Council Votes to Keep Galletly as City Manager

Like an eraser cleaning a blackboard, the Grove City Council voted 4-1 Friday to rescind a 5-0 vote taken in June which terminated City Manager Bill Galletly. Galletly will continue as city manager for the foreseeable future.

After a two hour Executive Session Friday, Councilman Larry Parham made the motion to rescind the June 6 motion and continue the employment of Galletly as in the past.
"This was not an easy decision, but it is in the best interest of the city to keep Bill on. It does not make sense to pay two people to do one job," Parham said. Councilman Terry Ryan seconded the motion with the provision that Parham amend his motion to include severance pay of four months and inclusion of sick leave and vacation pay that have been accrued.

Contrary to previous reports, Galletly does not have a contract with the city, but serves as an "employee at will" as defined by state law and can be terminated at any time, with a severance package of four months. Council had planned to make Galletly a consultant to the city after his termination of city manager, but ran into problems over the details.

It appears that everyone put the "community's best interest" first in this meeting.
Galletly said the council went over a lengthy list of items in making their decision.

"I am hopeful that the friction in the community will settle down and we can jointly address some of the issues of concern. This was a difficult decision for the Council and everybody had the best interests of the community in mind. We can build on this…the people will be the beneficiary," Galletly said after the meeting.

The lone dissenter, Councilman Gary Bishop, declined to give his reasons for his nay vote, but said "I am still very much behind the city manager and council…it's over and now let us move on."

So for now, the stack of 14 resumes and applications for the city manager job, still unopened, will probably be answered with a courtesy letter; the three different consultant contracts which were prepared for Galletly as a result of his termination will be filed away; and the long lists of public works projects either started or planned will be addressed uninterrupted.

The 5-0 vote to terminate Galletly taken June 6 brought out issues and problems which were not forseen at the time, over who would look after the list of projects underway in the city, and the cost of paying two or even three people to manage the city and projects.
Had the council terminated Galletly Friday, they were prepared to make Debbie Mavity interim City Manager.

Council Session: Deal or No Deal

After a 90 minute, sometimes volatile Executive Session of the Grove City Council Tuesday night, Mayor Carolyn Nuckolls announced that no decisions had been reached regarding the employment of City Manager Bill Galletly and that the session would be continued at High Noon Friday, City Hall Room 5.

At issue was the termination of Galletly, which had previously been set as Oct. 10 by a 5-0 vote in June. Since then, councilors have been embroiled in severance pay issues and who will oversee the massive $7.5 million utility relocation project on Highway 59 to begin shortly.

Some 14 applications from applicants for the city manager job have not even been opened and a search for Galletly's replacement will take 3-4 months.

One source said Galletly was to have been terminated at midnight Tuesday after the council session, but this deal fell apart and a volatile exchange ensued with one councilor walking out of the Executive Session. Some members of the community want Galletly gone yesterday without any severance pay or consulting fees on the highway project, and are putting pressure on councilors to vote that way. Others want either for Galletly to stay on as city manager for another year to see the projects through, or be hired as a public works consultant, since the city by contract has to pay Galletly anyway. They ask, what is the point in paying Galletly to sit at home when his expertise is needed, paying a new city manager, and a consultant, thus tripling the cost.

The council meeting room was packed, with many against the city manager. Two attorneys who normally work for the Grove Airport Trust Authority, David Jones and Donna Smith, were also present, with Smith carrying a five-inch file of documents.

It was learned that one councilor had, on his own, hired Jones to re-write the consultant agreement for Galletly's services on the utility relocation project, which turned out to be quite different than the original contract proposed earlier. The new contract was written by Attorney Donna Smith, sources said. Smith has previously argued with the city on behalf of the airport authority regarding transfer of property to the city.

At least three councilors are firm on the issue of honoring Galletly's contract and desire for his services for GMSA projects. One observer said the normal consulting fee for such projects is 10% of the cost, which would mean $750,000, but keeping Galletly on in effect would cost the city nothing. But there are other contract issues which are a problem for council.

Friday could be Galletly's last day as City Manager, with Assistant City Manager Debbie Mavity being named interim city manager until a permanent replacement is named.

