 This week at the meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners, the contracts for the Osage County Jail sewer project were signed, Brett Selvidge of Samaritan EMS provided a monthly and six month report, and Charles Hogan and BJ Fay from Oakridge Builders provided a status update for the new extension office at the Osage County Fairground.
Brett Selvidge from Samaritan EMS brought forward the January statistics, and for the first time in six months medical calls outnumbered trauma calls. Other statistics remain fairly consistent, most calls occur on Wednesday and are predominately from Barnsdall. Over the past six months Samaritan has taken 168 calls, or nearly a call a day, 66 percent of calls come from Barnsdall and the majority are trauma related. Charles Hogan and BJ Fay from Oakridge Builders provided a positive report at the meeting this week regarding the new OSU Extension Office at the Fairgrounds. Currently the builders have placed footing for the building and are on schedule and on budget, however weather is a constant concern. Lastly the Commissioners signed the contracts for the concrete work and plumbing needed to fix the sewer issue at the Osage County Jail. Dave Scott concrete was contracted for $16,348.57, and Lee's Plumbing was contracted for $11,500; repairs should begin this week. The next meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners will be held next Monday at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska.  This week at the meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners, Osage County Undersheriff Doug Elliott brought forward the final bids for the ongoing sewer project, and Kim Vincent from the Osage County Nutrition Program discussed the Older Americans Act Grant.
Over the past several weeks the Commissioners and the Sheriffs Department have been working to hire contractors to make repairs on a section of sewage line that is at high risk of deterioration. Two weeks ago the County had the site scanned so that they could determine the scope of the damage and the work required. This week the Commissioners returned with quotes for the concrete removal and replacement, along with plumbing. The County awarded the concrete bid to Dave Scott Concrete for the amount up to $16,348 and awarded the plumbing bid to Lee's Plumbing for $11,500. Work will begin once the District Attorneys Office can review the contracts. Kim Vincent from the Osage County Nutrition Program presented the Commissioners with their annual grant application for the Older Americans Act Grant. Vincent highlighted that the grant was actually up this year nearly $26,000. The grant received significant cuts last year due to the State budget crisis, and from 2015 to 2016 saw a $52,000 decrease. This year the Nutrition Program will be applying for $568,999. The next meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners will be held next Monday, at 10am at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska.  Osage County Prosecutors have charged a former Hominy Prison employee with two counts of first-degree rape and one count of bribery following an investigation conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.
The former employee 33 year-old Carmen Pogue has been charged after the investigation determined she had had sex with two inmates, 29 year-old Robert Rich and 47 year-old Darius Hendricks in 2016. According to Oklahoma law, if a prison employee has sex with an inmate it is considered rape, even if the sex was consensual. Prosecutors also indicate that Pogue received $2,200 from Hendricks and in return she gave him clothing and a ring. A former Department of Corrections Captain 33 year-old Carlson Cade has also been charged with bribery following the investigation. Prison officials report that Cade had given contraband to Darius Hendricks during the same time period in 2016. Contraband items included drugs, cell phones, and tobacco products.  The Osage County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen's Association will be hosting their annual Cattlemen's Valentine Ball this Saturday, February 18th. The event will begin at 7pm at the Ag Building at the Osage County Fairgrounds featuring live music from the Rick Cook Band. Dinner will be provided by the women of the Cattlewomen's Association and tickets are available in advance for $20 at American Heritage Bank in Pawhuska and First National Bank in Sedan, KS. Tickets will also be available at the door for $25, children 12 years old and younger are free. Join the Osage County Cattlemen and Cattlewomen's Association Saturday and dress in your “Cowboy Sunday best.”
