enid on the move spring 2010

city of enid qrtly Feb.2010 3/18/10 9:37 AM

CONTENTS

LIVESTOCK ORDINANCERepealed, but not tabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .03

PAPER OR PLASTIC?Maintaining Enid’s environment . . . . . . . . . . . . .05

ROOSEVELT PARK APARTMENTS48-Unit affordable Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06

STREET REPAIR UPDATEProgress on your streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .08

MEDICAL COMMUNITYLarge contributor to Enid’s economy . . . . . . . . .10

NEW YARD WASTE CARTS Becoming more environmentally friendly . . . . .12

CITY DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

ON THE COVER:Cartoon by Curtis Tucker

This magazine is an effort by the City of Enid to better communicate with Enid residents.

If you have suggestions or topics you’d like to see addressed infuture editions, please write:

Eagle Marketing Attn: Enid On The Move227 W. BroadwayEnid, OK 73701

Mayor - John CrinerCity Manager - Eric Bensonwww.enid.org(580) 234-0400

Produced by Eagle Marketing, 227 W. Broadway, Enid, OK.Information gathered and written by Tawny Dotson and Sara Hulsewith contributions by Trina Walker. Graphic designer LynneBenkendorf and photographer Bonnie Vculek. Managing EditorTawny Dotson.

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SPRING 2010

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In November of 2009, the City ofEnid’s City Council passed an or di-nance affecting the animals thatcould be kept at r esidential homeswithin the Enid City Limits. Thatordinance was intended to “bringan acceptable standard of living thateverybody can live with,” accordingto Eric Benson, city manager. “TheCouncil hoped to broker the rightcompromise over a broad spectrumissue.”

That ordinance has beenrepealed, but has not been tabled.The City Council continues to dis -cuss and refine the issue in order tomake the right decision for Enid.“At the end of the day, it’s incum-bent on elected of ficials to considerthese issues from a broad perspec-tive and make a decision best forthe people of Enid,” said Benson.

“I believe the Mayor will bringsomething back up that will havemore focus towards the animals thatneed help,” said Daron Rudy, citycouncil member from Ward 5. “Theoriginal was too broad.”

Rudy believes the Council’sintention was to help animals withinCity Limits that were being kept in

deplorable conditions.“It is a terrible thing,” said Rudy.

“We need to tr y to find a way tohelp rescue those animals.”

This ordinance was not a zoninglaw. The ordinance was intended toprotect the citizens of Enid fr omnuisance. The City exercised itspolice power to pass this or dinancein order to protect the health, safe-ty, and welfare of the citizens. It isnot intended to be a ban on live -stock, and there were permits avail-able to continue to maintain ani-mals within City Limits under theright circumstances.

The ordinance contained anexemption for therapy animals thatare trained, certified, and registeredas a therapy animal by a state ornationally recognized organization,which specializes in the field of ani-mal-assisted therapy. Alternatively,an animal may have been exempt ifit had been trained under theAmericans with Disabilities Act andwas certified or registered as a ser v-ice animal by a state or nationallyrecognized service animal registry.

“The idea was to pare down theamount of livestock on residential

livestock ordinance: REPEALED, BUT NOT TABLED

By Tawny Dotson, Photo by BONNIE VCULEK

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WHAT IT DIDNOT AFFECT:

The ordinance did not affectproperties that are outside ofEnid’s City Limits, zoned agricultural, or comprised ofthree acres or more.

In addition, households withregistered therapy or serviceanimals do not have to registeror apply for permits for thetherapy animal(s).

However, owners of therapyanimals may be requested toprovide evidence the animalswere trained for therapeuticservices.

The ordinance did not affectcats, dogs, guinea pigs, andhamsters, or therapy and service animals. It also did notaffect livestock on school property.


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properties,” said Drew Ritchie, city council member fr om Ward 4.Another controversial element of the ordinance was the option for

adjoining properties to petition for r evocation of a permit. The previousordinance provided that if 51 percent of the owners of the adjoining pr op-erties sign a petition, or if 75 per cent of owners within three hundred feetof your property sign a petition, a per mit may be revoked. In the event thatoccurred, an appeals process was available. Properties with livestock canaffect home values and resale ability for adjoining properties, particularly ifthe animals are not well cared for.

