Council Meeting is Warm & Fuzzy

This week's City Council meeting had such a warm and fuzzy feeling to it that attendees were pinching themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming. All that was lacking was a chorus of Kumbaya. And the room was packed to the walls with people standing out in the hall.

The council voted unanimously to offer a compromise solution to the current controversy with the airport authority; Councilman Larry Parham complimented fellow councilman Terry Ryan on his handling of the issue, and even invited City Manager Bill Galletly to partner up in an upcoming charity golf tournament, with Parham paying all expenses.

Mayor Carolyn Nuckolls read a letter from resident Ben Hynam that commended the city manager for his work the past two years and urged reconciliation among residents.

In the discussion on the airport/risk matter, Council voted 3-1 with Gary Bishop abstaining and Parham voting nay to disregard the current proposal on the table from the airport authority which would carve up various pieces of the airport, some going to the city, some remaining with the authority.

In a new motion, council voted 5-0 to co-title a portion of land on the northeast corner of the airport and value it at $100,000; issue a letter of understanding to the authority that the property is a "significant asset" alleviating concern that there are no substantial assets left with the authority; the city will rescind a previous vote to resign as the beneficiary of the trust and deny further approval of funds to the airport; and the airport authority will deed and title all other property to the city 100%. The removal of the $83,000 note from the Purchase Order Registry was also accomplished.

The motion included the fact that a response from the Authority was expected by Thursday, March 2 at 4:30 p.m. in order to be put on the agenda for the next Council meeting March 7.

Parham said he wanted to commend Councilman Ryan for his handling of the matter and said "I feel the city should have had title to the land from Day One. If it will better the city and airport then we should act on it."

Troy Kyman, an airport user, said we have "lost focus, we've had a communications breakdown between the council and airport authority, driven by passion on both sides.
We need to focus on the risk issue," he said.

In other action:
The Council voted to fund the American Heritage Festival with a $15,000 appropriation through the Grove Industrial Development Authority by a 4-0 vote with Mayor Nuckolls abstaining; approved the assignment of the Cox Cable TV franchise to Cebridge Acquisition Co. LLC; and unanimously approved a motion to support an upcoming Civil Air Patrol Campout and Young Eagles Rally on May 5-6 at the Grove Municipal Airport.
Council also voted to table for 60 days a proposal to rename Highway 59 from Sailboat Bridge to Leisure Lane "Freedom Blvd," and get procedural input.
Council also endorsed the city's participation in the 18th Annual Oklahoma Trash-Off set for April 8.
The only issue that Council could not agree on was regarding the advertisement signage at the Beauchamp Baseball Field, presented by Bret Bouher, Grove High School baseball coach. Council voted 3-2 to table the issue until details can be worked out on how to handle the revenue, with Councilmen Bishop and Parham voting not to table.

Assistant City Manager Debbie Mavity announced that Grove, for the first time ever, would host the statewide City Managers Summer Conference July 12-14, with 60-75 city managers from across the state attending.

Larry Parham announced that the benefit night for Ed Kraft, Grove policeman who is undergoing cancer treatment, raised more than $20,000 last Friday night, and offered Galletly an opportunity to be his partner in Sunday's Ed Kraft Benefit Golf Tournament at Patricia Island Golf Club.
Galletly said that with his golf skills, "you need to be ready for a long day." The format is a two-man scramble and golfers that wish to sign up can call the golf course at 786-3338.

An Editorial...watch the laws

In his remarks at this week's Council meeting, councilman Terry Ryan mentioned "the laws of unintended consequences" regarding the long battle between Council and the airport trust authority board members over transfer of property to the city.
This particular law points out that when you set out to do something, such as introduce a measure to transfer property, unintended consequences can result. In this case, the city set out to transfer the property and probably did not anticipate the furor it would cause. The airport board suspected the real reason was to break the trust, and that without property, the trust had no reason for being.
The city could have headed off this battle by issuing a clear statement of its intentions. Board member Bryant Chestnutt had pointed out weeks ago that the matter would pass "if it was for the right reasons, but it isn't."
In politics, it is worth nothing that there are many laws that can be considered, none having anything to do with a courtroom.
There's Murphy's Law of Thermodynamics: "Things get worse under pressure." This comes under Murphy's basic law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
Then there is Newton's Third Law of Motion: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." That certainly applied in the airport/council donnybrook.
Newton's First Law is also worth noting: "Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it."
Assuming that the airport/council issue is settled next week, that leaves the grand jury petition and a couple of court cases left on the city's plate to digest.
Backers of the grand jury petition, which is nothing but old news once again put through the blender, should note Burn's Balance Law: "If the assumptions are wrong, the conclusions aren't likely to be very good."
Those who would like to rid the city of the current city manager should take note of Camp's Law:
"A coup that is known in advance is a coup that does not take place." Or, Cannon's Cogent Comment: "The leak in the roof is never in the same location as the drip."
Candidates for the next council election should consider Broder's Law: "Anybody that wants the office so much that he'll spend two years organizing and campaigning for it is not to be trusted with the office."
And all government workers should heed Brian's First Law: "At some time in the life cycle of virtually every organization, its ability to succeed in spite of itself runs out."
As for us, we like The Murphy Philosophy: "Smile…tomorrow will be worse."