 A Fairfax man is dead following a single vehicle accident Wednesday morning. 22 year-old Austin Lee Franks suffered fatal injuries while operating the 2005 Toyota Camry. Franks' vehicle left the roadway approximately 3 miles North of Pawnee along State Highway 18, he then over-corrected sending the vehicle into a broadside slide when it hit two trees. Franks was ejected from the vehicle, while his passenger 19 year-old Dorcas Hall-Zotigh of Pawnee remained. Franks was pronounced deceased at the site of the accident and Hall-Zotigh was transported to Stillwater Medical Center in stable condition. Hall-Zotigh was 32 weeks pregnant and the unborn child was lost. The accident is still under investigation by Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Franks was not wearing a seat belt.
 At the first February meeting of the Barnsdall Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Vice-President Claude Rosendale provided an update regarding several ongoing projects, discussed tourism and Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Rosendale discussed the recent approval and purchase of several items, a new flagpole for the Barnsdall Community Center, a new sound system for Big Heart Day and other events, and new Christmas decorations to replace the aging decor. He also discussed quotes for building a canopy for the stage at the Community Center, Rosendale said that cost of construction and installation will be less than $3,200 and to run electricity and install outlets will cost an additional $650 . The quote was approved with the condition it would be completed by Big Heart Day. Rosendale also spoke on a discussion with ODOT regarding new highway signs and setting up a vehicle counter in Barnsdall to measure the increased tourism traffic volume. ODOT reported that in order to set up a counter the formal request will need to be sent to the Oklahoma City Office, and new signs will need to be purchased through the city but would be installed by the DOT. The Barnsdall Chamber will meet again February 28 at the Barnsdall Community Center.  Osage County voters decided a number of election Tuesday night, and in the City of Pawhuska they voted for change. Incumbent member of the Pawhuska City Council Cindy Tillman lost to her opponent, Roger Milleson, in the non-partisan election for the Councilman at Large position. Tillman who has served on the Pawhuska City Council since 2011 lost to Milleson who took 57 percent of the vote. The second incumbent loss was for Pawhuska School District where the incumbent Jeff Bute lost to Thomas Boone who also took 57 percent of the vote.
District #1 voters elected Will Cubbage over Randall Jones during the Republican Primary for Osage County Commissioner. Cubbage maintained a large margin through the evening carrying 71 percent of the total votes. Cubbage will go on to face the Democratic candidate Jerry Howerton in the April 4 election for Osage County Commissioner. In other elections Whitney Virden was elected to the Bowring School Board, Willy Hargraves was elected to the Shidler School Board, Jennettie Marshall was elected for the Tulsa School Board, and Ray Owens and Danny Hancock were elected for the Tulsa Tech Center Education Board. Several large bond proposals were also approved, the Osage Hills School District bond for $310,000 was approved with a 78 percent victory, and Skiatook public Schools passed two propositions one for $19.1 million dollars for improvements and completion of projects for Skiatook Schools and the construction of a new multi-sport field house; the second proposition for $730,000 is to purchase 5 buses and 3 suburbans for the School District, both propositions passed by nearly 85 percent.  The Osage Nation is preparing for its science fair fun with local seventh graders. The Osage Nation STEAM Science Fair is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21st through Friday, Feb. 24th 9 to 2 each day at the Osage County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska. This is the first science fair for the Osage Nation Education Department. Department leaders decided to focus on seventh grade students from participating schools -- Bowring, Osage Hills, Avant, Woodland, Barnsdall, Hominy, Skiatook, and Pawhuska.
The science fair promotes the mission of the Osage Nation's Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math Program. Resource Coordinator, Jennifer Holding says the STEAM Program aims to engage students in the concepts regularly by providing activities and resources to emphasize the application of knowledge to real-life situations. The Education Department is working in partnership with the Osage Nation Environmental and Natural Resources Department and the Osage County Interlocal Co-op. The Osage Casino is donating water and snacks for the students. Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear will announce winners the following week on the Osage Nation YouTube channel.  Monday morning the Commissioners decided whether or not to provide funding for the Hominy EMS, continued the discussion regarding sewer maintenance at the Osage County Jail, and provided funding for the continuing improvements at the Osage County Fairground at the meeting of the Osage County Board of County Commissioners.