Lewis Blackburn, city council member from Ward 3, believes the ordi-nance would have helped to ensur e animals have the space they need, ar efed and well cared for, and are not near residences where they can cause anuisance.

“The ordinance will help to regulate animal care,” said Blackburn.

“there was a belief that this ordinance was ablanket order that you could not keep your

horse within City Limits,” said Benson. “That is notthe case. If you have the right facilities and the

right size of property for your animals, youshould be allowed to keep your horse.”

The next step for the City Council is to continue their examination of theissue. They have the option of r ewriting the ordinance. One of the severaloptions available is also a public vote. An election would allow the peopleof Enid to have their voice hear d. Until a decision is made, the Council willcontinue to hear opinions, examine all sides of the issue and work to findthe middle ground that creates the best standard for the City.

“I believe more time and education would help the issue,” saidBlackburn. “It will come up again. It is a good deal for both animals andhumans.”

While the Council received a number of complaints unof ficially, when thetime came to discuss the matter , those individuals did not attend city coun-cil meetings to be heard. The City Council is committed to hearing all sidesof the story and ensuring the right decision is made.

“By my estimation, seventeen members spoke at the Council meeting thenight we considered the ordinance. Fifteen of them were unaffected bywhat we were doing. If you want your voice hear d, give us a phone call,”said Ritchie. “Our phone numbers and emails ar e published. Get in contactwith us.”

WHAT IT DIDAFFECT:

Animals, including but not limited to,

COWS GOATSHORSES

CHICKENS GEESE

TURKEYS DUCKS

OTHER GAME FOWL SWINE

POT-BELLIED PIGSMULES

DONKEYSGOATS

LLAMASEXOTIC ANIMALS

and miniature or dwarf varietiesof the listed animals.


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City Manager Eric Benson, who is committed to keeping Enid beautiful and maintaining itsenvironment, is concerned about the presence of littering in our community; pr edominantly thelittering of small, lightweight plastic bags. “Not only do these lightweight gr ocery store typebags end up in our ditches and stuck on ever y fence, they also impact landfill lifespan. W e needto take time to look at these issues and have a serious discussion as a community ,” Benson said.

Several U.S. cities, such as San Francisco, have banned plastic bags, opting for thereusable and more environmentally friendly choice. According to cityofficials in San Francisco, r esidents were using 5 million plastic bagsless every month just a year after the ban. Benson says he does notpropose banning plastic bags; he simply wants to discuss ways tocontrol this specific bag problem. “I don’t know that a ban is neces-sary, but I am not against a possible sur charge for plastic bags withthe proceeds going to litter clean up,” he said. The sur charge wouldbe an attempt to encourage citizens to bring their own, r eusablebags to stores implementing plastic bag use.

“If we want our city to look better , we have to do somethingas a community to get it cleaned up. I’m open to all ideas and anyway that we can mitigate this pr oblem,” Benson said. Cleaning upEnid is extremely important to Benson, but he knows it is not possi-ble without the support and participation of community members.

PAPER ORPLASTIC?

By Sara Hulse


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A boom in Enid’s employment led the CommunityDevelopment Support Association, Inc., to par tner withthe City of Enid, and bring mor e high-quality afford-able housing to the east side of Enid. That pr oject, theRoosevelt Park Apartments, came to fruition last June,but not after a great deal of work by the or ganizations.

The Roosevelt Park Apar tments are located whereRoosevelt Elementary School stood years ago. The cityblock was granted to Enid Public Schools for use as aschool site. After the school was tor n down EPS main-tained the site, but no fur ther development wasplanned. Cheri Ezzell, executive director of the CDSA,said the organization identified that site and sheapproached the school about purchasing the land.

“we want to revitalize the older parts of our town and have

concentrated on those areas,” said Ezzell.

Roosevelt Elementary School fell within that guide-line and in a qualified census track, which allowed addi -tional funding and incentives from the federal tax credit

programs administered by the Oklahoma HousingFinance Agency for development.

