Campaign Reports Filed with City

Here are Campaign Contributions for Candidates

According to the reports filed with the Grove City Clerk as of March 21, GrovePAC candidates have raised more than three times the money the other four candidates have.

Gary Trippensee has received $300 from Troy Kyman; according to executed forms filed by the Committee to elect Gary Trippensee, filed on March 20, 2007; his other contributors according to his expenditures report include Jack Forrest, local real estate broker; Anita Caudill, and Mark Londagin, CEO of Grand Savings Bank, Grove. Forrest donated $220, Caudill donated $300, and Londagin donated $300. Total contributions to Trippensee were $4619, with $3272 being spent on campaign signs and another $468 on advertising, according to his expenditures report.

Mike Davenport, listed donations of $300 from Troy Kyman, and $300 from Tommy Caudill. Davenport said his total donations were $2610.00 with zero expenditures, filed March 7. His Agent, filed March 4, was listed as Michael J. Lewandowski. A separate form filed March 19 listed $3360.00 in contributions but no names were included on the form. He shows zero campaign expenditures to date. Candidates have until May to complete the filing of forms.

Larry Parham, current councilman, listed as contributors Troy & Karen Kyman, for $200; Tommy & Anita Caudill, for $300.00, and Larry & Janelle Hestand, owners of KGVE Radio in Grove, for $195.00, on the campaign contributions and expenditures report dated March 21. Parham's total contributions on that date were $5460.00. On another form, he listed contributions from Troy and Karen Kyman for $300.00; Stanley Crawford, Jr., Grove, of $500.00; and a loan from himself for $2000.00, for a total of $3795.00. Expenditures on this report totaled $3129.56 for signs. Parham's agent is listed as Darla J. Parham with officers for the Committee to Re-elect Larry Parham as Larry G Parham, Chairman; and Darla J. Parham, and Darla J. Parham as vice chairman and treasurer. His SubAgent is Mike Thompson of Grove, according to the designation of agent form.

GrovePAC itself listed as contributors Tommy & Anita Caudill for $1,000.00; and Gayle Edmondson of Miami, for $300, with total donations of $4,105.25, as of March 20.

Total contributions to GrovePAC and its three candidates as of March 21 were listed as $19,330.28.

Form R-1 filed for GrovePAC listed officers as Troy Kyman, Jackie Neal and Karen Kyman, filed on Dec. 11, 2006, to register a "political action committee to support or oppose candidates in local/municipal elections." The committee will continue beyond the April elections, the form stated.

Form D-1 designated as agent, Grove PAC, a political action committee, with Karen Kyman as agent. It was also filed Dec. 11, 2006 with the state. GrovePAC has spent $597.17 for decorations and food items for a chili feed, and another $597.17 for food items for chili feed, according to the C-1 form filed.

Campaign contribution reports for Dustin Phillips listed $550.00 in contributions, none over $200, with $516.17 in expenditures, through March 16.

David Adzigian's contributions totaled $5,128.00 with three contributions over $200 including Barbara Devitt for $1,000; Linda Adzigian in-kind contribution of $376.00; and David Kane, Grove resident, $400.00 His expenditures through March 22 totaled $1955.25.

Harry Worley listed zero contributions and expenses of $989 for printing and billboards.

Carolyn Nuckolls did not file a C-1 report by March 19 but has stated she will not accept contributions from anyone, as in the previous elections.

Grove Beginnings...Part One

By Rose Stauber

This is the first of a series of articles about Grove’s Beginnings.

When was the town of Grove incorporated? Actually, we don’t know. Which probably is why the town never celebrates its anniversaries. But not to worry. Tulsa doesn’t know when it was incorporated. Nor does Muskogee, or most of the towns in the formerIndian Territory.

Why is that? The question was asked of the archivist at the Fort Worth National Archives. Her reply was that she suspected the court records had gotten a bit wet and been thrown out. We do know that Grove was incorporated by 1900 because the census taker that year, Oliver Mason, used the words on the census“Incorporated Town of Grove.” Mason listed his occupation as druggist.

Jean Bohannan, who researched the town for the county history, "Heritage of the Hills," said that a few records she can no longer find at City Hall, and other now lost papers, led her to the conclusion that the city was incorporated about 1898.

