Civic Center Heat Continues

One of the units on top of the Grove Civic Center has gone out and is unable to heat.
But there was plenty of heat coming from one member of the Grove Industrial Development Authority at its regular meeting Tuesday.
Board member Bob Henkle said "we should have sold this building when we had a chance and could have had something really nice for the citizens of Grove but we horsed around and now we face significant expenses with the air conditioning and heating and the leaky roof."
The board voted to replace the one broken unit estimated at $5,000. There are another 14 units that are 20 years old; another two units are 10 years old. Heat and AC repairs totaling nearly $100,000, with another $350,000 estimated for roof repairs, put restoration at nearly a half million dollars.
Henkle said "we should give the people of Grove an opportunity to vote on whether to sell it and build a new center."
Glenn Sharp, part of the citizen audience, said "the matter would have been solved if not for your (Henkle's) insistence that a new center be built in one particular location."
Henkle denied the accusation and the matter was gaveled to a close by Mayor Nuckolls.
Dave Helms, who serves on the GIDA board and is also a councilor, said the matter "is dead on arrival. There will be no action taken for a year on this issue." He and Nuckolls have consistently opposed the sale of the current civic center.
Minutes of previous GIDA meetings on July 6, July 15, Aug 24 and Oct. 18 were approved, while minutes of the meeting on June 21 were not approved due to disagreement over cost figures from McSorley Architects of Tulsa relating to the new civic center.
The board also voted action regarding a resolution approving the positions and duties for General Manager, Secretary and Treasurer to the Board; and asked the city attorney to draft a Policy for the next meeting relative to conditions of sale for the remaining lots at the Grove Business Park. This will involve putting some kind of time limit on starting construction after purchase, rather than holding the land for speculative purposes.

City Council Takes No Action on Lawsuits

The Grove City Council met in Executive Session for nearly an hour Tuesday night concerning two lawsuits filed against the city, but returned "taking no action."
The pending litigation involves suits by Gary Metcalf, who was fired as Emergency Services Director for the city, and Earl Shero, who has filed several lawsuits against the city.
Shero had offered to settle one lawsuit for $5,000 in attorney's fees but one councilman said the city would reject that offer and let the court case play out.
Tuesday's council meeting lasted nearly two hours and had a standing room only crowd.
The councilors voted to approve Planning & Zoning requests to re-zone Block 17, lots 1-3 of the Rogers Addition, and Block 1, lots 1-4 of the Rogers Jones addition, from R-1 to R-02 for Brad and Sandy Busch. They also approved re-zoning for lots 11, 10 and all of lot 9 of the Teel Addition from R-1 to C-3 for Walgreens, at 13th street and Main. Emergency clauses for both re-zonings were also approved.
Some discussion occurred on the possible widening of Main Street but City Manager Bill Galletly reported that this project was probably 14 years away.
Council amended Ordinance #507 pertaining to Sale of Surplus or Obsolete Supplies, Material and Equipment, so that police vehicles could be sold for $1.00 to the town of Kansas, OK., which had been voted on at the last council meeting. They also approved sale of a 1994 Chevrolet pick-up with 4-wheel drive to the town of Disney to use below the Pensacola Dam in rescue efforts. First Class Collision in Grove is donating a complete paint job on the vehicle as well.
Councilman Larry Parham expressed his concern about selling vehicles for $1.00 when the possibility existed of getting more for them, money which could be used by the city.
He voted not to approve sale of two police vehicles for $1.00 each to the Town of Kansas, Ok. but voted Yes on the sale of the four-wheel drive truck to Disney.
An amendment to Section 2-501 of the City Code of Ordinances providing for a Department of Law was tabled.
Council also voted to purchase two new welding machines at a cost of $7,359.17; approved an agreement for Streetscape Design and Construction Phase Services between LandPlan Consultants and the City of Grove; and approved $6,800 for engineering fees with Rose & McCrary for reconstruction work on the alley between Main and Grand behind the Grove Sun Daily.
The transfer of ownership of GMSA properties to the City of Grove was tabled until GMSA takes action on the matter.
Council also discussed loan applications for the purchase of property located on the West side of the Grove Airport consisting of about 59 acres and agreed to meet at a special session at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29 with the Airport Trust Authority to approve funding from a local bank. This is a short-term loan of either $100,000 or $215,000 until Federal Grant monies are received, about May 30, 2006, according to the letter sent to local banks by the city manager.
Councilman Gary Bishop reported that he had discussions with PSO regarding tree trimming in Grove and had forwarded homeowner complaints to them. He said PSO reported that homeowners could hire their own tree cutters if they wished and PSO would issue vouchers to homeowners to replace trees taken down. There is still room for improvement on the tree cutting issue, he said.
Councilman Terry Ryan reported that there is a need for prioritization on the Downtown Revitalization Project and more public communication is needed.
Larry Stout, Chairman of the group, expressed concerns that the storm drain at Third & Main will not be replaced in time for LandPlan's work. "We are concerned about the appearance as well as safety for pedestrians" and suggested that the $240,000 cost somehow be funded prior to LandPlan's portion of the project. GMSA does not have the $240,000 currently in its budget.
Stout said Phase I of the project would begin in August and be completed in early December.