After a great deal of research, it was determined theland was actually owned by the City of Enid. The thr eeentities worked together to pass the land back to theCity of Enid and then to the CDSA for development.

“Spurred by employment growth in the community,”said Ezzell, CDSA worked to cr eate a plan for a 48-unitaffordable housing apartment complex. They contacteda developer they had worked with on the Pheasant RunApartment Complex, Zimmerman Investments. Thecompany was interested in the opportunity, and theplans grew from there.

The City of Enid’s suppor t of the project came in theform of a Tax Increment Financing District. A TIF dis-trict is a tool to use futur e gains in taxes to finance cur-rent improvements. This project used the TIF to stim -ulate interest in the development of the apar tment com-plex, making it more feasible to build in a high-riskarea. This created an opportunity to subsidize the proj-ect during development, rather than during occupation.

Once details were finalized, the project competed atthe state level for the available tax cr edits. Enid’s success

ROOSEVELT PARK APARTMENTS

48-Unit affordable housing By Tawny Dotson


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Molly HelmAge: 41Years living in Enid: 12 in arow, 18 totalIn 10 years what would youlike to see in Enid?: More newschools, better job opportuni-ties, a fully developed trail system, and more EHSgraduates returning to Enid to raise their families.What is the best thing about living in Enid? I lovehow easy it is to get involved and make a differ-ence. Being a part of a medium-sized communityoffers young people the chance to get experiencesthey would probably never get in a larger , more com-petitive city. Raising my sons in my hometown is myother favorite thing—having grandparents just fiveminutes away means more to me than any amenitya bigger city could offer.

for this project came down to the suppor t shown by the CDSA,Garfield County, The City of Enid, and Enid Public Schools.

“It was fantastic use of the pr operty,” said Wade Patterson, GarfieldCounty assessor. “All agencies worked together to impr ove the proper-ty.”

In addition, the TIF garnered the project points that put the pr ojectto the top in priority and led to the successful bid to star t the develop-ment.

Most projects like this receive some criticism. Ezzell is no stranger tothis process and ensured all public notifications were made.

“There was a lot of fear. People have heard of projects in metropoli-tan areas bringing crime to the community,” said Ezzell. “Developershave learned from those bad experiences and don’t build those lar gecomplexes anymore.”

in the end, a 48-unit affordable

housing apartment complexwas built in less than a year.

Occupied since June of 2009,

the apartment complex hasreceived warm praise for

its appearance.The property will be monitored by the Oklahoma Housing Finance

Agency for the next 30-years to ensur e its occupants meet incomerequirements and the property is maintained. In addition, the pr oceedsfrom selling the land to the developer have been placed in a land bank.These funds, in addition to any futur e gains in the TIF, will be used toseed future projects.

“It was a tough project,” said Ezzell. “We maintained our faith thatit could be good and we knew it would be a well maintained housingdevelopment in the end.”

CDSA will work more of these projects in the future in Enid. On thehorizon is a 28-house redevelopment of single-family homes on theeast side of Enid. Their commitment r emains to facilitate communityresearch and planning that will impr ove lives in our community. TheCity of Enid will work with them along the way .

Brian EngelAge: 58Years living in Enid: 1.5 yearsIn 10 years what would youlike to see in Enid?: In tenyears I’d like Enid to be knownas a health conscious city. I'dlike to see a fur ther blossomingof the arts community that is large enough to attractresident artists. I'd also like to see commercial airservice at Woodring's Airport. I would also like towelcome Enid's guests with a dramatic improvementto the City's curb appeal.What is the best thing about living in Enid?The best thing about Enid today is its optimism abouttomorrow. The passing of the Enid School Bond wasa collective commitment to better educate kids. Fromthat beginning, the City can now become whatever it dares to be.

Dan FugazziAge: 41Years living in Enid: 8In 10 years what would youlike to see in Enid?: I wouldlike to see more aviation indus-try at Woodring Airport, as wellas more retail options on the west side of town. What is the best thing about living in Enid?The people are great, and the cost of living is reasonable.

