he Pawhuska School Board will get together Thursday evening at the Administration Building for an end of the fiscal year meeting.
The board will look to renew the school’s property, liability and auto insurance with OSIG. This will cost nearly $110,000. They will also vote to approve worker’s compensation insurance for the 2019-2020 school year with Oklahoma School Assurance Group. Board members will also consider approving the 2019-2020 open transfer list, along with a baseball fundraiser set to take place on July 20. That fundraiser includes a fishing tournament and an alumni baseball game. Personnel matters will also be discussed. The meeting begins at 5:30 in the evening for those interested in attending. The Board of Osage County Commissioners had put a fund in place to distribute money evenly between fixing buildings at the Osage County Fairgrounds, along with county buildings. In light of the heavy rain the county has received, district one commissioner Randall Jones believes it is important to re-distribute those funds for the time being knowing that many buildings are in need of repair.
It varies on how much money is in this account each month, but each commissioner was for the adjustment. The commissioners can elect to change it back to an even split at any time. The third Thursday in the park will take place tomorrow in Skiatook. The event starts at 6 in the evening and is presented by the Skiatook Chamber of Commerce.
The Tulsa rock band, Infinity, will perform live music and the splash pad will be open as well. The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs and support local businesses. The Blackburn Bridge separating Pawnee and Osage County suffered extensive damage on the Osage County side. District three commissioner Darren McKinney says the estimated cost of repair is 1.5 million dollars.
Because the Pawnee County side of the bridge didn't suffer any damage, they have lifted the barricades, which could cause harm if someone were to drive down the road. McKinney is doing everything he can to prevent that from happening. McKinney said the flooding from years past doesn't compare to what we have seen in the past six weeks. The structure of the bridge wasn't damaged. Despite there being rain in the area last week, Terry Loftis and his crew at JL&Associates will finish construction of the stabilizing wall between two downtown buildings in Fairfax by Wednesday. This will prevent the buildings from falling before they get demolished.
At Monday's Board of Osage County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners approved a resolution to put out bids allowing for the buildings to be town down. County Clerk Sheila Bellamy said it could be a long time before the buildings actually get torn down though. Ideally, Loftis said staff and patients can begin operating in the Robert Clark Family Health Clinic by Thursday. Right now, they are working out of a small administration building a few doors down. The stabilizing wall was part of an emergency declaration the commissioners put in place two weeks ago because of safety concerns for citizens who walked by. The Board of Osage County Commissioners heard from the Executive Director of Osage County Tourism, Kelly Bland at Monday's commissioner meeting and she reported that revenue is going up in the county.
Various tour bus groups have contacted Bland in hopes of coming through the Osage recently. Bland has reached out to the city of Tishomingo in hopes of attracting even more people to the area, as some tours are looking for an extra place to stop. The television show, Discover Oklahoma, recently came to Pawhuska to film a show on some local businesses. That show will air on television in the near future. Bland requested money for the Shidler Car Show in August along with the American Legion Street Festival honoring veterans. That event will be held in September. Both of those requests were approved. Max GrossA local coaching legend is set to be inducted in the National High School Hall of Fame. Barnsdall coach Joe Gilbert is set to be enshrined by the National Federation of State High Schools on June 30 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Gilbert has been a coach in some capacity at Barnsdall since 1954.The longtime coach has always been fond of Barnsdall. Gilbert currently serves as the Lady Panthers head coach in softball and basketball. He also coached boys’ basketball, football and baseball previously. Gilbert’s victories include 1,140 in fast-pitch softball, 917 in girls’ basketball, 801 in baseball, 649 in boys’ basketball, 395 in slow-pitch softball and five in football (one year). While the NFHS record book does not track total coaching victories across multiple sports, it is believed that no one has amassed the numbers that Gilbert has compiled at Barnsdall. Gilbert has OSSAA state titles in baseball in 1980 and fastpitch softball in 2012. Gilbert led the Barnsdall’s slow pitch team to the state tournament in 2019. This 37th Hall of Fame class to be inducted. (Photo courtesy: OSSAA) The Board of Osage County Commissioners met at the courthouse in Pawhuska Monday morning and got some great news from Executive Director of Osage County Tourism, Kelly Bland.
In the last two months, it is estimated that more than $880,000 has been spent on lodging across the county. Bland reported that she has been getting phone calls from a number of tour buses who are looking to come through the county. Bland is looking to develop a relationship with Tishomingo for buses looking to pass through as well. The Tallgrass Music Festival in Skiatook was two weeks ago. Bland reported that festival organizers ran out of brochures after the first night of music. The Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping Event took place on Sunday afternoon. Bland said it was very well-attended and said the event ran very smooth. Bland had requested money for various upcoming events in the county. Some of that money will go toward a conference that Bland will hold in Pawhuska, which will bring in other tourism directors from across the state. Bland also let the commissioners know she plans on attending more conferences across the midwest to promote the area. Towns include St. Louis, Phoenix and Dallas. Terry Loftis of JL&Associates was at the meeting to let the commissioners know he expects the stabilizing wall between the two buildings in Fairfax that were damaged by a tornado to be complete by Wednesday. If the wall is complete by Wednesday, the health clinic could open back up on Thursday. As of now, patients are being seen in a small administration office. The commissioners took action on signing a resolution to advertise bids so that those two buildings could get torn down. The Blackburn Bridge running across the Arkansas River suffered major damage because of the recent flooding. It will take an estimated 1.5 million dollars to fix. The county commissioners elected to approve fixing the bridge. The commissioners have a fund set aside to make improvements to buildings at the fairgrounds, along with other county buildings. That had been set aside to distribute evenly, but in light of damage to many county buildings, it was decided that 75 percent of the money will go toward improving county buildings and the fairgrounds will keep 25 percent of the money until further notice. FEMA started with assessments across the county Monday afternoon. The county has completed individual assistance and have started with the public assistance. The next regular scheduled board of Osage County Commissioners meeting is scheduled for next Monday at 10 o' clock in the morning. Osage County Emergency Manager Jerry Roberts and his team finished damage assessments last Friday, allowing FEMA to begin coming in and assist the county in recovery efforts. Citizens are being helped now, but the next step will be to begin looking at roadways and businesses across the county.
Roberts says getting the roads back into shape is one of the most important things his crews will be working on. He also says repairs tosome of these roads won't be cheap. Roberts added that certain roads could take priority because of where they are located. There had been a temporary dump set up in the town of Avant where citizens could dispose of their damaged or ruined items. That dump is no longer there, but getting rid of it came at a price. In Avant, a shelter opened up after the storm hit and Roberts said it was filled with people more than willing to help. Roberts concluded by saying this is the true spirit of Osage County. The Board of Osage County Commissioners will meet Monday morning at the courthouse in Pawhuska. They will continue discussion on demolishing two buildings in downtown Fairfax that got damaged by a tornado. These buildings are causing a safety hazard for people who walk by.
There will be an update on how the stabilizing wall is coming together between the two buildings so that they don’t fall. After that update, the commissioners will consider advertising bids to demolish the two buildings. Executive Director for Osage County Tourism, Kelly Bland, will be on hand to give a report and let the commissioners know how things have been going across the county. Bland will also be requesting money for various upcoming events across the county. There will be discussion and possible action regarding the distribution formula for the use tax. The commissioners will also go into executive session to interview applicants for a part-time employee at the Osage County Fairgrounds. The meeting begins at 10 o’ clock for those interested in attending. |
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