City Moving Ahead on Projects

More than a dozen projects are currently in various stages of engineering or construction in the city of Grove, as outlined in a memo this week from City Manager Bill Galletly to members of the Council and trustees of GMSA.
Here is a list of projects currently underway:

With Rose & McCrary:
--Water, sewer, storm drainage in alley from Grand to Main, 3rd to 4th.
--Sewer line, airport hangers.
--Parking lot at City Hall.
--Water Line north side of 3rd, Broadway to Main, for Downtown Revitalization Project.
--City Beach on 98th street.
--State Park Road, Main to Broadway

With Archer Engineering:
--Highway 59 Utility Relocation--water, sewer force main, gas distribution and transmission.
--Water line from water plant to grade school
--Water line from grade school tank to Highway 59 & Leisure
--New water tank adjacent to grade school tank.
--Repair and upgrade of existing grade school tank.
--Pump station, grade school tank site.

With Garver Engineering:
--18th Street Extension Project.

With LandPlan:
--Downtown Revitalization, Phase One.

In addition, the city is currently talking with several wireless phone companies to develop a cell tower network for Grove and the surrounding area, nearly 300 square miles.
The city is also working with several companies, including PSO, to determine the possibility of developing an automatic meter reading program for gas and water, for GMSA use. The study will take several months to complete and may be tied to the communication tower development project.

Grand Jury Petition To Be Circulated

A petition calling for a Grand Jury investigation on the 18th Street Extension project will be circulated beginning Friday to citizens of Grove.
Backers of the petition are hoping to get 650-700 signatures, "or more than the winning candidate got in the last city council election," said Jack Forrest, local real estate broker.
He said petitions would be circulated by some 35 citizens who will be out in the neighborhoods. He said the purpose of the Grand Jury would be to determine "why city government and certain citizens of Grove did what they did" in killing the 13th Street project and approving the new 18th street extension from Sumac to Shundi.
He said the petition's purpose is to "call a grand jury for the purpose of investigating activities, agreements, and participants, including members of the Grove City government and certain citizens of Grove as to their role, if any, in the events between November 5, 2003, and June 1, 2004, which would explain the decision to precipitously move City funds, without proper agenda item public notice, from 13th street to 18th street."
Forrest maintains that the 18th street extension is part of a plan to by-pass Main Street and 3rd Street and re-designate Highway 59, and as such, should be built by ODOT, not by city funds using outside contractors.
"Any attempt to influence ODOT to build a bypass around Grove to the East, by spending millions of dollars of city funds to do the preliminary work on the bypass, borders on criminality," Forrest said.
The November 5 date is a key, he said, as on that date City Manager Bill Galletly wrote to ODOT requesting a revision in priorities from widening Main Street between 13th and Third, to a bypass around the north side of Grove on O'Daniel Blvd. In the same letter he also asked if the Highway 59 widening project could extend up the hill to 13th street, to tie into the eastbound arterial, 13th street, and a reconstructed Shundi from 13th street north to Highway 10.
Galletly has told The Observer that Council did not vote on this matter but that he consulted with "several people and the mayor at that time, Bob Nold."
The Main Street widening project, however, stopped short of going up the hill and is now at least 14 years from being constructed, according to the city manager.
At a city council meeting on June 1, 2004, a discussion was held on a proposal to move $1,350,000 for widening 13th street, to the 18th Street Extension project. Council voted to authorize a study by Garver Engineering which subsequently recommended the change which was approved by Council. Garver Engineering eventually was awarded the engineering contract for the 18th street project.
The Miami News-Record report of the June 1 meeting stated that there had been a quid pro quo, i.e., the 18th street extension project was approved in exchange for a 20-acre donation from Seigfried Properties, Inc. for the site of Grove's new Civic Center.
Forrest has made no secret of his opposition to the Seigfried location east of Grove in favor of a location with a view of Grand Lake easily seen from a main highway.

Murder Suspect Arrested in New Mexico

A suspect in the Grove murder of Bob Thurman, 61, who lived in the Orchard Grove apartments, has been arrested in Raton, NM and has provided officers there with a full confession, according to a statement released Thursday by the Grove Police Department.
Mark Henry Thurman, age 23 and son of Bob Thurman, was arrested shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday evening in Raton, which is near the Colorado border, where he had checked into a motel. Officers were able to locate a vehicle, which they said Thurman took from the crime scene in Grove, as well as "several items of evidence."
Thurman was charged Thursday with First Degree Murder in District Court.
Grove Police Chief Mark Wall said he wished to thank all of the news media in the area for their assistance in attempting to locate Thurman and his vehicle, which belonged to the deceased.
Thurman had been released from the Moberly, MO. state penitentiary on Monday where his parents picked him up and drove back to Grove. Tuesday afternoon officers learned that Thurman called his mother on her cell phone and told her that his father had been shot and that he might be dead, Wall said. Thurman was reportedly headed to California.
Thurman had served time in Missouri for first degree burglary and a parole violation, according to court records, and was released Monday on probation.
Chief Wall also thanked the investigators from OSBI and crime scene technicians as "their assistance was invaluable" in capturing the suspect.

