The Tower Green Design Committee held a meeting last week to discuss design plans regarding the Tower Center at Unity Square project. Project Architect Scott Ambler of Ambler Architects, told the committee the plan is about 60 percent complete.
The project costs $1.75 million and a community gathering space will be built between the Bartlesville Community Center and the Price Tower. Silas Street will be closed during this time to accommodate the project. There was no formal action taken during the meeting, but the committee did talk about parking, lighting, trees and the stage cover. They also talked about ideas involving a water feature on the site. There was also discussion regarding a groundbreaking ceremony. That will likely be held towards the end of March. As a freshman and sophomore in high school, Pawhuska's Andrew Williams and Piper Pryor might not have much experience when it comes to speech and debate tournaments, but they are making it look pretty easy so far. The duo won first-place doing a humorous duet at a tournament in Okmulgee on Jan. 19 and added a third-place finish on Jan. 26 in Prague. This was a tournament that featured older, more competitive teams. Their coach, Charles Jeffery is proud of the way the duo is performing at such a young age.
Jeffery knows this is a great way for Williams and Piper to get ready for their future beyond high school. Finally, Jeffery says what Williams and Piper are doing will be great for the school in years to come. There next competition will be on Saturday in Haskell. Ahead of next Tuesday’s Osage County Primary Election, the Election Board Secretary Kelly Choteau wants residents to make sure they know what to do heading into the voting booth.
Polls will be open from 7 in the morning until 7 in the evening and it is important to fill in their ballots with either blue or black ballpoint ink. Choteau adds that if a mistake is made while filling out their ballots, the voter should return said ballot and get a new one. Choteau also says it is important for residents to bring their voter I.D. Card to make it easier for the precinct officials to find names on the Precinct Registry. Choteau also said the best time to show up is mid-morning or mid-afternoon, as that is usually the two slowest time periods. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be eligible to vote. For more information, contact the Osage County Election Board at 918-287-3036 or e-mail OsageCounty@elections.ok.gov. The Osage County Commissioners met Monday morning and many different things were discussed.
The County Commissioners are one step closer to formally having its emergency medical services advisory board. The Commissioners have completed a mission statement and the seven members will make recommendations to them regarding emergency medical services in the county. Those seven members include Bo Cox, April Thompson, Kay Kelley, Larry Eulert, Ronnie Wilson, Cole Harring and Ken Montgomery. They will get re-appointed each year. The Commissioners also talked about the possibility of making Kelly Bland, the Executive Director of Tourism in Osage County, a full time employee. The contract would be paid for out of the tourism budget. Kevin Pasley, who represents District No. 2 is all for it, but Randall Jones, representative for District No.1, said it might be best to hold off. During citizen’s input, Osage County Emergency Manager Jerry Roberts handed out the new drug policy for county employees. The County Commissioners could approve the new testing procedures, but Roberts said there are 22 bills in the Senate that could change the current policy. The Commissioners went into executive session to interview applicants for a janitorial position, but tabled the item to get more information. In new business, Pasley said AT&T would be on hand at next Monday’s meeting to discuss the possibility of adding their services to the county. The meeting will begin at 10 o’ clock at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska. Samples of the suspected marijuana in Pawhuska were tested. Results find that of the 11 samples tested, only two are found to be marginally over the legal THC limit and outside the test’s margin of error.
The Osage County District Attorney’s Office is sending the truck to Colorado for THC testing of all nine tons of cannabis. The lowest level of THC in medicinal marijuana is 15 percent. The most potent level of the 11 samples was one half of a percent. Defense Attorney Matt Lyons says the shipment doesn’t contain any black market marijuana, which prosecutors said was the initial cause for concern. Lyons went on to say prosecutors are trying to call this marijuana when it’s clear to the rest of the sane world that it’s not. Tadesse Deneke and Farah Warsame were driving the tractor-trailer that got pulled over after failing to stop at the four-way stop in Pawhuska and have been unable to post bail. Andrew Ross and David Dirksen were escorting the shipment from Kentucky to Colorado and spent nearly a week in jail after law enforcement seized the suspected marijuana on Jan. 9. The two men each posted a $40,000 bond. All four men are facing charges that could carry 15 years to life in prison. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 became federal law in December and that removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. If the average of test samples exceeds three-tenths of a percent, but is equal to or less than one percent, then the crop in question will be destroyed with no additional fines or penalties. If a sample exceeds one percent, then the crops in question will be destroyed and states may impose additional fines or penalties. Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe stopped by the Bartlesville Radio Station on Friday to discuss a wide-array of issues facing both our state and the nation.
At the top of the list was the Government shutdown and the border wall. Inhofe realizes that the shutdown took its toll on a number of Government employees. Therefore, Inhofe, along with a fellow Oklahoma Senator, is working on a bill to help those families. Inhofe is also trying to enact the Civics Act. After speaking at our station, Inhofe went on to speak at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The Osage County Commissioners will meet at the Pawhuska courthouse Monday morning to revisit some items that had been tabled in the past.
The County Commissioners will consider making Kelly Bland, the Executive Director of Tourism, a full-time employee for the county. The County Commissioners will also begin discussion regarding appointing members to the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board. The County Commissioners will also consider advertising bids to improve the women’s building located at the Osage County Fairgrounds. Improvements would include new ceiling tiles, toilets, insulation throughout the building and new entrances. The meeting begins at 10 o’ clock in the meeting for those interested in attending. |
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