Details of Widening Project Revealed

The matter of widening Main Street from 13th street north to Third Street came up again during this week's Council meeting as part of the discussion on Walgreen's possible new store at 13th and Main.
The Observer obtained a copy of the Nov. 5, 2003 letter from City Manager Bill Galletly to Gary Evans, District 8 Engineer of ODOT, which requested a change in priorities.
"The city would like to request a change… for the stretch of Highway 59 from 13th Street north to Highway 10 in downtown Grove" which was listed at the time as the next priority for reconstruction after Highway 59 from Leisure Lane to Sailboat Bridge.
"After considerable discussions and review, the city would like to have the bypass from Highway 59/Highway 10 north and west to the intersection of Highway 59 and Leisure Road, as our No. 1 priority," the letter continued.
"This bypass around part of the downtown, tying into the Highway 59 North project, is our most important concern for highway reconstruction within the city limits. Therefore, we request that you change the priorities list to reflect this request," the letter continued.
Galletly said Thursday he did not believe the matter was discussed at a council meeting but that extensive discussions were held with "several people and the Mayor at that time, Bob Nold" regarding the change in priorities.
ODOT held public meetings in Grove in 1996 regarding the highway widening and again in 1998. Galletly said this week that it would be at least 14 years before the project could be completed if it was put back on the schedule now.

An Editorial--The Civic Center Issue

Now that Walgreen's has seemingly found a site at 13th and Main for its new store in Grove, the pressure is off to sell the current Civic Center, a converted Wal Mart which cost the city about $600,000 to purchase. Current value is estimated at $3.5 million, which is the amount estimated for a new multi-purpose events center.

Councilor Dave Helms has stated that the issue is "dead on arrival." He and Mayor Nuckolls have stated that they do not want to sell the center and don't even want to discuss a new one. GIDA Chairman David Adzigian advocates a "go slow, get educated, do the homework, get the facts and figures, cool down period" and we would agree with that approach.

Meanwhile, at the Civic Center the roof leaks and the AC/Heat units are starting to fail. The unit has gone out over the conference room and a replacement will cost $5,000. The building has 14 units that have been in service 20 years or more; only three of the 19 total units are still under warranty. Total cost to fix the problems is estimated at nearly a half million dollars.

The old phrase "keep your eyes on the ball" should be the key here. There has been so much arguing and disagreement and controversy over the location of a new center the "ball" has been lost.
Decisions need to be made as follows:

1. Does the public want a new multi-purpose events center?
2. Can the current Center be sold to pay for a new one?
3. Can the current Center be transformed and updated to better suit the community?
4. What type of facilities should be included in a new center?
5. Should it serve primarily local residents or be built adjacent to a motel/hotel for out of town business? Or both?
6. Is location important and if so, where should it be built? This subject should be put away until the other issues are handled.