In other action Tuesday night, Council:

-- presented a certificate of appreciation to Ron "Doc" Fries, traffic control technician, as Employee of the Month.
--tabled a vote on site selection for a new cemetery (see separate story)
--approved a seal bid for a new super cab truck for Buildings and Grounds for $18,022 to be assigned to the cemetery sexton; and a bid for $9,750 for a new Kubota mower from Anderson Car and Tractor, Joplin. The only bid for the truck was from Joe Cooper Government Sales in Midwest City.
--voted to waive competitive bidding for the storm drainage project at 3rd and O'Daniel for $13,600.
--tabled a vote on an amendment to the current garbage contract with Allied Services LLC. Allied wants to raise the price of collection from $8.76 per house per week to $9.02 and go to once a week pickup. To continue with twice weekly pickup would cost $15.00 per house per week. Councilors suggested they should be asking for a 25% increase rather than a 50% increase. The company said increased fuel and tire costs were the reason, with fuel costs increasing $3,000 a month more than last year.
--Councilman Bishop questioned the tree clearing on city property at 68th street, and Councilman Parham confirmed that real estate agent Chuck Perry had indeed donated his $6,000 commission to the city on the purchase of 33 acres of land for future airport use.

Letters to the Editor...

As many of you know, I’m not a resident of Grove, although next week I will be establishing a small part-time residence on the lake outside of town. However, I do feel that we are major stakeholders in Grove with our investment in the Professional Center at 13th & Shundi. Even more importantly, I have grown to truly enjoy and treasure the friendships and acquaintances that I have made here through our business and the civic groups that I’m active in. For this reason, I feel compelled to add a few comments to the Editorial, “Grove Going into Crisis Mode”.

McAlester is mentioned in this editorial as being a city government in crisis. Not that many years ago, the elected officials, business leaders, and citizens of Webb City, Missouri, were constantly fighting each other for power, critiquing each other’s every move, and making decisions based on “whose side they were on”. The growth in that town became stagnant, there was no new industry or construction, and people began moving to Joplin or Carl Junction. Finally, those who remained realized they had to get along and work together if this little city was going to survive. Take a drive over there now! Look at the new businesses, schools, houses, medical facilities, shopping centers, restaurants, stores, etc. It’s amazing what happened once they quit bickering and become united. We all know Grove has much more to offer than Webb City does. I hope we don’t “miss the boat” for this opportunity for growth because we’re too caught up in making decisions based on emotions instead of what is best for this community.

I also know that Grove and the surrounding area is full of honest, hardworking people who don’t deserve to have the place where they live, work, and raise their families being made fun of in major newspapers across the four-state area due to all of this fighting and intimidation. It hurts tourism and it certainly doesn’t impress any prospective businesses looking to establish a presence here. Another group that is suffering through this is the city employees. Imagine how uncomfortable all of this must be for them as they try to do their jobs and follow through on projects not knowing from one day to the next who’s in charge. Is it the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager, a new City Manager, a Project Engineer, the City Council? I really feel sorry for these folks – they’re just trying to do their jobs and make a living!

Let’s put some of the wasted energy going into all of this arguing toward issues like affordable housing for our citizens, a new hospital that offers Level I Trauma Care for accident victims, Geriatric care for our elderly, and recruiting new industries to Grove to provide jobs so our residents can work here instead of in Arkansas and Missouri. Show up at the City Council Meetings the first and third Tuesday of each month. Maybe if enough interest is shown, eventually someone will even open up a bigger room to meet in so we can all sit down instead of standing in the hallway.

Whether you like it or not, the five city councilpersons were elected by the citizens of Grove. It’s not fair to question and undermine their every decision just because some people in this community have too much free time. Maybe some of the items on the agenda shouldn’t even be discussed in a public forum. I don’t know. On the other hand, these five people were entrusted by your votes to make fair, sound judgments that will result in the best possible outcome for the citizens of Grove. That requires compromise, integrity, and a love for this great city and the people who live here. I hope and pray this is foremost in all their minds!

