get in my afternoon naps without a lot of noise.
Until, of course, I hear someone making comments about playing like a dog.
Glad I got that off my small chest...see you next time.

Around the Lake...

Lindsey Miller, 22, was selected this week as Miss Grand Lake 2006 and will compete in the Miss Oklahoma pageant next year. She is a graduate of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa and plans to attend medical school. She is a native of Philadelphia, PA. and sang with the Richard Roberts Group at ORU. It is not known if she has ever put a foot in Grand Lake...The estimate to fix the roof at the Grand Lake Association Building on Hwy 59 is now $40,000 and not covered by insurance. The entire metal roof will have to be removed and replaced, says Deb Wolek, Executive Director...Gerald "Buck" Gay of Adair has been appointed to the GRDA Board of Directors effective in September, replacing James Perry of Cleveland who passed away recently. Gay will be designee for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives...Watch for the Grove Fire Department's Fill the Boot drive this weekend to raise money for MDA. They hope to top last year's $6,000 figure and will be standing in the street with their boots to fill with money, so be careful driving this weekend...Gasoline prices topped $2.85 overnight Tuesday in Grove. How does an underground tank filled with gasoline purchased at last week's prices go up 40 cents a gallon overnight this week?...Will the Labor Day Weekend bring out the boats as usual? Some marinas are reporting that people are enjoying their boats in their slips, rather than take them out on the lake and burning gasoline...Larry Steckline, owner of Royal Bay Marina and the Cherokee Queens, took over this week as the new owner of Vinita's KITO-FM 96.1 and 1470 AM. The station went on the air in 1981 and has been owned by Dave and Leona Boyd since, featuring a "countrypolitan" format. Leona said she had no word of a format change. The FM station broadcasts from a tower north of Ketchum with 50,000 watts and is heard in four states. Dave Boyd has been a radio DJ for 41 years in Miami, Tulsa, and Vinita and his last day as a DJ was Wednesday. The Boyd's son Gavin works as a loan officer with IBC Bank in Grove and Claremore...Speaking of radio, if you want to hear first-hand closeup reports of hurricane damage from New Orleans, tune in after dark to WWL-AM 870, the 50,000 watt boomer and the only station on the air from New Orleans. Get in bed, turn out the lights, close your eyes, put the radio to your ear and listen to the stark reports from this ravaged city. It will make you glad you are safe in Grove, Ok. USA...Homebuilders build 40,000 homes a year in Dallas-Fort Worth area and this ranks #2 or #3 in the nation the past 10 years. There are 150,000 homes in New Orleans that need rebuilding. At this rate it will take 4-5 years to rebuild the city. Look for lumber prices to soar and gasoline to go to $4.
If you wish to contribute to help the victims of this terrible tragedy, please call the Red Cross at 1-800-435-7669.

Shangri-La Hosts Members Party

Peter Boylan, owner of Shangri La, hosted a members pool party Saturday evening. The event was held at the newly renovated outdoor pool, which formerly was the indoor pool at the rec center. The pool is surrounded by a rod-iron fence and has new patio furniture for the pool patrons.
Matt Benn, the new pro at Shangri La, was also on hand to meet the members. He recently joined the Shangri La staff in June. He and his family moved here from Aspen, Colorado.
The party was held for the members of Shangri La from 6:00 until 8:00. Heavy hors'doeuvres were served along with two open bars for the event. A great turnout as it was standing room only. Mr. Boylan is in hopes of getting a 4 1/2 star hotel along with a "white tablecloth" retaurant in the near future. Plans are still in the negotiating stage and the site on which the hotel will be built is still undecided. The golf courses are in excellent condition this year and new rates in effect, as well as new membership fees.

If you are a golfer, the WGA and MGA are very active organizations at Shangri La. Each is open for membership. Please contact Shangri La if you are interested in joining the golf organizations: 918 257-4204.
from correspondant Shirley Daggett
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Grand Lake Family YMCA to Hold Open House

The new Grand Lake Family YMCA will hold an open house Saturday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. so that people can see what has been going on with the new organization in Grove. Bill Skea spoke at the Grove Rotary Club meeting Wednesday and said more than $400,000 had been raised in the community to begin the YMCA, now being housed in the old library building.
The Grand Lake Family YMCA is a branch of Neosho YMCA at this time and will benefit from savings as a result.
Howard Birdsong is interum director, a 15-year former Mayor of Neosho.
The YMCA will eventually have a fitness center, indoor pool, aerobic studio, and can also use the Grove Lower Elementary School for before/after school programs.
This summer the YMCA offered a summer day camp at the school.
"Our thanks to all the organizations and people who made this possible, including Grove Rotary," Skea said.

Help Select Grove's Outstanding Citizen

It is time again to select Grove's outstanding citizen to be recognized with a plaque permanently affixed to the Wall of Honor in the Grove Civic Center. If you know of someone you would like to present for consideration, the following criteria should be met:
The person's actions must have had a positive impact on the community and must be of high moral standards. Areas of impact may include education, health care, public service, civic responsibilities or significant financial contribution. The persons nominated may be living or deceased, live or have lived within the Grove School District but not necessarily have been a land owner.
· Each nominee's name must be accompanied by a typewritten statement of no more than two pages, documenting his / her contribution to the quality of life within the community.
· A photograph of the individuals should be enclosed, showing the honoree only.
· Nominations must be in a sealed envelope, labeled “Wall of Honor”.They will not be opened until the selection process takes place by the assigned group.
· Nominations are to be delivered or mailed to Postnet Postal at 520 South Main, Grove, Ok 74344. Deadline for submitting nominations is October 15, 2005 with induction to take place on Wednesday, October 26. 2005 at the Royal Bay Yacht Club during the regularly scheduled Rotary meeting.
from correspondant Sid Muse