The first preserved copies of the “Grove Sun” on microfilm begin in the last half of 1904. The newspaper was founded by JohnH. Gibson, a prominent business man, four-time mayor of Grove, aCherokee Nation councilor, and a member of the Oklahomalegislature. Many early issues are missing from the record preserved on microfilm including a year from mid-1906 to mid-1907. We wish we could have the record those issues recorded .

In 1902, the Department of the Interior approved the original plat for the Town of Grove. Copies of this plat are available at City Hall and at the Grove Public Library. This was the period that the Dawes Commission was preparing theFinal Roll of the Five Civilized Tribes and allotting the land to those on the roll.

Town sites were another matter that the Dawes Commissionreally wanted nothing to do with. As a result, the Indian Agent atMuskogee was handling town sites. Only two prospective townsitesare listed for what would be Delaware County. Grove was one and Kansas was the other. Kansas failed to attract enough citizens, leaving Grove as the only approved townsite.
An appraisal was made of each lot in the townsite and the“owner”, current occupant, was listed as well as what was on each lot and the appraised value. The next article in this series will look at this 1906 appraisal and who was living in Grove.
Copyright 2007 Rose Stauber

Grove Beginnings...Part Two

By Rose Stauber

The Original Plat of the Town of Grove, and What it Held

The plat of the town of Grove was approved by the Department of the Interior on Nov. 22, 1902. Next, appraisers had prepared a Schedule of Appraisement of the Town of Grove, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory. The year 1904 is stamped on this document. In 1906, the time had come to sell the lots as townsites were not included in the allotment of land under the Dawes Commission. Both citizens (Cherokees) and whites could buy in townsites. However, citizens paid half price and others full appraisal price.

The original plat included 210 acres mainly in the northwest quarter of Section 5 and a slice on the east side of Section 6, Township 24, Range 24. Olympus Cemetery also was transferred. The Cherokee Nation sold the ten acres of the cemetery by patent to the Town Of Grove May 10, 1906, for $75.

Main Street ran north/south through the town plat just where it runs today. It was 95 feet wide. On the north, west of Main, the boundary was First Street. East of Main was Remsen Avenue. The east boundary were the blocks on the east side of Cherokee Street. The boundary on the south was Eighth Street.

It seems likely that most Grove citizens haven't noticed the absence of Eighth Street. Next time you drive down Main or any other central north/south street, watch the street signs. They will read "7th Street", then "9th Street". No 8th Street, except for one block on the west side near the school. Check it out; 8th Street almost doesn't exist, but that's the way the plat is laid out.

The west boundary was Elk Street, another piece of a street only three blocks long on the plat although another block has been added north of Third Street. Between Third and Fourth Streets was block 25 listed as a park. The Town of Grove, O.W. Killian, mayor, paid $25 for the entire block. This is where City Hall and the Community Center are located now. The only other purchase by the town was a lot in Block 26, just east of Block 25, where a building held the jail, appraised value $120.

Two churches got land. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Grove had a frame church valued at $1,200 on Lot 1, Block 34. That is on Main Street where the Methodist Church was until it moved. The Presbyterian Church now owns the location. The church's property included Lots 2, 3, and 4. A frame parsonage, valued at $250, occupied Lot 3. The church and parsonage were listed as "gratis". The church did have to pay a total of $67 on Lots 3 and 4. A barn, estimated value $20, sat on Lot 4.

The Christian Church of Grove was being built on Block 35, Lots 1 and 2, just where it is today. Their building was described as a stone foundation and church under construction. They also got the land gratis. The city fathers did not neglect education. On June 8, 1905, the vacant, unimproved lots in the town plat were sold at public auction. The town of Grove bought for school purposes Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 in Block 57 at $54 each.

A year later, the Grove Educational Association, Incorporated, O.W. Killan, president, purchased Lot 5, Block 57 at the same price. The lot contained a stone foundation valued at $200. The school still occupies this property. The next article will take a look at the kinds of homes and businesses and some of the people who lived in Grove in 1906, the year before statehood.
Copyright © 2007 Rose Stauber

An Editorial...Tuesday's Election

Next Tuesday voters in Grove will go to the polls to select three people from a field of seven to serve on the Grove City Council. Depending on who wins, Grove will be impacted in critical ways the next four years. Indeed, the face of the city as we know it will change.