Airport Board Sets Meeting

The Grove Municipal Airport Trust Authority will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, to discuss the city council's latest offer in the transfer of property matter, according to Terry Abercrombie, airport manager. The meeting will be held in Room 5 at City Hall.

GIDA Votes to Transfer Property to City

The Grove Industrial Development Authority has voted unanimously to transfer all of the property held in GIDA's name to the City of Grove, with the exception of the Civic Center building which will remain in GIDA's name.
The property to be transferred consists of lots 2-7 and lot 22 in the Grove Business Park, the All State Tank leased building, and eight acres at the Industrial Park. The Civic Center still has debt on it and the debt would have to be retired for the deed to be transferred to the city.
The GIDA board, at its meeting last Friday, also discussed making an offer to a possible new tenant in the Industrial Park, an out-of-state company with 16-30 employees making an average wage of $12-15/hour in the aircraft/automotive industries. The city, using funds from Grand Gateway and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, would construct a 15,000 square foot building with paved parking lot and lease it to the new company.
The board voted to have the city manager proceed with a specific proposal.
They also set the next meeting date as March 17 at 1:30 p.m.

Around the Lake...

Overheard near the WalMart checkout stand:
" Please sign this petition."
"What's it for?"
"To get rid of the Grove City Manager."
"I'm not going to sign that."
"You'll be sorry."
Now we ask, is this any kind of way to present a petition to call a grand jury? The petition does not mention firing the city manager. Is this legal? And we will bet that Walmart is not too happy about its premises being used for such purposes...The Grove Boat Show is this weekend for all those who didn't get their fix at the Tulsa Boat Show. Remember to bring your check book...local businessman Rick Howard has been hard at work getting a petition signed to rename Highway 59 from Sailboat Bridge to Leisure Lane, as "Freedom Blvd." We are all for renaming the highway, but we would prefer a lake-oriented name as that is what makes Grove what it is. Our choice is Sailboat Blvd. but the city could organize a contest for the citizens to submit their favorite name and get more input, before Freedom Blvd is crammed down our throats. The issue will come up again in 60 days at a council meeting...

Free Safe Boating Classes Offered to the Public

Grand Lake Sail and Power Squadron will present the United States Power Squadron (USPS) safe boating course “BoatSmart” in three 3-hour sessions. It will be taught from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on March 6, 9, & 13 at the GLA Visitor Center in Grove near Sailboat Bridge. This is a free education opportunity to learn safe boating, plus it can help reduce the cost of boat insurance. Insurance companies recognize the benefits, and they usually discount boat insurance premiums by about ten percent for those who successfully complete the course.

The BoatSmart course is approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and is also approved by the United States Coast Guard as acceptable to the National Recreational Boating Safety Program. Personal Watercraft Operations content in this course has been approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators as meeting requirements for a Personal Watercraft Endorsement program.

Please pre-register by contacting Jane Montgomery at (918) 786-9797 or Gene Pett at (918) 787-6103 or e-mail to: jane53@aol.com or gmpett@yahoo.com. You can also sign up at the Grand Lake Sail & Power Squadron’s booth at the Grove Boat Show this weekend.

Letters to the Editor...

