Downtown Project is Behind Schedule

Members of the Downtown Revitalization Committee met this week and learned of several new developments:
--The plan is behind schedule due to delays at LandPlan, the firm that is working on the revitalization program, and the Federal Department of Transportation.
--Finished work at the corner of Third & Main cannot be totally completed unless new storm drainage work is done by the city, which does not have the $240,000 to do it in the budget.
--Newspaper publisher Pete Crow has promised to renovate several of the storefront buildings he owns on Third Street provided the city can re-do the alley behind his newspaper offices by March 1, 2006, to accommodate large trucks delivering newsprint, according to City Manager Bill Galletly..
Galletly explained to the group that GMSA has never had funding in its budget for the storm drainage work at the corner of Third & Main, and that "we are only talking about 5 or 10 feet of work on the corner not being finished."
LandPlan, the group in charge of design work for the project, had stated that it cannot wrap the "new look" around the corner unless the storm drain project is finished first.
Galletly also went over the storm, sewer, and water line work that is to be done in downtown Grove which will be started shortly, which would include "completely new copper water lines all the way to the building walls." On the North side of Third, sidewalks will be completely ripped out and new utilities put underneath by GMSA, then LandPlan will install the all-new look sidewalks.
Chairman Larry Stout said "we need to visit with the City Council to make sure they are up to date on the plan."
The original schedule called for survey work to be done in November, plans to the city in February for design work, bids to be advertised in June, bids opened in July, work to start in August, and completion by December, for Phase One. The project is several months behind schedule and all three phases probably won't be completed until 2008, committee members were told.
The project has $297,668 in Federal Funding and $198,445 in city matching funds currently, for Phase One. This money is "in the bank" said Galletly.

A Conversation with Earl Shero...

By Jim Mills, Editor

(In a three hour interview with Grove area resident Earl Shero, we discovered he is dead serious about pursuing what he feels are serious injustices done to others by Grove City Government. In this interview he talks about what went wrong, how to make Grove a better city, and how he seeks justice)

Earl Shero is a lifelong Oklahoman, having grown up in southeastern Oklahoma near Wilburton. He attended OSU and married his college sweetheart, Cindy, and has lived in Grove and the area since 1982. His wife taught school here for 24 years. A couple of years ago he built a new home just outside the city limits off Lake Road 6.
He spent 10 years at Grand Savings Bank and previous to that, six years with Green Country Savings and Loan, as well as teaching in the Grove School System.
He is on a mission…to right the wrongs of what he feels are injustices made by some City leaders. His nearly three year crusade has cost him his bank job plus accusations of being a trouble maker for city government.

Shero currently has a Federal lawsuit for $1.5 million pending against the City for violation of his constitutional rights, coming for trial in April 2006; and a suit against Grand Savings Bank for firing him, now before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. This suit asks whether or not an employer can terminate an employee for seeking information and asking questions of his or her government. It was dismissed in District Court last March but the Oklahoma Supreme Court took the case, bypassing the usual Court of Appeals.
He has already won $27,949 in attorney fees in connection with a lawsuit against the Grove City Council for filing a protective order against him.
"My attorney got every cent of the nearly $28,000 and I did not receive a penny," Shero says.

Shero's critics say that he is a front man for former State Senator Rick Littlefield, who failed to get the job for which Bill Galletly was hired, City Manager, and that Littlefield continues to push Shero's buttons to oust Galletly.
Shero adamantly denies this influence. "Zero, None."
"I have not seen or talked with Rick Littlefield in two or three years, at least," he said.
"Was I originally for hiring Rick Littlefield?"
"Yes, but I had friends on the Council that voted for Bill Galletly and the decision was made and done, I agreed with the decision and it was over with," Shero related.
After Galletly's hiring, things calmed down for about six months without any problems, he said. Former city attorney Gary Mallow's contract was not renewed and in August 2003 they hired Dorothy Parker as his replacement.

Then, the trouble started, Shero says.
In January 2003 Shero says, one month after Galletly was hired, Duane Brown, longtime city employee and friend of Shero's, was "alleged on the front page of the Grove Sun Daily to have committed criminal misconduct and was fired by Galletly," Shero says.
In those days, the city had two policies; one in which the city would lay asphalt and the developer would pay for the product, the asphalt; the other was that GMSA employees would work on weekends on their own time in laying gas lines for developers, but use the city's hand welding machine.
"When Galletly came on board he said using city equipment on private operations was wrong and shortly after he fired Brown and an article appeared in the newspaper accusing him of criminal misconduct, which hurt Brown's reputation.
"I went on the local radio station and urged people to come to the council meeting to protest, and 200-300 showed up. Brown was re-hired by the city but spent six months basically just driving around in a truck, with no authority," Shero said. (Brown is now with the city of Jay).
"In September 2003 Parker and Galletly went on the front page of the Grove Sun Daily alleging trustee embezzlement by Frank Hallacy, developer of Cedar Oaks. Allegations were made to the District Attorney who said he would need a Police Report. It was eventually filed by Parker. And Parker's packet, 15 pages of it, was all over the front page of the newspaper."
"I went to the City Clerk and requested a copy of the press release and investigation--there was no press release, but she did prepare one after the fact," Shero alleges.
"The D.A. requested an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) which produced a 160 page document resulting in the charges being unfounded, except for finding violations of the Open Meeting Act by the Grove Municipal Airport Trust Authority.