Connie Brewer

Editorial...Grove Going Into Crisis Mode

Grove's City Council is split into two factions that cannot agree on critical issues that could put the city's important projects at risk. It is understandable, reading the following quote from the Council Meeting Minutes of Nov. 5, 2002:

"Local residents Mike Thompson, Larry Parham and Lendy Tate (now deceased) addressed the city council expressing their personal concerns regarding the hiring of the new City Manager vs. application submitted by Senator Rick Littlefield. The Council heard complaints based on experience and qualifications of denied local area applicant to that of Mr. Galletly, a native of western Oklahoma. The Council voiced their opinions, individually, substantiating their decision. Jobe made the motion to approve a one-year contract with William (Bill) A Galletly beginning on the first day of December 2002 and ending on the last day of November 2003. Nuckolls seconds the motion. Aye: Jobe, Rowe, Nold, Sadler and Nuckolls. Nay: None. Motion carried."
Only one councilor at that time is still on the council, Mayor Nuckolls.

City Manager Bill Galletly had not even worked his first day and people were protesting the council's unanimous decision to hire him. And the protests have not stopped since. Parham has since been elected to the Council and continues to want Galletly out of town, pressured by the group that lost power in the past two elections. Parham said Thursday he never made any statement about Littlefield and the minutes are incorrect.
Councilman Gary Bishop almost always votes in sync with Parham, giving the council a 3-2 split. That's the way it was planned. Unplanned was Terry Ryan's win over Charles Rowe, which upset the good old boys no end. Ryan has recently been trying to broker an agreement with the two factions on firing Galletly and his severance package. Parham says it is he that is trying to broker the deal.

The plan was for Galletly to have been fired Tuesday night at midnight, but the Council could not agree on his severance or consultant package. Why pay someone to sit at home when he is the only person in Grove that knows the complex issues of the utility relocations. Does this make good business sense?

Now the city is faced with Galletly possibly being sent home this Friday, but being paid anyway due to his severance contract with the city; not having a city manager for 2-4 months; (the resumes have not even been opened yet) complex public works projects to begin shortly such as utility relocations on Highway 59 which must be finished in 300 days from start day or the city faces huge fines; an inexperienced acting city manager who would be subject to firing at any time; hiring a new city manager strong enough to please both factions; hiring a public works director to oversee projects since Galletly would be sitting at home; and three council seats up for election in April. You can bet that another fight will ensue over the new city manager's selection.

The city is clearly at a crossroads. Decisions should be based on business, not emotion. ODOT could well say to the city "you have no one in charge and we can't risk such an important project as Highway 59 widening, so we will postpone it." ODOT is not going to move the utilities, the city is, via a construction contract still to be bid. The city is on the hook for getting it done, however, and has ordered the materials.

One only need to look at McAlester down Highway 69 to see what a city government in crisis looks like…entire council gone, two fired city managers in less than 7 months, financial problems and more.

One councilor has said he has been threatened with a lawsuit if he doesn't vote a certain way. Two factions fighting. Groups jamming the council meetings intimidating councilors. False information being spread. Lawsuits threatened against the City Manager over a bike path. Possible resignations at the GMSA board. Pending lawsuits from fired employees. What to do with the Civic Center. And on.

Egads. Who would want to come to Grove and manage city government, facing all of this.

Our Council is going to have to sit down together and compromise and make the hard decisions that best benefit Grove. Otherwise, we are screwed.

Friday's Special Executive Session may well be the most important meeting of the year. We hope the council members can sit down together and agree 5-0 on what is best for the city and its residents.

Council: No Action on New Cemetery Location

Grove City Councilors tabled a decision on where to build Grove's new cemetery, after hearing a lengthy presentation Tuesday night from Ken Kallenbach of MKEC Engineering Consultants. Two sites are being considered, both currently owned by the city: East Site, north of Olympus Cemetery at the southeast corner of East 13th and 640 Road, and North Site, on the west side of North Cherokee/620 Road about one mile north of Third Street.

Kallenbach gave a slight edge to the North Site, based on location and surface features.
However, the city's wastewater treatment plant to the west was a problem that bothered some councilors as well as audience members.