A record turnout is predicted. We hope so. Wouldn't it be wonderful if 100% of the populace in Grove turned out to elect its council. Democracy at work. We hope you have taken the time to listen to the candidates and ask the hard questions as to their views on the issues.

We've heard people divide the candidates into two camps: Old Grove, or New Grove. People who liked things in Grove the way they used to be, and people who want to see the city prosper and continue to grow.

It's your city. You make the choice.

We hope it is the right one. And remember, you can vote for THREE candidates, one in each Ward, not merely your own ward candidate. Please go vote next Tuesday.

Candidates Present Views at Sun Daily Forum

Six candidates for Grove City Council answered questions on casinos, utility rates, new taxes, money from a political action committee, trust authority boards, enforcement and penalties for illegal utility thefts, and Chamber of Commerce ribbon cuttings, at a Grove Sun Daily-sponsored forum Monday night.

In addition to opening and closing remarks, the audience was allowed to submit written questions to the group session, moderated by Tim Langley, General Manager of the Sun.
Candidate Dustin Phillips did not participate in the forum.

The first question asked was "Yes or no, do you favor casinos in our community?"
Nuckolls, Worley and Davenport answered Yes; Parham answered Yes and No, and Adzigian and Trippensee answered No. Parham explained he was against them personally, but favored them from a business standpoint.

"Do you favor councilpersons also sitting on the trust authority boards?"
Adzigian--minimum of one, maximum of two.
Davenport--one.
Trippensee--not 3, one is OK.
Parham: Zero
Worley: Zero
Nuckols: One or two.

"Did you ask for and receive any money from a political action committee?
Davenport: Yes from supporters, none from a PAC.
Trippensee: Zero dollars from a PAC, great outpouring from citizens.
Parham: Zero dollars from GrovePAC, check the records at city hall.
Worley: None from a PAC.
Nuckolls: I received three checks but don't intend to cash them and will return them after the election. I have never accepted donations and have paid for everything myself.
Adzigian: No, and No.

On the Grove Chamber of Commerce only doing ribbon cuttings for Chamber members:
Davenport: That's the Chamber's deal, they have done a good job.
Parham: I disagree. If Chamber is not going to do a ribbon cutting for every new business, cut their funds. Can't separate the members and non members, show them the courtesy of cutting the ribbon.
Worley: We don't need to tell them how to operate, the money we give them is to promote the town.
Nuckolls: Every business in Grove should be supported, they all collect sales taxes and that's where the Chamber gets its money from the city.
Adzigian: I support the Chamber getting city funding, ribbon cuttings are a benefit of membership.
Trippensee: This is not a council decision, they do a good job.

What form of government do you prefer for Grove, Strong Mayor or Council-Manager?

Trippensee: Strong Mayor form.
Parham: Council Manager form is just fine, works well now and for the future.
Worley: Council Manager form, offers better continuity on projects.
Nuckolls: I have no problem with the Council Manager form, council has more input.
Adzigian: Council Manager form, the electorate has a choice every two years, versus four year terms for a Mayor with more concentration of power.
Davenport: Strong Mayor form, I also like the Council Manager form, see the charter.
All the candidates expressed support for the Downtown Revitalization Project and are eager to get on with the program for the sake of the merchants. All are opposed to new taxes, unless approved by a vote of the people, to build a new swimming pool or events center; several promised to roll back utility rate increases planned for June but Adzigian pointed out that 54% of the people will be unaffected as they use less than 3000 gallons of water or sewage, on which no increase in rates is planned.

In opening remarks, Parham and Adzigian disagreed over campaign statements made, with Adzigian offering a public apology for a statement regarding Leisure and Baycrest road construction attributed to Parham in an earlier campaign letter. Portions of Parham's statements in the official minutes were not included in Adzigian's letter, which led one to believe that Parham was critical of the engineering and use of city crews to do the work, when in fact he was only mentioning that he had received criticism from citizens. Adzigian defended his earlier statement that Parham said on tape that he had leased property to a Family Dollar Store. Parham says that was earlier, in another city, and has nothing to do with Grove and his council position.