Last week Hominy City Manager Gary Lanham brought before the Commissioners a request of partial funding. The City of Hominy has been having difficulty collecting funds for their EMS service, and has been supporting the service through city funding. Lanham stated that although Hominy is on an EMS membership program, but their additional coverage areas, including Prue and Wynonna,are not. Lanham expressed concerns that Hominy may not be able to continue covering the operation cost of the service and may be forced to restrict their coverage area to strictly Hominy. Lanham asked to County to assist for the amount of $13,000 a month for five months. The funding would relieve some of the financial strain for Hominy, and keep the service operational. The Commissioners were apprehensive of approving county funding for a city government, but must ensure that residents have access to emergency medical services. The Commissioners approved the funding for a total amount of $65,000. Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden returned this week with an update regarding the sewer improvement project at the Osage County Jail. Virden said last week they were able to have the area scanned and will be able to get an accurate quote for the needed work. The sewer lines are severely deteriorated and not taking action could be detrimental. Virden will return next week with updated quotes for plumbing and concrete works. This week the Commissioners also distributed funds to Oakridge Builders for their continuing work on improvements and construction of the new OSU Extension building at the Osage County Fairgrounds. However, there was a change order for the amount of $21,128 for site location change and engineering cost. The total payment was approved for the amount $92,023.46 for services. The Osage County Board of County Commissioners will meet again next Monday at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska. Friday the Osage County Election Board closed the filing period for the Towns of Avant, Burbank, Fairfax, Prue, and Wynona, along with the Cities of Barnsdall, Hominy, and Shidler. The below are the candidates filed for their respective municipalities:
Town of Avant: 2 Trustees, 4 yr terms - Shirley J. Brown & Kevin W. Petrunak City of Barnsdall: Council Member Ward 2, 4 yr term – Betty Fowler & J.D. Cole Council Member Ward 4, 4 yr term – Oscar Lee Hall Treasurer, 4 yr term – Paulette Elaine Thompson Town of Burbank: 1 Trustee, 4 yr term – Brett Barnett 1 Trustee, 2 yr unexpired term – James W. Martin Town Clerk/Treasurer, 4 yr term – Millie Bonner Moore Town of Fairfax: 2 Trustees, 4 yr terms – Boa K. Cox, Charles Cartwright & Greg Daley City of Hominy: Council Member Ward 1, 4 yr term – Jerry L. Stumpff Council Member Ward 4, 4 yr term – Daniel Johnson Council Member at Large, 4 yr term – Emma Pitts & Ronald L. Reed City of Shidler: Council Member, Ward 1, Seat 2, 4 yr term – Edward G. Kramer Council Member, Ward 2, Seat 2, 4 yr term – Patrick L. Patton Council Member, Ward 3, Seat 2, 4 yr term – Jerrod O. Miller Council Member, Ward 4, Seat 2, 4 yr term – Cody D. Golay Town of Prue: 3 Trustees, 4 yr terms – Pete Burris Clerk, 2 yr unexpired term Treasurer, 2 yr unexpired term: Denniece K. Coyle-Ames Town of Wynona: 3 Trustees, 4 yr term – Gary Robinson, Johnnie Jo Lott & Nancy Deatherage Town Treasurer, 4 yr term – Janet Delaney The following race are contested and the identified municipalities will hold a nonpartisan General Election scheduled April 4, 2017: City of Barnsdall: Council Member Ward 2, 4 yr term – Betty Fowler & J.D. Cole Town of Fairfax: 2 Trustees, 4 yr terms – Boa K. Cox, Charles Cartwright & Greg Daley City of Hominy: Council Member at Large, 4 yr term – Emma Pitts & Ronald L. Reed For any additional information, contact the Osage County Election Board at (918) 287-3036 or e-mail at [email protected]. |
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