Council Votes to Settle Shero Lawsuit

The Grove City Council, after meeting in Executive Session Tuesday afternoon, voted unanimously to settle one of the lawsuits Grove area resident Earl Shero has with the city.
In a lawsuit filed May 2, 2005, Shero for injunctive relief after he was refused a copy of a tape recording of the March 15, 2004, council meeting.
At that time, tape recordings were kept only for a few weeks until minutes were written, and then the tapes were re-used.
Council had considered the matter Sept. 20 and made the offer to Shero to settle the lawsuit based on each side paying their own attorney fees with Shero dropping the suit. This was approved at Tuesday's council meeting by a vote of 5-0.
Since Shero's lawsuit was filed, Council voted to keep the meeting tapes for a period of five years, rather than re-use tapes.
Shero was seeking $30,000 in attorney's fees, according to his statement in the Oct. 28 Grove Observer. Actual attorney fees in the settlement were not disclosed by either party.

Land Purchase Near Airport is Postponed

After more than an hour's discussion at a joint City Council/Grove Municipal Airport Authority meeting Tuesday, members of both groups agreed informally to have more discussions with the property owners, Mike & Linda Prather, of 59 acres of land on the west side of the airport currently for sale for $315,000.
The airport trust authority wants to purchase the land based on grants from the FAA of around $250,000, but only $100,600 of this is guaranteed, since President Bush has not signed the next appropriations bill for the FAA.
The city had put out bids from local banks for a six month loan which would come due in June 2006, but there is no guarantee that the FAA money will be in hand by then, as the FAA is not currently even taking applications for the $150,000.
The note cannot be extended because it would go into next year's fiscal year budget; the city cannot borrow above revenue projections without a vote of the people; and there is no guarantee that the final $150,000 from the FAA would arrive on time to pay off the note.
The trust authority can make long term loan agreements but the city cannot, without a vote of the people. Closing on the loan was to be held this week but has now been delayed.
The city currently has a cash reserve of just over $1 million which has existed for many years, said Mayor Nuckolls. City Manager Bill Galletly said he was not willing to roll the dice on a Federal grant being received in time for the note payoff, and neither official felt that taking money from the cash reserve would be proper.
A Grove citizen in the audience with considerable real estate experience, Michael Granum, volunteered to assist the city in negotiating for a small down payment on the property and an extended closing date.

Eyesore of the Month

This empty eyesore at the corner of Main and Heffleman near the entrance to Lowes is this month's Eyesore of the Month. Here we will feature various abandoned buildings around Grove which serve no purpose other than to contribute to decay and downgrade the community. It once served as a movie theater and has been vacant for several years.
Who owns this struture? Why doesn't he either fix it up, or sell it, or better yet, tear it down so something nice can be built here? ?Will the owner please come forward and explain?
Stay tuned for future photos.

An Editorial...Vote Yes on 911 Service Fee

Delaware County voters will go to the polls Dec. 13 to decide what could be a lifesaving issue. Voters in Tulsa County will also vote on the same issue.
In an emergency, if you currently dial 911 from your cell phone you may be routed to a call center miles away, unfamiliar with your location and unable to identify where you are for emergency first responders.
If the proposition passes, cell phone users will be assessed a monthly fee of 50 cents per phone to establish a routing of 911 calls to Delaware County's call center. If you are unable to speak due to medical, trauma or other conditions, the 911 call center will be able to locate you via GPS or tower network. Wireless 911 calls now take almost three times longer to handle than wireline 911 calls.
This is a small price to pay for something that could save your life in an emergency. Fifty cents a month is worth the piece of mind that comes with knowing emergency responders can find you if you are unable to tell them where you are located.
The Observer encourages you to vote YES on this issue Dec. 13.
But, we have to ask: Why can't the phone companies that make millions of dollars in profit every year pay for this service? Answer: Because they won't.