A simple market research study mailed to GMSA customers could go a long way in answering question 1. While not a vote of the people, such studies are often used in other cities to guide officials.
It is probable that the current center can be sold to pay for a new one, according to the McSorley Architects Study of 2005. They estimated a total of 35,000 square feet would cost around $3.5 million, built with room to add on as needed.
The facilities, in our view, should include conference and meeting rooms; a banquet hall, a complete kitchen for wedding receptions; space for high school proms, local civic clubs, city council and other government meetings, an auditorium with tiered seating for plays, concerts, etc. and an events hall for trade shows. Audio/visual equipment should be part of the meeting room plans. That old bugaboo, alcohol, will need to be addressed in order to attract some events like GEFFE or Winterset to a city owned facility.
It should serve primarily local residents rather than try to compete with Tulsa for convention and meeting business. After all, Shangri-La couldn't make it with its huge facilities. The KPMG study which cost $47,700 was so ludicrous we should get a refund.
Is location important? Yes. The two much argued-over sites, Leisure Lane and 7th Street, and land east of town near the new hospital, don't impress us much. The people that have been arguing over this issue are so focused on location that they can't seem to think about anything else. Our choices, in no particular order, would be the land north of the First Methodist Church; Ballerina Point; land adjacent to the Stonebrook Inn; or Royal Bay. None of these sites are on the "donation" list but then if land is worth something, why would it be donated. There are several other possible choices as well. City leaders need to think "outside the box" and even consider development adjacent to a casino which might already have meeting facilities and a hotel. Arm twisting for donating land, or contributions from the public, should also be considered.

No one will benefit by sticking this issue in the dead pile for a year. Perhaps GIDA could step up and organize a series of town hall meetings, or small groups, to sort through the issues, leaving the location time bomb out of the discussion for the time being. We must get through the Downtown Revitalization and Highway 59 Project before spending any money on a new events center, but we can do the homework in the meantime.

There are basically three groups of people in Grove fighting over this issue: Those that don't want to do anything; those that favor location A; and those that favor location B.
Lost in all of this are the other questions posed above. It is time to begin answering those questions using the local citizenry. Grove is blessed with people who are extremely intelligent, have an excellent business background, and can focus on problem solving and what is best for Grove.
Let's put them to work and use their input.

GMSA Meeting is Routine

Has the City of Jay been under billed by GMSA to the tune of $25,000? Board member Larry Parham brought the issue up in the regular GMSA meeting Tuesday and City Manager Bill Galletly promised to look into it quickly. At deadline for The Observer, no answer had been obtained by GMSA personnel.
In other action, the Board:
--approved an engineering proposal from Rose & McCrary for $4,000 for a sewer lift station at the Grove Industrial Park which would also serve four airport hangers currently without service.
--approved an engineering proposal from Rose & McCrary for $4,000 for waterline design under the north side of Third Street as part of the Downtown Revitalization Project. Completion of the project is set for December 2006.
--renewed a contract with Rural Water District #10 which had expired in July.
--approved an offer from ODOT for right of way in the amount of $9,100 and relocation of a fence in the amount of $7,750 on the Highway 59 Project.
--approved purchase of utility supplies.
--approved a resolution for the positions and duties for secretary and treasurer to the Board.
--Tabled discussion regarding the transfer of all real properties to the City of Grove until Chairman Pete Churchwell returns.
--approved the reconstruction and installation of utilities in the alley between Main and Grand by force account, although it was mentioned that the downtown merchants are upset at so much money being spent on an alley.
--approved placement of funds in an escrow account with the District Court for the condemnation of the wat4er tower site near the Grove School.
--approved a write-off of bad debts of $12,296.82.
--acknowledged receipt from Oklahoma DEQ for construction of water line to serve the property of Tim Williamson.

YMCA Offers Fitness Classes

The newly opened Grand Lake Family YMCA is ready to help you get and stay in shape with 15 different fitness classes offered throughout the week.
Depending on your preference, you can join a “Step It Up” class for traditional step training or “All that Jazz & More,” a fun dance-based class combining Latin, country and hip-hip sounds and moves.
If you’re looking to work with weights, consider “Circuit Training” or “Strength & Toning” which both use weights for all-over body toning and strengthening.
All classes are 30 minutes long and are taught by Joy Hunt, a member of the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America who has taught fitness classes for more than seven years in Oklahoma, Missouri and Wyoming.
“Our goal is to offer classes for every level of fitness ranging from seniors to those who have been exercising for years,” explained Hunt. “We keep it fun and beneficial, no matter what your fitness level.”
Located in the old library on Elm Street in downtown Grove, the Grand Lake Family YMCA offers many different classes throughout the week.
The Y is also working with Grove’s “Yoga & More” on Hwy. 59, where Y members can take Yoga & More classes at a reduced rate.
For further information and class times, call the YMCA at 786-5774.
...from correspondant Kristine Goins

REC Manager Speaks to Grove Rotary

Cindy Hefner, Manager of Marketing & Public Relations for NE Oklahoma Electric Co-op in Vinita, was guest speaker at Grove Rotary this week. At right, Glenn Sharp, marketing specialist for REC.