GENERATION’SPERSPECTIVEON ENID’S

FUTURE


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City Street Program is a Work in Progress Keeping Citizens on

SMOOTHGROUND

In 1998 the City of Enid took a serious look at thestreets in the community. The initial inspection found itwould take an excess of 50 million dollars just to get thestreets up to standard.

Keeping streets in good condition is vital to the com-munity on many levels. Str eets are what people see andfeel when they enter Enid. Rober t Hitt, director of engi-neering services, says a community must have a good bal-ance of services to be successful.

“Once you have secured the basic ser vices, you mustprovide commerce and social interaction,” says Hitt. Agood street system, he says, helps to expand commer ceand improve the quality of life for Enid r esidents.

Today, the street program is an ongoing work inprogress. Project engineer, Tom Cossin, compares thestreet program to painting the Golden Gate Bridge inSan Francisco.

“It never really ends...as soon as you finish, it is time tostart over again,” he says.

Street projects fall into two categories: ar terial andlocal streets. Arterial streets are the main streets used toget around town and access commerce. Oakwood,Cleveland and 30th are examples of ar terial streets. Theseare used by many people and get a lot of tr uck trafficleading to more wear and tear. Local streets are in neigh-borhoods. These streets are primarily used by the r esi-dents of the area and receive little to no tr uck traffic.

Funding for the street program comes from two mainsources. Arterial streets are currently funded by the city’sstreet and alley fund, and a 1/8 cent sales tax ear markedfor arterial streets which ends in 2011. Funding for thelocal streets comes out of the str eet and alley fund.

The cost to resurface and rebuild streets is staggeringand goes beyond what can be seen. Cossin says under-ground work relocating waterlines and other utilities is amajor part of the cost. The r ecent resurfacing of a onemile section of 4th to 16th Str eet totaled nearly$900,000. More than $200,000 of that money wentinto relocating a half mile of waterlines.

The 2010 Local Street Program involves the recon-struction of five local str eets. Reconstruction is moreexpensive and time consuming than r esurfacing. It willtake about a year for each pr oject section to be complet-ed. While construction in these areas will cause someinconvenience for area residents the end product is worthit.

The local streets slated for reconstruction are WillowPlace from Willow to 4th Street; 2nd Street from

By Trina Walker


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Top: Johnson(Huron) before and after. Above: Polk St. before and after. (Photos provided)

Mulberry to Olive; Iowa Streetfrom Leona Mitchell Blvd. to 6thStreet; 7th Street from Oklahomato Maine Ave.; and the addition ofinset parking along OklahomaStreet for the splash pad at HooverPark.

Existing sidewalks running alongreconstructed streets will also bereplaced and brought up to meetADA compliance standards.“We concentrate on doing it rightwhen we reconstruct streets,” saysCossin. “We don’t just build tominimum standards. We go abovethese requirements in order to min-imize future maintenance.” Cossinsays a concrete rebuilt street isexpected to have a life-span ofaround 75-years, while a r esurfacedstreet should last around 17-years.


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WHAT’Syour story?

This magazine is an effor t by the City ofEnid to better communicate with

Enid residents. If you have suggestions or topics

you’d like to see addressed in future editions,

please write:

Eagle Marketing, Attn: Enid On The Move 227 W. Broadway Enid, OK 73701 or email [email protected]

The medical community is alr eady a large contributor to Enid’s economy. Integris-Bass Baptist Health Center-Enid alone employs 900 and totals ar ound $60 million dollars in annual salaries. The City of Enid r ecognizes notonly the need for access to medical car e, but also the economic contributions the medical car eer field makes toEnid as a whole.

“We are the medical hub of nor thwest Oklahoma,” said Eric Benson, city manager. “We continue to look at whatwe can do to enhance their capabilities in Enid.”

The relationship is one that will continue to be fr uitful in the future.“I cannot emphasize enough how much we value our r elationship with the City,” said Jeff Tarrant, FACHE,

president of Integris-Bass Baptist Health Center-Enid.A great deal of change and for ward movement is happening in Enid, and the medical community is a lar ge part

of that. From the school bond passing to the r enovation of the police station, ther e are a number of projects ongo-ing to keep Enid’s community moving towar d reaching its potential. One movement that continues to happen isthe increasing growth of our medical community. It’s an increase that has been ongoing for years in Enid. Thatgrowth has seen some tough times.