All candidates expressed support for prosecuting anyone who steals water or gas with illegal taps and Parham differed on an Amnesty program, saying "if you do the crime, you should do the time. Stealing water or gas is no different than bid splitting." All said a wi-fi meter reading program for Grove would be too expensive, up to $6.5 million, and the city should replace old water meters which are leaking.

Letters to the Editor...

Voters, the time is near to cast your votes for the three open positions on the Grove City Council. When considering whom you will cast your votes for stop a moment and consider what has transpired this past four years. You have been told that the turmoil in the city was caused by the city manager. Well stop and think what that means. For turmoil to exist there has to be two sides. The group making these allegations is the same people who have pushed the Grove PAC. Without them the turmoil would also have stopped, for it takes two to tango.

All through this there has been one candidate that has maintained a position of doing what she thought was good for the city. At no time can Mayor Carolyn Nuckolls be found at fault for the decisions she has made. Mayor Nuckolls has been a steadying hand in the operation of the city council. Through thick and thin she has demonstrated the ability to lead the city. She has never made a decision that would benefit her personally. Her only criteria for making a decision are what is best for Grove. Some people may not have agreed with decisions she made, but they were all made using the same criteria. She has the ability to think past the immediate situation to determine the long term effect of the position she takes on a matter.

Mayor Nuckolls has spent the best part of her life in Grove. During this time she has experienced many changes to the city. Her mother was a previous mayor of Grove and Mayor Nuckolls has followed in those footsteps, in her own right. Her knowledge of the operation of the council is unique among the various candidates.

So if you want the city to continue in a forward and progressive manner, vote for Carolyn Nuckolls for Councilman-at-Large.

William Miller
Grove, OK

Town Hall Meeting Set for Monday

The Grove Area Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a Town Hall Meeting and Luncheon with U. S. Congressman Dan Boren on Monday, April 2nd. The luncheon will be held at Cowskin Prairie, 12:00 noon and is open to the public. Reservations are required by calling the Chamber office at 918-786-9079 by noon on Friday. The cost to attend is $9.00 per person.

A Sign of the Times...

Council To Meet Tuesday

Items of interest for Tuesday's City Council Meeting, the last for Dave Helms and possibly one other councilperson, include approving a contract in the amount of $472,219 for the Downtown Streetscape Project, subject to ODOT approval.

By the time the meeting is over, the city council election results will be available.

Also on the agenda is the awarding of bids received for three digital in-car video systsems for the Grove Police Department; action on a site plan approval for the Rusty Pelican Yacht Club/Restaurant, a new private yacht club to be built near the Honey Creek Marina; and bid solicition for a new storm siren.

Grand Lake Earth Day Set for April 21

The Grand Lake Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 21, brings an opportunity to have fun while learning about ongoing projects to reduce water pollution and beautify the environment.

Take guided tours of Bernice State Park and Lendonwood Botanical Gardens, paint with Oklahoma soils, board the Cherokee Queen paddlewheel riverboat, learn about healthy lawn practices, see some of the first rain gardens in Oklahoma, make water cycle bracelets, and much more. Activities are planned from 10 AM to 3 PM at five locations in and around Grove, OK, with headquarters at the Grand Lake Visitor Center.

The Grand Lake Earth Day Celebration is coordinated by the CLEAR GRAND project, a collaborative effort to reduce pollution in Grand Lake and its inflowing streams, headed by the Water Quality Division of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. “The first phase of our project involves pollution reduction in the areas right around Grand Lake,” says project coordinator, Kevin Gustavson. “We are putting in demonstration rain gardens to clean storm water runoff, testing nutrient levels in area lawns, and demonstrating healthy lawn practices that promote beautiful landscapes while reducing harm to the lake. We are also increasing lake and stream monitoring and getting the word out about new soil evaluation techniques to appropriately site and design septic systems.”

Grand Lake is particularly susceptible to near lake pollutants, such as fertilizer, because, unlike other lakes in Oklahoma, many lawns extend to the lake’s edge without a vegetated buffer to filter out pollutants. Fertilizers can increase algae growth in lakes, which can lead to declines in fish populations.