The Canine Corner...by Missy MacTavish

News reached my ears on Wednesday that the Dallas Cowboys won Monday night's game against Philadelphia. Why did it take so long to reach my ears? I don't know.
Maybe living in the country has something to do with it.
I want to speak with you about flu shots.
Last year the Grove Hospital had this thing in the middle of the building where dealers from the Las Vegas Flamingo Hilton came in dressed in pink vests and organized the large group of penguins that were shuffling through there to get their flu shots.
It was a mess.
Sometimes, a mess is better than nothing.
This year the hospital said they would not use the casino dealers and everybody could go to their own doctor where there would be plenty of flu vaccine.
Not so. They lied.
There is no vaccine.
So this year I'm buying stock in cough medicine as there is sure to be a run on it.
The other thing I want to speak to you about is something called the Red Hatters.
These are older age ladies who dress up in red and purple clothes and act goofy like they did when they were kids and played dress up.
My Mom is a member; in fact I think she is a head hatter or something. Anyway, she turned one of our bathrooms into a red hat bathroom and made it off limits to anyone but red hatters. She even put a sign on the door--Do Not Use This Potteee, for Red Hatters Only. I can't even drink out of the bowl. Dad has to go outside. Dad says he's going to start a club for men.
I can't wait for that.
In the meantime, be nice to your pets…Miss Missy.

Fish at W.R. Holway Lake Get Home Makeover

Salina, OK. — The water level is down right now, but things are looking up for the residents of the Grand River Dam Authority’s W.R. Holway Reservoir. There is a boom in new fish housing projects. GRDA's goal is to increase habitat to improve the fishery of the lake.
Several acres of the reservoir are exposed, revealing potential locations for enhancing the fish habitat. The GRDA Ecosystems Department is taking advantage of the accessibility to these areas and is building new fish shelters to help protect the small fry.
"We’ve constructed several different types of structures to help enhance the fishery; 2 artificial and 1 natural," said Darrell Townsend, GRDA Director of Ecosystem Management. "Our goal is to take advantage of this opportunity and determine the specific species and sizes of fish that utilize these structures. We hope to apply what we learn from this study to our other lakes as well. "
Some of the shelters are made of recycled wood pallets, which were once used at the GRDA Coal-Fired Complex. Wired together in a tent shape, these structures will provide much needed shelter for young fish when the reservoir returns to normal. They also built several out of plastic buckets with plastic pipes cemented in them. They may resemble a pack of big spiders, but hopefully, underwater they will look like plants to the fish.
"We already have trophy size bass--the state record was caught here last spring," said Brent Davis, GRDA's Fishery Coordinator, "but we don't have as many smaller fish as we'd like." He explained, "We have a limited spawn because of the fluctuation of the water, and since there is limited habitat [in the reservoir], we lose even more of the fry. So by adding places for the fry to hide, we hope more of them will make it to maturity."
Along with the manufactured structures, fallen trees and brush piles were also placed around the reservoir. The Chimney Rock road and parking area on the south side of the reservoir are also being widened and cleaned up to allow better access to the far side of the water.
"We really appreciate the help and feedback that we've been getting from the local fishermen," said Davis. "They are excited about our efforts. This is just part of GRDA's plan to make the fisheries better and more productive in our lakes."
State record holder Karl R. Council reeled in the state's biggest smallmouth bass out of Holway Reservoir on March 29, 2005. His trophy weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. measuring 22 1/2 inches with a girth of 17.32 in.
GRDA began lowering the reservoir (commonly known as the "Pumpback") in early October so repairs to the concrete canal and earthen dike could be made at the request of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The work required the water level to be dropped approximately 35 feet. The reservoir is scheduled to return to normal water levels in late January when work is completed.
The W.R. Holway Reservoir in Chimney Rock Hollow is a pristine reservoir created in the late 1960s by GRDA as part of the Salina Pumped Storage Project. To ensure a relaxing fishing experience, boats with internal-combustion engines are not allowed on the reservoir. The pumpback is unique because it's water level fluctuates so much. During the hot part of the day (high energy usage) the six reversible pump/turbine units are used to generate electricity which lowers the water level as much as 15 feet. At night, the six 64,000-horsepower units are used to pump the water back up the hill into the reservoir. It is also one of the deepest lakes in the state, reaching depths of 180+ feet.
...from Tana Poppino, GRDA