GRDA Investigating Sewage Runoff in Grove

Vinita — A raw sewage runoff, which according to some reports has been making its way into Grand Lake for at least three years, is a major cause of concern and has prompted the Grand River Dam Authority to investigate the site and seek the intervention of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). On Monday the DEQ announced that it would take legal action against the 50-unit mobile home park in District Court.
"The lack of a proper septic system at the location appears to be a violation of ODEQ regulations," said GRDA Chief Executive Officer Easley, "and the runoff is polluting Grand Lake with dangerous raw sewage every time there is a heavy rain. So we are asking that ODEQ take steps to fix this hazard."
GRDA Ecosystems Compliance Officer Charlie Floyd discovered the site, at the Four Seasons Mobile Home Park near Grove, in early November and knew immediately there was a problem. "Raw sewage was running down the middle of blacktop roadway heading directly to the edge of the lake," said Floyd. "The distance is quite a ways from the water’s edge, but there is large ditch that has been cut by running water during hard rains. Without a doubt, this carries sewage directly into the lake every time it rains."
"It was obvious this was raw sewage," said GRDA Ecosystems Management Superintendent Dr. Darrell Townsend, Ph.D. "Just from the looks and the odor, we knew what we were dealing with. However, we decided to test water samples taken from the source."
Those tests, performed by GRDA Water Biologist Jeff Day, left no doubt. "He tested for Fecal Coliform, Ecoli and total Coliform and the results were off the charts," said Townsend, who added that GRDA is continuing with its investigation and considering what action can be taken.
...from Justin Alberty, GRDA

The Followup File...

At an earlier City Council meeting, councilor Larry Parham brought up the question of Grove's underbilling to the city of Jay for natural gas used May 2005 through November 2005. Following a review of calculations, city officials determined that Grove had indeed underbilled Jay, to the tune of about $33,000, and a revised bill was on the way. It was accompanied by a letter of apology to Jay officials and a promise to install a billing review process to insure that such errors don't happen again. Word is that Afton, Fairland and other users may also have been underbilled as well..."Babe" the horse is still in residence as Grove's only equine, at 108 Osage Street, but the matter of moving him out of a residential area will go to court Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. Two nearby residents are suing Paul H. Ruckman to get him to move the horse on grounds that it is annoying two or more city residents. Judge Richard James will hear the matter, already postponed twice...Camp Cherokee, the Boy Scouts Camp off Highway 10 overlooking Grand Lake, will be sold, the Cherokee Area Council of Boy Scouts has decided.
The 700-acre site has been deemed to have too many deficiencies and would cost too much to bring up to Scout standards. The camp is 57 years old...Regarding an earlier Editorial on the Wright Amendment, Congress has thrown out a bone and amended the amendment so that nonstop flight to Missouri can be flown from Love Field--St. Louis and Kansas City. AA says it will begin operations (for about the third time) from Love Field where they have three unused gates, to compete with Southwest.

Right of Way Acquisitions on Hwy 59 Going Slow

Right of way acquisition for city utility relocation work on the Highway 59 widening project from Sailboat Bridge to Leisure Lane is behind schedule, but making steady progress, according to City Manager Bill Galletly.
"We are having issues with billboards," he said.
Actual work on moving the utilities was to start in October with road construction to start in August 2006, and completion by Spring of 2008.
Efforts to determine just how much right of way remains to be purchased, through ODOT and Universal Field Services, Inc. of Tulsa, were not successful at publication time.

18th Street Addendums Clarified

City Officials confirmed this week that as of Monday, no change orders or addendums had been issued to either APAC, the construction company in charge of construction on the 18th Street Extension project, or to Garver Engineering, since the bid was let, except for one approved by City Council Nov. 1 on a "not to exceed $14,500" basis for possible additional administrative services from Garver Engineering.
All other addendums were issued prior to the bid letting, including one for $17,000 to Garver for the portion of Shundi from 18th to 9th street, widening to three lanes with curb and gutters, which was approved by City Council June 21, 2005. Another addendum of $15,000 was approved by Council on Aug. 2, 2005 for realignment of the roadway.
The total engineering contract now comes to $239,875, city officials said.
City Council must approve all addendums to the original contracts to either Garver or APAC Construction.
Nearly $125,000 was authorized previously for 13th Street Improvements to Garver Engineering, but $46,875 of that is being applied to the 18th street project. Some of the other monies paid to Garver for the 13th street project can be salvaged in the event that project should come back on line in the future, said Treasurer Lisa Allred.
The 13th Street project was to be a three-lane roadway with curbs and gutters and was estimated at $1.3 million, but utility relocation costs were deemed too high and the project was changed to 18th Street, city officials said.