Some of the activities at the Earth Day Celebration will relate to the CLEAR GRAND collaborative project. Three of the event locations are demonstration rain garden sites. Rain gardens detain stormwater and use plants and specialized soils to filter the water before flowing into local streams and lakes. They can reduce the need for large flood control detention ponds, while also cleaning water and beautifying the environment. The designers from OSU Biosystems Engineering will be onsite to demonstrate this technology.

Dr. Hailin Zhang, OSU soil fertility expert, will offer tips to maximize the health of your lawn and gardens, while minimizing their impact on surrounding lakes and streams. He’ll even be giving away some phosphorus-free fertilizer and offering free soil tests to some folks with local property. Soil tests help you give your lawn and garden the exact nutrients they need to be healthy and can save you time and money on excess fertilizer.

Dr. Brian Carter, OSU Soil Science professor, will have a soil pit excavation to allow visitors to experience Oklahoma soils, learn about soil horizons, and see how soils naturally filter pollutants.

The Water Watch and Blue Thumb programs will be onsite demonstrating monitoring equipment and leading activities for family fun. The Grand River Dam Authority will have a boat onsite to show how to keep your boat clean of zebra mussels, preventing this invasive threat from spreading in Grand Lake.

Other collaborators will offer a number of activities that are geared for fun and environmental education for the whole family.

Events locations include: Headquarters at the Grand Lake Visitor Center (9630 Hwy 59 N) in Grove, Bernice State Park, Lendonwood Gardens, Cherokee Queen/Royal Bay Restaurant, and the Walmart Garden Center. Booklets will be available at all sites, showing times and places for all activities. For more information visit grandlakefun.com/cleargrand.

A Matter of Faith...

By Carol Round

The Scars Never Fade

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" Matthew 20:17-19 (NIV)

A scar on my large right toe is a reminder of the time I dropped a Mason jar, which shattered and cut the skin. I was 10. Before I dropped the jar, it was a prison for a frog, captured during a neighborhood game.

A scar, running the length of my abdomen, is testimony to God’s plan for my life. At age 17, my appendix ruptured, but the doctor treating me was unsure of the symptoms. I lay in a hospital bed for three days before the physician performed exploratory surgery. My pancreas was inflamed but the doctor could not tell my parents why. Ten years later, another abdominal surgery revealed pieces of the ruptured appendix wrapped around my intestines. Another doctor said, “You must have had a guardian angel watching over you.”

Twenty years later, a surgeon left another scar. The results of this surgery and the events leading up to it, confirmed that God really does have a plan for my life. The small scar on my left breast is a reminder that I am blessed to be a cancer survivor.

Three more tiny scars now grace my body after I had gall bladder surgery two years ago. One day soon after that, I realized that I had lost my tonsils, my appendix and my gall bladder. I jokingly told the Lord, “God, I can’t spare any more body parts.”

I was joking at the time but I am now more aware of my healthy blessings. When I see someone, badly scarred from an accident, or who is the victim of abuse, I feel humbled that God has spared me further external scars.

Others are not so blessed. Their scars run deep. They are more than physical. Scars that penetrate the skin and the tissue underneath and cut to the core of the being cannot be seen, but they hurt just as much, if not more.

Imagine Jesus. Hung on a cross. Pierced by nails for our transgressions. Spit from tormentors dries on His body. Blood runs down His face. Stripes on His back produce welts that fester and rub against the rough wood. A crown of thorns forced into His scalp adds to the excruciating suffering as the hours pass.

He knew beforehand. He predicted this gruesome death. He voluntarily endured the pain of crucifixion.

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Those desolate words could leave us saddened. Instead, they give hope.

The scars never fade. Neither will His incredible love for humanity. He endured it for me. He suffered for you. He did it for all of us.

A collection of Carol Round’s most popular faith-based columns is now available in book form. For more information, readers can reach her at carolaround@yahoo.com.

Scholarship Award Set This Year

Friends of the Grove Library are giving a $1,000 scholarship to a 2007 graduate of Grove High School at the end of the year awards assembly. It will be presented by President Myrna Bull. The plan is to make this an annual presentation. Students should check with the high school counselors for more information.