Just a few comments regarding your Friday, February 17, edition of The Grove Observer. I don’t always agree with you, but your work product is excellent and much needed especially at this time in Grove.
The Airport dispute has been simmering for almost three years. I would not begin to give some simple explanation of the reasons. I do know that the growth of Grove is causing change and conflict to which all parties are having difficulty adjusting. Research that you do quite well will show that the liability question is of recent origin, within the last year. It has merit but it also has motive. The question of control is intertwined with the issue of liability. Distrust, not lack of information or lack of understanding, prevents settlement. A commitment by the City, in writing, to memorialize, for example a fixed period of twenty years, or something similar, in the form of some type of management agreement, would leave everything in place under present procedure and law and transfer all real estate into co-ownership. This would give some permanence and assurance to such casual comments as "You are still in business", or "A handshake is good." Neither of these comments offer any permanent solution. A long-term contract would offer assurance and solution.
I do not think it is possible to even react in a rational way to the view that the Airport is nothing more than something benefitting 1% of the people as a private club for aviators. Would you say this about any other airport, or airports in general? It is self-evident that airports are essential to a growing, prosperous community.
As for City politics and the grand jury, the turmoil and conflict are part of democracy and the rights of individuals to do certain things such as: to have a free press, to have free speech, to have the right to assemble, and to have the right to petition. It is messy, but vigorous and necessary. Only wannabe despots and lazy government officials find this process distasteful. In our free society, the law and elections and the courts render the final decision, not grousing, complaining, bickering, name-calling, and whining. The responsibility for solutions rests with those who hold office, not with those who do not hold office. If they fail to produce solutions, they are held responsible, not their non-office-holding critics.
The grand jury petition is a legal procedure created long before the United States of America, to give the non-elected populace oversight of governmental officials who may be committing acts which are unlawful. Government officials should take responsibility and answer criticism with solutions or dialogue. Blaming others for their own failure and/or shortcomings not only does not work but is an argument that is ALWAYS rejected by the voters. As to the specific situation we are faced with, one correction: the grand jury petition which you cited in your article, set forth the conflict facing District Attorney Eddie Wyant. He cannot be both a witness before and an advisor to the grand jury. The Attorney General will appoint an attorney to represent the grand jury.
Circulation of a petition by citizens is guaranteed by the 1st and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. The signers of any grand jury petition are not subject to harassment, and any attempt to do so is a violation of their civil rights. Once the petition is filed, the names of the signers become public information and are certified by the Election Board of Delaware County. There is nothing secret about the process prior to convening of the grand jury. There is an internal contradiction when you assert that the petitioners are "a fringe group", and then state that they are upset because of certain issues which touch the vast majority of the people of Grove. Plus, ev en one individual, a fringe group, or 90% of the people, have a right to freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the freedom to circulate a petition. As you stated, good old boys are always there. I have fought them for seventeen years and will continue to fight them as long as I can breathe. One bit of positive news, two good-old-boy deals were overturned this last week, because of public exposure.
The measure of the public will is not by my opinion or your opinion or anybody’s opinion. It is not determined by how many people attend meetings or do not attend meetings. It is determined by the law and by elections. There is no legal requirements for citizens to attend meetings. Public officials are supposed to do their job and follow the law, whether citizens attend meetings or not. That is why the Attorney General, the Open Records Act, and the Open Meetings Act require full disclosure by detailed agenda items and detailed minutes and/or tapes of public meetings. However, one could do a polling by petition to determine whether one group or another is a fringe group. A counter-petition could be circulated in support of what has been going on in Grove and of those who are making the decisions in Grove. It would be interesting to see if that petition would attract as much support as the grand jury petition. They could have 45 days as well. And I would oppose any attempt to harass them, interfere with their efforts, publicize their names, take pictures of their office, monitor the vehicles at their place of business, or make angry public statements about them personally, all of which activities are a violation of civil rights laws.
Thank you for your attention. My goal as always is to contribute to the making of a better community. Growth is difficult, and always causes conflict and problems. In my mind, the opposing parties at the present time are part of that struggle with growth and the solution will be found in what emerges after this period of discord. A mayorial form of government, with a professional, competent full-time mayor subject to Council authority, should be adopted. With this change, the individuals with governmental authority and responsibility will become directly responsible and answerable by election to the people. The City Manager would be reduced to an administrative rather than a policy-making position.
It is my personal view that all of the players on both sides in the present conflict will become irrelevant very soon. The issues are transitory, not permanent, and so are the personalities. The bottom line is that the Grand Lake community and Grove in particular continue to ever-increasingly attract individual and business investors who take a wry and condescending view of the backward and dysfunctional nature of the present political and governmental situation. Money is always smarter than politics, thankfully.

Jack L. Forrest

The Canine Corner...by Missy MacTavish

This week I received my first letter to the editor, from my friend Champ whose parents have a nice motorhome that she can travel in. My parents are poor and can't afford anything like that.
So, here's the letter:

Missy, so happy to see you have been released from prison. It certainly is better to be able to run around your back yard. I have returned to Grove as Mom and Dad decided it was time to come back home. Big surprise for them was jury duty notice when they opened their mail. On our way home we stopped in Springdale and picked up my cousin Dino so he could spend some quality time in Grove.

This past weekend we were surprised to find our favorite fireplugs and trees surrounded by something white and cold. It was fun to run around in it burying my nose in the stuff. But for some reason after we relieve ourselves it turns yellow. That's all for now...I enjoy reading your column in The Grove Observer.
Your four legged friend, Champ Miller

On that note mentioning snow, I like to watch my big screen TV but those crazy stations in Tulsa shrink the picture down to half the size, with two or three logos and school closings that go on and on and on all day. I'm not in school so who cares! Just assume everything is closed if it snows and move on. There was one station that had 3 different crawls going on at the same time, flooding the regular program. I don't pay for programming to have to watch closings all day. Now, I feel lots better having gotten that off my small chest.

Until next time...Miss Missy.

YMCA Extends Hours

The Grand Lake Family YMCA has extended its hours and is now open from 9 am to 7 pm, Monday through Friday and from 8 am to noon on Saturday.
During those hours, members can work out on the Y’s cardiovascular equipment, strength training circuit and free weights.
A variety of aerobic classes are also offered several times daily. They include “Step It Up,” a traditional step class; “All that Jazz & More,” a dance-based workout; “Circuit Training” and “Strength & Toning” which both use weights for all-over body toning and strengthening
Child care is available for members.
The Grand Lake Family is located in the old library building at 206 Elk St. in Grove.
For further information about membership rates and class schedules, contact the Family YMCA in Grove at 918-786-5774.