The Canine Corner...by Missy MacTavish

Ho Ho Ho. Tis the season, as they say, and I got dressed up in my fancy Christmas clothes.
Mom is decorating the house so I have been hiding in my own house. She puts out all sorts of Christmas tinkets, even covers the door knobs.
It takes her weeks to decorate, and then undecorate after Christmas.
In the meantime I have been making my Christmas list. Not for the giving, but the getting.
I want some new toys and a new chewstick, for starters. I would like my own TV also, so's I don't have to watch what the two leggers like.
I especially want to watch the Petsmart Bowl over the holidays, which the newspaper said would feature two teams who play like dogs.
Cold weather is coming. The weatherman said it would be a warm, wet winter but so far I don't see any sign of that. Just proves the weatherman should be put on straight commission. He gets paid only when he gets it right.
That's all for this week. Be nice to your fellow Grovidians...Miss Missy.

Home Construction Underway at North Beach

The first four homes at Grove's new Active Adult Community, North Beach, are under construction, Grove Rotary Club members were told at their weekly meeting.
North Beach, located on 209 acres on Wolf Creek, will have 297 homes in Phase I with another 350 in Phase 2-A. All of the homes and development will have a nautical theme. Phase 2-B will have a campus consisting of homes with assisted living and Alzheimer's patients called Memory Lane, and a state of the art Wellness Fitness Center.
Located on one and a half miles of waterfront, there will be 250 slips for purchase with a home, 15 miles of nature trails, greenbelts, ponds, and a bird sanctuary.
All streets will be curbed and guttered and the development will be tied to the Grove water and sewer system. It will be patterned after other successful developments for the Over 55 market such as Del Webb's Sun City, AZ.
It will eventually be home to 1,500 people, 80% of which will come from out of state, say the developers, Bill Goldner and Jim Olson. A typical home and lot will cost $169,000 and up.

MIFD Gets New Fire Truck

Delaware County Commissioners have approved purchase of a new fire truck for the Monkey Island Fire Department but it will be several months before the truck will be ready for duty.
The department has purchased a Ford F550 flat bed Heavy Duty Troop Cab truck from Mid States Ford, a Ford dealer near Des Moines, IA which they found on the Internet and have taken it to EVAC, a "monster garage" builder of fire trucks in Baxter Springs, KS.
Here, the plant will add the full package, which will include a full diesel pump engine, a 400 gallon water tank, hydrant hookup equipment, and equipment which will enable it to serve as a multi--purpose rescue unit, complete with medical, foam and water service.
The truck will carry six people and with the added capacity for foam, is especially suited for car fires. The truck cost $35,000 and with all of the added equipment will come to just over $73,000.
MIFD also has a 2,000 gallon tanker truck and a 1,000 gallon pumper truck.

Arvest Bank Coming to Grove

Arvest Bank is coming to Grove. The company closed on the real estate purchase of 1.7 acres just south of Arby's on Main Street last week, paying $875,000 for the property. Construction is set to start soon and the bank opening to occur in mid 2006. Selling broker was Century 21 Waterfront; listing broker was Forrest Realty.

Cox Cable Charges Going Up

Cox Cable is increasing the cost of limited basic cable service in Grove from $33.24 a month to $34.99, effective in January 2006. Cost for basic cable service additional outlet is going from $2.50 to $6.00 a month, and the cost of Cox Service Assurance Plan will increase from $1.95 to $2.99.

Old Families of Delaware County Adds Roberts

Paul Roberts of Grove has been recognized as one of the new members of Old Families of Delaware County by the Delaware County Genealogical Society. Fourteen members of Paul’s family showed up for the occasion in mid-November.
The Roberts family came to this area late in the 1800s, and Paul’s grandfather Jesse Roberts married Cherokee Rebecca Agnes Snell in 1897. The Snell ancestry goes back to the Old Nation in the east. Linda Adzigian of Grove researched and presented the family history. To qualify for Old Families of Delaware County, an application has to be presented proving genealogically that the family was in what is now Delaware County by 1900.
Also recognized at the meeting was James Aaron Caudill, the ancestor of Carol Caudill Savage. She had previously proved her Ketcher and Hanna ancestors.
The McGhee family, beginning with the early settlers Ambrose McGhee and his wife Judy Cochran, was recognized by application by Richard Dennis McGhee. A cousin, John Terry, presented the family history which includes T.J. McGhee, the long-time court clerk of the Delaware District, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory.
The first honorary membership was presented posthumously to Thelma Muskrat Lee who was born in 1902 and died Sept. 9, 2005. Thelma was a Dawes enrollee, and an active member of the community. Anyone interested in applying for Old Families of Delaware County may contact a member of the society at the Grove Public Library. Volunteers from the society will assist with applications if requested.
...from Correspondant by Rose Stauber