MKEC evaluated both sites on:
Location
Topography
Soils
Water Table
Size
Accessibility
Utilities and Security
Drainage

Here is a summary of each criteria:

Location--East site pro is proximity to Olympus Cemetery for gravesite visitations at both; cons are the city water storage tank as a dominant backdrop feature, and local trips to the east site from churches and funeral homes will be slightly longer. For the North site, pros include the proximity to Buzzard Cemetery, location with regard to the city's present and future population being more convenient, and surface features such as trees and pond. Possible heavy traffic on Cherokee when North Beach is built out was also mentioned.

Topographic Criteria--East site pros offer distant views to the west and south due to elevation changes, but openness of the site will subject it to harsh winter winds.
North site pros offers slight one per cent slope and surroundings offer some protection from harsh winter winds.

Soils--Terracon Company of Tulsa conducted a separate study at a cost of $2640, taking 11 borings at each site. On the East site, at all but two of the 11 bore holes, the depth to rock was 7.5 feet or more; at the North site, at three locations a one-foot layer of weathered limestone was encountered within the upper three feet, but could be broken up by heavy equipment.

Water Table--no problems at either site.

Size--East site has enough space for 110 years of active burial use, while the North site could be used for 155 years with another 10 acres to the west.

Accessibility--East site has all weather road 640 but 13th is unpaved to the east; the North site has Road 284 unpaved on the north.

Utilities and Security--Advantage for the north site, as security is not as much a concern due to visibility from roadway, and site already has water, gas, telephone and electric at the location.

Drainage--East site, a drainageway will need to be provided for a 40 acre basin on the south part of the property; at the North site the minimal slope will require careful grading for runoff and a drainageway will also need to be provided, the report said.

City Manager Bill Galletly offered no suggestion as to which site. "That matter is entirely up to the Council," he said Wednesday.

Observations...

Last week The Tulsa World reported that GRDA had given back nearly a half million dollars in Homeland Security Funding for security at Pensacola Dam and elsewhere, due to too many accounting responsibilities. GRDA now says they never had the money, and simply told Homeland Security they didn't want it. "GRDA simply did not feel that the cost benefit was enough to offset the added expenses that would result (additional accounting staff, greater workload for existing staff). GRDA simply does not have the resources at this time to monitor all the requirements that must be met by federal grant dollar recipients. However homeland security remains a top priority and the initiatives that began with the establishment of the GRDA Homeland Security Department in 2004 continue today," GRDA said in a statement…We can add that security at Pensacola Dam is a scary situation and that is all we are going to say about it…The August 7 joint meeting with Council and the P&Z Board on code revisions has been cancelled, as several council members will be out of town…Ivan Devitt, Jr. was promoted Tuesday morning to Police Chief, from Acting Police Chief, by City Manager Bill Galletly. Devitt's hiring was cleared by City Attorney Ron Cates, as this is a responsibility of the City Manager, not Council, Cates said. Galletly said Devitt "has done a good job, he is smart, very personable, and balances the facts." Devitt was with the Houston, Tx. police department for 30 years serving as a mounted patrol officer on both motorcycles and horses… Devitt was named acting police chief in May after Chief Mark Wall was fired by Galletly. Wall currently works for the District Attorney's office in Jay...Reminder: A Statewide Burn Ban is now in effect due to the dry and hot conditions, per Governor Henry...Larry Hestand, owner of Grove's KGVE, has purchased KGLC in Miami with FM station at 100.9 format changing to what was broadcast at KGND in Grove, 107.5, which was sold to KOSN in Stillwater and features classical music and NPR radio. The former KGND call letters were obtained by KITO-FM in Vinita which uses the country music format. Who said Radio was dull...

What's Up with the Bike Path?

Councilman Larry Parham is making a fuss over the bike path that was installed on the north side of the recently opened 18th street extension, saying it was never approved by Council.

Last September, Council voted 4-1 (Parham voting Nay) to award a bid for construction work at a cost of $2,222,507, to APAC Construction of Vinita, which included construction of the 18th street extension and widening of Shundi to three lanes from its intersection with 18th street extension to 9th Street.