MEDICAL HUBOf Northwest Oklahoma By Tawny Dotson

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center - Women’s Health & Imaging(Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)


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In 2004, Enid faced a medical cri-sis. Only two obstetricians were serv-ing the entire Enid community. Witharound 70,000 people in the ar ea,that crisis put Enid on the radar ofthe national media. The reason forthe crisis was a hike in malpracticeinsurance premiums for OBproviders. With that crisis behindthem, Administrators in Enid’s hospi-tals have been working hard to makesure a problem like that doesn’t hap-pen again.

Tarrant has been working diligentlyto recruit specialty areas of medicalcare to Integris-Bass. Tarrant notedthat specialty care is usually concen-trated in large cities and is lacking inNorthwest Oklahoma. In fact, if youdraw a straight line from Enid southto Abilene, there is no ter tiary carefacility available.

“We are seeing more and morepatients coming to us from outsidewhat is considered to be our tradi-tional service area,” said Tarrant. “Wedon’t know why that is happening,but we [Integris-Bass] are focusingon the specialized care services.”

As you look across Enid, there area number of projects that have

increased the services available.Integris-Bass opened a Veteran’sAdministration clinic last year and aSleep Disorder Center in October.They are currently completing a newcardiology clinic, which will be anearly 8 million dollar project. St.Mary’s Regional Medical Center alsodoubled the size of their EmergencyRoom, and added a new Joint Centerto name a few. In addition, therehave been a number of independentclinic openings such as the Nor thern

Oklahoma Sleep Diagnostic Center.That growth in facilities is a dir ect

result of a growth in patients. Tarrantsaid they have seen an incr ease in thegross number of people they ar e see-ing at Integris-Bass across all areas ofcare. Tarrant believes that will contin-ue to increase as the Baby Boomerpopulation reaches retirement ageand begins needing more medicalcare, which will create an even largereconomic impact on our community.

A new medical building on West Garriott (Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)

Recent renovation of Integris Bass Baptist Health Center’ s Emergency Room Entrance.(Photo by BONNIE VCULEK)


By Sara Hulse

Keeping with the spirit of becomingmore environmentally friendly, theCity of Enid Solid Waste departmentwill implement a new system of col-

lecting yard waste this year. New greenpolycarts will be of fered to citizens of Enid

for 50 dollars, the City of Enid’s cost forthe new bins, and upon pur chase will bebilled straight to residents’ city of Enid bill.The purchase of the yard waste carts isoptional, but residents should take time toconsider the tremendous benefits of thisnew and exciting option.

The green yard waste carts are 96 gallonsin size and do not r equire the use of plasticbags. All yard waste can be dumped dir ectlyinto the bins. City Manager Eric Bensonbelieves eliminating the use of plastic trashbags will improve our environment andcontribute to making Enid a better andcleaner place to live. This change couldcontribute to the decrease of plastic bags inlandfills, and enable longer use of the land -fill.

In addition, the new yard waste carts willalso help save city residents’ money.

AGREENER

ENIDCity announces new yard waste car ts

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Courtney ColbyAge: 33Years living in Enid: 6In 10 years what would youlike to see in Enid?: Morebusinesses and schools thatcreate state-of-the art opportunities for all of our generations, and encourage more people to move toEnid. I would like to see Enid widely known as"The Place to Live" in all of Northwest Oklahoma!What is the best thing about living in Enid?Definitely the friendly people and small-town atmosphere, which is great for raising a family!

Jake VossAge: 25Years living in Enid: I have lived in the Enid areamost of my life,except for thecollege years.In 10 years what would youlike to see in Enid?: I would like to see Enid have areputation for being one of the most educated andhealthy communities in the state. W ithout educationin a community, it makes it ver y difficult to succeed.What is the best thing about living in Enid?The people in this community are what makes it special, as well as the fact that Enid offers the fea-tures of a larger city but still has the feel of a smalltown.

