Commission Meeting: Demolition and Museum Renovations

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Published on Thursday, 16 February 2012 13:03

HOME DEMOLISHED BEFORE CITY CAN ACT: Commission
also comes to a crossroads on museum renovations

Dale Denwalt
Daily Elk Citian

The five-month saga of an empty and dilapidated house has come to an end.

In September, Elk City resident William Winston pleaded with the City Commission to help him save his mother's house, which had not been lived in for several years.

A local architect at the meeting stepped forward and promised to do whatever he could to renovate the house, if the city would just give more time before demolishing it.

It took a few months but Winston and the architect, Scott Grubitz, realized the home was too far gone and promised to tear it down themselves, thus avoiding costly city fees. That took longer than expected and the city pressed the issue earlier this month when it placed the house's demolition back on the agenda.

Grubitz, who has helped organize a non-profit organization with the goal to save dilapidated houses, got the city to again hold off on their orders. 

"Mayor," interim City Manager Eddie Holland said Wednesday, "I'd like to inform you that as of 11 o'clock this morning, 1318 South Randolph has been demolished."

The group, named the Fuller Center for Housing, helped demolish the structure. Wednesday afternoon, an excavator was loading debris to be taken away.

The agenda item that would have brought the issue to discussion again was not considered.

SEE ALSO: "IT COULD BE A HOME"

MUSEUM

Holland announced that the city has budgeted $150,000 for bathroom facilities at the Museum Complex. Public Service Company of Oklahoma has also donate the same amount for a new facility that would promote education and awareness about the region's history and culture.

However, the city must find a way to merge its funds with PSO's donation to go toward the new building. Holland asked RSMeacham CPAs to spell out exactly how this could happen. He got two options.

In the first, the Western Oklahoma Historical Society and the city can combine their money under the city's bidding process. That way, the entire construction of the facility will be subject to bidding and procurement rules.

"The city can create a Historical Society Building Committee that will be responsible for the design, review, building and revision for the new building," said Holland.

The second option would be to allow WOHS to spend the PSO donation on a building, but skip the bathrooms. The organization would then deed the building to the City of Elk City.

"Here's the key: Once the city owns the building, city funds can be used to complete bathrooms or additional work," Holland said.

There was no action taken on the item, and Holland asked the members of WOHS in the audience to consider which option they would like to pursue.

ARTIST

The Elk City Museum Board is interested in having muralist Stylle Read complete a set of paintings that will portray the "Arizona Trading Post" at the Route 66 Museum.

The mural would be 12-by-38 feet, Holland said, and would cost about $10,000.

The project has not been budgeted in this fiscal year's budget, however, so the city can either wait until next year to budget it or ask the city's CPA to help find a viable funding source.

Dr. L.V. Baker, chairman of the Museum Board, approached the committee with a personal obligation, but first commented on how strong he sees the museum complex is.

"We have not asked, as a board, for money on any specific thing for years upon years. We've been able to function and build that museum and take care of it," he said. "That museum was going to pot about two years ago and they've been able to strengthen it."

Baker said about 20,000 people walk through the museum in a year. They spend close to a million dollars on gift shop sales and entry fees, which when calculated suggests the city sees a positive economic impact of $3.5 million per year.

"It makes my head swim. That's a lot of money," he said.

Baker told the commission that he had Read set to finish the mural, but because of schedule conflicts, he could not complete the job. The muralist is on a tight schedule, he said, so he might not be able to wait on the city to come up with the funding.

"God's given my wife and I enough money - we can do it ourselves. Will you give us permission to do that, and then in a month if you want to decide to return that, or put it in something in the museum, or anything?" asked Baker, who also said Read would not be available for another year and a half.

The city did not immediately make a decision.

ANTI-AUDIT PETITION

Former mayor Bob Maine took time at the end of the city commission meeting to speak out against the proposed state audit of Elk City's past finances and procedures.

"In all my years I've lived here, there's always been an individual group that seems to me spends more time trying to tear the town apart than they actually do working for the town," said Maine. "Eventually they either pass away or finally realize maybe they've caused more trouble."

He continued in his opposition to the audit.

"But if I truly didn't believe this was the best town in western Oklahoma, I would move. I'm real concerned about the group that's trying to raise an audit because I feel that's my tax money that's going to be spent for the audit," he said. "Maybe they won't reach enough individuals to sign it, but that's why I wish that group was here today. I think there's a strong feeling in town that feels the same way that I do."

TREASURER'S REPORT

City Treasurer Anita Archer announced that sales tax revenue had risen over the past year by 22 percent. The fluctuating use tax, which is paid by entities that buy items in another place but use them in Elk City, was up 73 percent.

Tobacco tax revenue is up 45 percent, Archer said.

Ward 2 Commissioner Tom M. Johnson asked when the city would know the status of funds destined for repayment to businesses located in the Tax Increment Finance district.

"They're still collecting the data from the Oklahoma Tax Commision. There is a question on one of the new construction sites that has opened up out there and how they're reporting it, because they have a conglomerate where they do five or six businesses together," Archer replied. "It is still in progress."

OTHER BUSINESS

Holland said the city's employees pre-treated city streets with two applications of salt brine in advance of the winter weather Elk City experienced earlier this week.

When the snow and ice finally hit, the street department was running four snow plows, two graders and three sanders.

"They cleared about 200 miles of city streets, one lane at a time," said Holland.

The commission, meeting as the Elk City Industrial Authority, approved a contract with Farmrail for the transport of rock aggregate out of the rock yard. The contract expires Jan. 31, 2013.