"At that point I began to ask for Council Meeting Packets and did receive them. But in late December or early January the City Attorney (Dorothy Parker) denied them on grounds that they were not public records. (Packets are prepared for the Council several days prior to the actual meeting with backup information on agenda items)
"I had also asked for Parker's resume," Shero continued, "and on Jan. 6 I told the council of the packet denials and violations of the Open Meeting Act re selling the civic center."
"On Jan. 30, 2004 I went to Bill Reppart's office, my attorney and a partner with former City Attorney Gary Mallow, and typed my request for a Packet, which was denied on advice of the city attorney. Parker then filed for a protective order against Shero which was dismissed by District Judge Denny. Shero countersued and won attorney fees of $27,949 and that case ended in June 2004.

"Then came the Gary Metcalf issue," Shero said. "He was accused of child pornography, embezzlement and theft and was fired by Galletly, even though the Grove Police found that charges were not warranted," Shero says. Metcalf, who was Grove's Emergency Management Director, has filed suit in Federal Court against the city which will be heard in February, 2006, Shero says. Metcalf now holds a similar position with Delaware County Emergency Management.

After 10 years at Grand Savings Bank as a loan officer, Shero was fired in February 2004.
"Families of the council were coming to the bank complaining about me," Shero says.
I was urged to drop my countersuit against the city for attorney fees, but I could not do it.
It was important to me," he says.
He later sued the bank for firing him, which was dismissed in District Court in March 2005, but the Oklahoma Supreme Court took the case and an opinion is due out in about two months, Shero says. They could return the case to District Court for hearing.

In yet another civil action filed this year Shero charged that destroying tape recordings of city council meetings once minutes were typed was a violation of the Open Records Act and tapes should be kept as a public record. After that filing Council voted to keep the tapes for five years rather than re-use them once minutes were typed. This suit is still pending in District Court and Shero is seeking $30,000 in attorney fees.

How does an ordinary citizen come up with the funds to finance all of these lawsuits?
"The Federal suits are on a contingency basis; the others have had to come out of my pocket," Shero says. He adds that he realizes that the City has had to come up with some money for their attorneys and dislikes the fact that taxpayers may have to fund some of it.

Shero makes no secret about it. He says City Manager Bill Galletly screwed up a golden opportunity to be a good city manager. He is upset over Galletly's treatment of former city employees and Shero himself.
"There has been a fundamental trampling of people's rights. We have a great community in Grove and we need to address divisive issues, unite the council, obey the laws regarding Open Meetings, hire a competent city attorney, and gain a sense of respect for each other's point of view and integrity," Shero says.
"We managed to get through difficult issues in the past without referring to people as embezzlers, child pornographers, name calling and lawsuits," he adds.

"For Grove to move forward there is going to have to be a sense of respect for each other, and discussion of the allegations against Bill Galletly. Is this the kind of person we want to continue to lead the city?"
"We are close to being a really good city but we need to close ranks and get the train back on the track. We need to stop the disputes," Shero says.

The Canine Corner...by Missy MacTavish

I am tired of being left behind when my two legged parents go away on trips. Things are changing however and I wanted to let you in on them.

Did you know that 25% of travelers took their pet along with them on vacations last year? And the number is growing by 10% each month.

There are many hotels that accommodate types like me and even some airlines are beginning to respect us. Virgin Atlantic even has pet passports bearing the photo and paw print. Animals get a paw print for each flight and when they get five paw prints they get a free present. Virgin even has logo t shirts for dogs.

There is even a web site with lots of good information, at www.DogFriendly.com

There are even travel agents that specialize in pet travel, like my Mom. I think things are going to be a lot better next year and I hope to take a trip to Scotland to look up my ancesters in the Shetland Islands.

Until next time, have a nice doggie day...Miss Missy.

Around the Lake...

Robbie Blair, head of building inspections for the city, has resigned to take a position with Melody Point Development effective in November. City Manager Bill Galletly said he had recommended Blair and two other city employees for salary increases but they were not supported by the Mayor and city council...Grand Lake level continues to go down and no sign of any rain...now at its lowest level in several years and with evaporation and water usage from several cities it may go into the 739's before long, as only 267 cubic feet per second are coming downstream into the lake. That equals three people in Miami flushing their toilets...We were blown away by Arrowhead Yacht Club's $10.74 martini the other day. But upon checking with New York City's famous Algonquin Hotel where the famous Roundtable once met, a Gin Martini there costs $15.00 plus tax, according to the barkeep. The atmosphere is a tad better in NYC as well...Word on the street is that if you move into an area of Grove currently served by Charter Cable, you won't get any hookup, as officially they are not currently serving Grove for new subscribers, only existing ones. They are currently having a disagreement with Allegiance Cable Co. over how much they will be paid for new subscribers when Allegiance takes over, which is uncertain at this time.