The actual bid was higher than anticipated, so Galletly recommended eliminating the bike path, at a cost of $161,143, plus several other projects to overcome a shortfall of $513,507 in available funds. These had previously been approved as part of the budget process. They included transfer of funds from the Chopper Heights drainage project, transfer of funds from the State Park Road/Broadway project, Phase II engineering of Shundi Road, and using surplus capital funds of $104,364.

The bike path cost estimate of $161,143 was then based on a concrete base, not asphalt, and included both 18th street and the portion of Shundi being widened to 9th street.

Towards the end of construction, it was learned that actual construction costs were less than the bid amount; and council had previously approved the bike path as part of the project, but removed by Galletly to save money; and a bike path could be easily built on the 18th street portion only for $48,000 using asphalt, laid on a previously constructed foundation, using equipment and men already on scene. So Galletly made an executive decision to build the path, with the project still coming under the bid amount.

Parham says Galletly should have gotten approval from Council to build the path. But time was of the essence and the construction crews would soon be departing. And since Council had previously agreed on the bike path, there was no problem, Galletly says. It was Galletly's decision to remove it, and put it back, and still be within the bid amount.

And so Grove has a nice bike path and also a place for a motorist to pull over should he have a breakdown or flat tire. As for the roadway itself, it is built to ODOT standards and a fine addition to the city for motorists traveling to the East. A new hospital will be built nearby and growth will occur along the roadway. And when 13th street is closed for widening in the future, motorists will still have 18th street to travel on. It also affords access should 13th be closed due to an accident.

This part of the project is completed and a $75,000 contract for engineering the portion of Shundi from 9th to 3rd was recently approved by Council.

A Note from the Editor...

Nobody noticed but us…but we had our One Year Anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Yes, one year of publishing The Grove Observer, more than 500 articles, 26,000 readers at one time or another, and an average weekly circulation of 800. People read it in Iraq, Afghanistan, on cruise ships, vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, or here in Grove.

We've tried hard to present all of the important news, both sides of issues, timely, and with correctly spelled words. We've received dozens of compliments. We've also received a few emails from those who think we should print only their viewpoint, which we are not about to do.

When we first began, a local businesswomen referred to us as "just a blog" with a dismissive wave of her hand. Our format is a weblog, for simplicity, but our content is anything but. There are now more than 35 million blogs out there, most of them on the radical side where people expose their radical thoughts. Don't lump us with them. Just call us an electronic news magazine.

And, there will come a time when most small town dailies are published strictly via the Internet, as fuel and other costs will prohibit home deliveries. Most newspapers now offer electronic issues.

As we continue into our second year, we remind our readers that we receive no pay, absorb all of our gasoline costs, time, etc, and perform a service which we feel is needed in Grove. A lot of our readers agree. But we still have organizations in Grove which refuse to provide us with their public relations handouts, as punishment of sorts for taking stands on issues in our editorials. At least we write local editorials. And we are not going to back off exposing the light of day on controversial issues.

So until we get tired of it all and move away, we hope you will keep reading The Grove Observer, and provide us with news of interest to Grovidians.

GMSA Holds Special Meeting

Board members of the Grove Municipal Services Authority voted 2-1 to authorize city staff to enter into negotiations with an engineering firm to conduct a needs assessment for the area south of Honey Creek. Board member Carolyn Nuckolls was the nay vote.

The board also voted 3-0 to go to bids on the Highway 59 utility relocation project

City Manager Bill Galletly told the GMSA board that current demands from the area south of Honey Creek are causing problems now, including Buffalo Shores South, and that a study is necessary to determine water requirements for towers, pressure, pipes, etc. for currently served residents of the city, plus a proposed new development of 700 acres.

A developer, Terry Hyatt, proposes to build 450 new homes and a golf course on 700 acres of land between Woodard Hollow and the main lake and wants GMSA to provide water and gas. The developer will pay for half the cost of a new water tank and his infrastructure costs for water and gas. Galletly told the board that "we need a new tank or standpipe south of Honey Creek now, as we cannot maintain pressure in areas like Buffalo Shores South." He said the existing water plant is another problem to face, "with an expansion to cost at least $3 million for which we need to start setting aside money. We can't go into any more debt."