GENERATION’SPERSPECTIVEON ENID’S

FUTURE

Sara HabibiAge: 27Years living in Enid: 2In 10 years what would youlike to see in Enid?: I wouldlove to see big chain retailstores like Target and a greatmovie theatre! I would alsolike to see more outdoor activities available like abike/walking trail or a lake.What is the best thing about living in Enid?: It’svery easy to meet people and get involved. Thereare so many caring and wonder ful people here…I truly love calling Enid my home.

“I am sure most of usspend more

than 50 dollars ayear on trash bags

and this one time costfor the yard waste

carts should be well worth the

resulting savings,” Benson said.

Also, not having to bag grass clippings, leaves, andtree and shrub debris should make yard work mucheasier. Benson also stresses the fact that these car ts areextremely durable and should last for years.

The yard waste carts are currently available, andupon purchase should be placed next to the blue car ton your scheduled trash collection day. Another benefit of these new car ts is the absence of a monthlypick-up fee. With the combination of no monthlypick-up fee and not having to pur chase expensive yardwaste trash bags, the new polycar ts should be a majormoney-saver. “These carts will also help keep ourwaste collection cost down, and our solid waste personnel will have a better working car eer with fewerback injuries.” Benson said.

Although it can be dif ficult at times to embracechange, it is important that everyone, as a community,visualizes the greater picture and participates in making Enid a better and mor e beautiful place to live.


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CITY HALL580-234-0400ADMINISTRATIONCity ManagerEric BensonExt. [email protected]. City ManagerJoan RileyExt. [email protected]. AssistantMegan WrightExt. [email protected] DEPARTMENTChief of Police: Rick [email protected] Emergency Dial 911FIRE DEPARTMENTFire Chief: Phil CloverExt. [email protected] Emergency Dial 911LEGAL DEPARTMENTCourt, TicketsCity Attorney: Andrea ChismExt. [email protected] City Attorney: Jennifer O’SteenExt. 7263josteen@@enid.orgCity Clerk: Linda ParksExt. [email protected] RESOURCE MANAGERAndrie WintersExt. [email protected] MANAGEMENTSevere Weather / Disaster PreparednessMike [email protected]

HUMAN RESOURCESEmploymentDirector: Sonya KeyExt. [email protected] DEVELOPMENTPlanning, building permits, codesPlanning AdministratorChris BauerExt. [email protected] Pritchett: Ext. 7216Frank Haley : Ext. 7219Angela Rasmuson: Ext. 7221Crystal Valdez: Ext. 7220Jimmy Davis: Ext. 7223FINANCEDirector: Jerald GilbertExt. [email protected] SERVICESScott MorrisWater bill, new residentsExt. [email protected] SERVICESPublic Services DirectorWater, Streets, Sewers, ParksJim McClainExt. [email protected] DirectorRob [email protected]. 7304Parks & Storm Water SpvsrMelvin KeyExt. [email protected] Mgmt. SupervisorBen PainterExt. [email protected] Waste SupervisorKim LetteerExt. [email protected] & Traffic Spvsr.Jerry CrawfordExt. [email protected]

Safety DirectorBilly McBrideExt. [email protected] PendergraftExt. [email protected] CoordinatorChris SteinExt. [email protected] Services Sprvs.Bill HoleExt. 7336Water Dist. SupervisorRon OsmosExt. [email protected] Prod. Services Sup.Bruce BoydExt. [email protected] Mgmt. Sup.249-4919Landfill ManagerDon CornellExt. [email protected] PUBLIC LIBRARYDirector: Michelle MearsExt. [email protected] GOLF COURSEPublic golf courseGolf Pro: Cody [email protected] access televisionDirector: Wendy [email protected] AIRPORTDirector: Dan [email protected] busesKim Watkins233-7433 or [email protected]

CITY DIRECTORCITY DIRECTORYY

15Please note that any extension can be dialed dir ectly when using the 616 prefix.


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enid on the move spring 2010

Documents

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city of enid qrtly

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residentiallivestock

animals withincity limits