Playmakers Present "The Little Prince"

In the classic tale, “The Little Prince,” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the fox says to the little prince: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” And this, the fox believes, is the secret to understanding life. Understanding life and that part of it which is love is what this story is about.
The Playmakers’ youth theatre, the Off Broadway Troupers, presents a very theatrical version of the story from November 11- 20 at Off Broadway Arts, 121 W. 3rd in Grove. It is produced with the assistance of the Oklahoma Arts Council.
One reviewer described the opening of the story this way: “Picture a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Consider that you’re a 6-year old boy who has just read that boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. Then you draw a picture based on what you’ve read, but everyone tells you your picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant looks like a hat.” This young boy was advised by ‘sensible adults’ to put down his paints and colored pencils and concentrate on ‘matters of consequence.’ He might have had a magnificent career as a painter, but instead he reluctantly put away childish things and became a pilot. And that career landed him and his crashed plane in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
It is here that the little prince mystically appears to the pilot. “If you please, draw me a sheep!” he asked the pilot, abruptly. The little prince has come to Earth from his asteroid (and there is a real one named after him) in search of friendship. The pilot soon discovers that he too is very lonely. As the story continues they learn together the important things in life and the healing power of love.
Performances are Fridays, Nov 11 and 18 at 7:30 pm; Saturdays Nov 12 and 19 at 7:30 pm; Tuesday Nov 15 at 7:30 pm and Sundays, Nov 13 and 20 at 2:00 pm. Adult tickets are $10; students, Kindergarten through high school, $5. Group rates are available for groups of twenty or more. The suggested maturity level for this production begins at Kindergarten. Children any younger may not understand the play and may disturb other audience members.
The story is adapted for the stage by John Scoullar and Rick Cummins. It is directed for The Off Broadway Troupers by Linda Fracek. The cast includes: Derek Dixon as the pilot and Justus Tressler as the little prince. The love of the little prince, a vain rose on his home asteroid, is played by Beka Shaffar. The enlightened fox is played by Averi Perry and the mysterious snake by Kelsey Bomar. The little prince describes the other people & planets he has visited in his quest for understanding: a king (Troy Helms), a business person (Kelsea Keele), a conceited person (Shaina Williams), a geographer (Devin Laymon), and a lamplighter (Cale Harper). Adding to the theatricality of the production are students who act as a human set, becoming everything from stars and baobab trees to roses, sunsets and sand dunes. These actors include: Brandi Black, Allyssa Crawford, Kiersten Harper, Jaxson Oakley, Morgan Olson, Tarah Shaffar, and Harley Tressler.
For reservations, email http://us.f340.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=play_theatre05@sbcglobal.net or call The Playmakers at 918-786-8950. Some credit cards are accepted. The complete story of the play can be found at local libraries and on the web.
...from Correspondant Suzanne Boles

An Essay...on Missing Golf Balls

Every golfer knows that sometimes the shot just does not go as planned and the ball strays off into the brush. Some call this a lost ball. Others refer to it as a missing ball, because someone will find it someday and therefore it is not lost at all.
The problem with these missing balls is that while the golfer that hit it into the brush goes in to look for it, his playing partners join in under the guise of "helping." And almost always, the partners find a couple of other balls in the process.
They usually ask "what kind of ball were you playing," as if the stray ball hitter could even recall, all the while palming the ball to cover up the logo.
The playing partners then keep the two balls they found and leave the stray hitter with not so much a found ball, much less the one he hit into the brush.
This is completely unfair.
Nobody invited the playing partners into the brush to look, and they rob the stray ball hitter of even a replacement ball. They almost never find the original stray ball but come up with a bucket of others, which they promptly deposit in their already overweight bag full of other found balls.
Playing partners should leave golf ball hunting to the one who hit it in the brush in the first place.
Just a suggestion for the R&A Rules Committee...

Herb Ray Joins Wall of Honor

Herb Ray, longtime Grove resident, was recognized at this week's Grove Rotary meeting by being placed on the Wall of Honor at the Grove Civic Center.
Pictured at left are his granddaughter, Lynn Duffield, and grandson Dr. Mark Halterman of Tulsa. Ray was the father of Norma Halterman of Grove.
Ray was described as having infectuous laughter; he served on the Grove City Council as Mayor and treasurer at a time when Grove had no form of local taxation. He was elected as the first member of the GMSA and served as treasurer for 18 years.
At a time when Grove had no paved streets except for Highway 59, he raised money to pave S. Mill Street from 10th to 3rd Street, making it the first paved city street in Grove.
As described by his grandson, "Herb felt that we should each leave the places we occupy better than they were when we first arrived."