He also recommend the city take a look at a different engineering company, currently Archer Engineering of Springfield, Mo. He recommended PEC of Tulsa, which is familiar with Oklahoma DEQ regulations, is nearby, and had outstanding references.
The developer's engineer is Steve Powell from DeShazo, Tang & Associates of Tulsa.
Galletly said he had asked the developer and his engineer to confirm the boundaries of Rural Water District #3 and obtain a letter from them authorizing the city to serve that area, before engaging a firm for the city.

"Whether this new project happens or not, we need to address our current water problems south of Honey Creek and I don't have a clue as to what engineering requirements are needed," Galletly said.

Craig Criger and Terry Ryan were absent from the board meeting.

The Canine Corner...by Missy MacTavish

I have been working on my vacation plans and a trip to Spud City, Idaho to see my canine cousins and ran across an interesting situation.

It seems that some Best Western Hotels accept pets, which is nice for me since I don't want to sleep in the car all night with critters crawling around. However, in addition to charging me $15 a night, some require that I sleep in a smoking room with my parents who are non smokers also. This is an individual decision based on the manager of each Best Western.

My nose is about a hundred times more powerful than two leggers' noses and smoke drives me crazy. I don't understand this policy of some Best Westerns which I now call Worst Westerns. (not to be confused with old movies).

If they want to mess with my health then I don't need them. I am cleaner than most of their customers anyway, who come in drunk, disheveled, throw up on the walls and bring in women in fancy clothing. So there.

Until next time, Bark On! Miss Missy.

Precision Wireless Testing New Wi-Fi System

Precision Wireless Internet dba/ Precision Communications Inc is performing tests on the Center tower north of Grove on the 900MHz and 5.8MHz wireless Internet system. Tests performed to date have met or exceeded system requirements, said Troy Kyman, President.

The ATT pipeline is under construction and will be finished near the first week in August allowing all interested subscribers to begin Wireless High speed internet beginning on or near August 10th. Complications resulting from logistics and the pipeline to the internet have delayed the project by 2 weeks. Now the system is nearing operational status at the center tower and everyone at Precision Wireless [PWI] is excited to see this phase come to life, Kyman said.

PWI settled on two separate operational systems: The 900MHz system, although more expensive, will penetrate into more densely wooded areas. The 5.8MHz system will be a line of site system for customers who have line of site to the towers. Since the 5.8MHz system is less expensive on the tower and user end, subscription rates will be less then those utilizing the 900MHz system.

The south and north towers are ready for construction pending construction permits from the FAA and county. Once all three systems are operational Grove and the eastern Grand Lake areas will enjoy Reliable High Speed Wireless Internet service including Voice over Internet and security monitoring utilizing wireless security cameras. Future upgrades will include Wi-Fi hotspots at possible locations such as the Civic Center, State Parks and other campground locations. For more information go to Precisionwifi.net.

Chamber to Hold Golf Tournament

The Grove Area Chamber of Commerce will host the annual fundraising Golf Tournament on Friday, September 22 at Patricia Island Golf Course. The 4-person scramble will begin with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m.
“The Golf Tournament is always such a fun day,” said Lisa Friden, Chamber
President. “The Committee is working on some great prizes to award and a few surprises as well.”
The tournament is open to the public to enjoy an afternoon of golf and networking. The tournament fee of $75.00 per person includes green fees, golf cart, and hot dogs on the course sponsored by First National Bank.
Even if golfing isn’t your thing you may participate by sponsoring a hole for just $75.00. This is a great way to advertise your business and show your support for the Chamber and its mission.
Along with the investments paid by businesses and individuals, the money raised
through the golf tournament provides financing for the chamber’s annual program of work. Activities such as promotion of tourism, beautification efforts, government relations, transportation issues, downtown revitalization, and sponsorship of Grovefest, Home & Garden Show, Harvest Moon Cruise Night, our Retail Open Houses and the annual Christmas parade are part of the work conducted by the Chamber.
Anyone interested in playing in the tournament should call the Chamber office at 918-786-9079. Space is limited so sign up early, Friden said.