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Waurika
Friday, March 29, 2024
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Citywide Cleanup April 21st

We need groups to volunteer their time cleaning up residential areas including limb and debris removal tree trimming, mowing, etc. Any equipment such as trailers, mowers, weed eaters, etc would be a tremendous help. We will supply work gloves, trash bags, bottled water and work vests.

Earth Day is a perfect chance to get out and put a little love into your town!

During this time residents will be able to dump limbs behind the street barn and tires in front of the street barn located in the 800 block of Meridian. 

Questions Answered About Bond Election at Thursday Meeting

Several Citizens attended the meeting at the Waurika Depot Thursday evening to find out more information about Tuesday’s Bond Election.

The Bond Election will decide if citizen’s of Waurika want to pass the bond that will allow the Waurika Fire Department to purchase much needed fire equipment and vehicles.

Some of the items to be purchased will include a ladder truck, six storm shelters, battery backup sirens, a rescue truck, jaws of life.

There are several reasons for needing a ladder truck. One is the courthouse. If there was a fire in the courthouse we currently do not have a truck with a ladder that could reach the third floor. Also, there is about to be a major expansion at the Jefferson County Hospital that a ladder truck would be needed to fight any fire that may occur at that facility. The other reason is the safety of the volunteer fire fighters. Currently, they have to sometimes be on the roofs of houses that are on fire. The ladder truck would enable them to fight the fire without having to stand on the burning building’s roof.

The addition of the new storm shelters would be very beneficial. Currently, students at the high school can not use the locker rooms as a storm shelter because of the gas lines.

The new sirens will have a battery backup that will be essential if the power goes out during a storm or tornado.

Another benefit to the new trucks would be the possibility of lowing the cities insurance rating. If that happens, property insurance would go down. Waurika is currently at a class 5 and could possibly drop to a 4 or 3. The lower the rating, the lower the cost of property insurance.

Rick Smith, owner of Municipal Finance Services,  was on hand to talk about the bond and how it will affect citizen’s property taxes.

He has worked with the City of Waurika for over 20 years. He helped facilitate the Bond approved in 2004 in the amount of $320,000.00. That bond is about to expire so the new bond will just replace the 2004 one. In other words the bond will not be an additional tax as much as it will be replacing the expiring one.

Smith said during his presentation that another bond was the best route for Waurika.

If the bond passes, tax payers shouldn’t see much difference in their property taxes.

Smith says that even though the new bond is for more money, $450,000.00, it should be approved at a lower interest rate.

What will it cost tax payers?

The example he gave was that if you owned a $60,000.00 home, it should only cost the tax payer around $35.00 – $45.00 per year. It may be higher in the first few years, but as the property values increase the tax actually goes down.

The new taxes wouldn’t be due until 2019.

Like the 2004 bond, this bond would also be on a 15 year plan.

The bonds will be bid on by various banks including those in Waurika. If one of the local banks win the bid, it would be beneficial to the community.

Nobody likes to think about fires, especially property and structure fires. However, if and when they happen it helps to be more than prepared and have the essential equipment needed to but the fires out quickly and safely.

 

Waurika Chamber Banquet This Saturday

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The Waurika Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual banquet on Saturday, February 24th at the Waurika High School Cafeteria beginning at 6:30 pm.

Tickets are on sale now for only $15.00 each and can be purchased at First Farmers Bank in Waurika.

Catering the food this year will be the Duncan Regional Hospital.

Bill Roberson and his band Southern Rain will be the featured guest providing entertainment for the evening. Joining them will be Missy Fry.

Waurika Development Trust Meets to Discuss Ideas for Waurika’s Future

On Monday February 12 , The Waurika Development Trust invited a group of local residents to discuss ways we could make Waurika a more attractive place to live.  The group will take the discussion to various clubs and organizations over the next several months for input and will report back to the Trust with a recommended plan of action. Craig Williams from Williams Landscape in Lawton was invited to talk about his suggestions for some improvements the group could do now that would make an impact and also provided some ideas for longer-term and larger improvements.

Jacob Eck and Lauren Nitschke represented the Waurika Chamber of Commerce to discuss a grant application they are preparing that would bring a group of architecture students from OU to Waurika to make recommendations for longer-term improvements to Main Street.

The group is eager to meet with the community and get additional suggestions and input.

Waurika Receives REAP Grant for 2018

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The Waurika REAP grant of $45,000 will be used for erecting walls, installing trusses, and installing the roof of the building located near the old Solitaire Mobile Homes manufacturing facility. Original intended use was for housing Oklahoma

Department of Corrections inmates. We are exploring the opportunities for housing other inmates as completion nears. The City of Waurika has committed $25,000 cash match to make a total of $70,000 to complete the project.

November City Council Meeting Interesting Results

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The City of Waurika held their regularly scheduled meeting Monday evening at 6:00 pm, November 6, 2017.

All members of the council were present.

The minutes of the meeting held October 9 2017 were approved.

It was voted that the property insurance bids would be sent out to be renewed February 2, 2018.

Because the city is receiving Federal Funds the city has to adopt Ordinance Number 11032017-1 (see below), amending Section 1-12 of Article 2, City Commission, Chapter 1 to include gender identity and disability in the nondiscrimination clause.

The council approved the 2018 Waurika City Commission meeting schedule. The only change being that the June meeting will be held on Thursday, June 7th, 2018.

Next, the council voted to approve the 2018 Holiday Dates (Christmas will still be on the 25th of December).

Christmas bonuses for each full time employee in the amount of $100.00 was approved.

The various departments submitted their reports.

Street Department

Virgil Duncan reported that he read water meters, unloaded trailers of trash at the street barn, and loaded roll-offs with trash.

He moved various barricades.

Virgil also took bricks out of the road at the alley on Broadway and reinstalled bricks after the gas company laid a new gas line.

He also repaired the pot holes with asphalt; 4 in the 100 block of East G street, 2 in the 400 block of Ash, 4 in the 200 block of East H. street, and 1 in the 600 block of Florida.

Purchases and claims in the amount of $42,521.93 were approved.

The city also spent $307,813.00 of FEMA money.  $1,375.00 was also approved in interest payments from the Waurika Special Revenue Fund.

The financial reports submitted by RS Meacham were approved.

No new business was discussed.

Immediately following the Waurika Council Meeting the Waurika Public Works Authority (WPWA) began it’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Acting City Manager Brad Scott reported that the city Water Plant is being maintained and the employees working at the plant are receiving additional training.

Toni from Evoqua came towards the end of the month of October and gave tremendous help and guidance with repairing and maintaining the plant equipment.

Glenn Roberts reported that the Water Department has had a busy and stressful month. However, they have accomplished quite a bit and have learned much from Toni from Evoqua.

He reports that many of the valves need to be rebuilt and the stainless steel 6” pipes under the filters used for the CIP cleans need to be replaced.

There are some mechanical items that will need to be replaced or repaired. Money that had been allocated for sewage may have to be diverged to spend the necessary money (approximately $3,000.00) to complete the needed maintenance.

Purchase orders and claims in the amount of  $58,965.73 were approved.

RS Meacham submitted a financial report for WPWA that was approved.

Under New Business the council approved the spending of approximately $3,000.00 to replace the valves at the Waurika Water Plant.

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