Good morning, Good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome
time now for city matters right here on our community connection on K one the
one He Dress brought you a part by Paul Grass bowners at Arnold Warton Kneecamp
Funeral Home. And we've got to Trevor Dorsey, one of our city councilors,
who's calling in today. We're gonna have his billy, but she's a
little under the weather, and I thank you very much for stepping in today.
First of all, do you have a great Fourth of July? I
did have a good four July, Tom, thanks for asking. I hope
you did as well. If if people were out at Soonor Park they got
to witness a great powwork display, and I know it was a great day
down there at Senor Park for Freedom past. Hey, did you wear your
Uncle Sam get up this year? I did not wear the Uncle Sam get
up at warm imagine. So you know, we've been a little dry lately,
especially in our watershed just a little bit north of us here, and
water has been a big concern. We're gonna get some rain here. Looks
like check good chances for it all week long, especially today, but it
still might be not enough. I know that the city council heard from a
water utility director, Terry Lawrenson on Monday. Where are we on our water
situation as far as our supply? Sir, Well, right now, I
believe I don't I apologize, I don't have the numbers right well, that's
okay, but I mean we're in a bad spot. I know that.
Yeah, we're at about fifty seven percent of of what we have. You
know, typically this time of year, I believe you know Hula and are
Hula and Copan d percent capacity. Obviously this year they're not. I think
in a normal year, I think mister Larson talked about we get about forty
inches of rainfall, and we've gotten I think seventeen, So um, we
are down now. I know we have gotten a lot of rain lately.
And whenever we get a lot of rain, with think, oh well,
hey, we're we're in pretty good shape. However, all of the rain
that goes into the aquifer four of those lakes where we get our water is
up around Cherryville and Sada and Kansas, and so it kind of every time
we get rained. I'm always looking at the radar to make sure we're getting
rained there as well. I was woke up this morning. I don't know
if anybody else was, but we got a little shower. Oh yeah,
I look and there was a big storm up there near that aquifer. So
you know, that's what we hope continue to happen. We're getting rained there
and an effort to get those lakes back to where they need to be so
that we're not in this water situation. And I know that if you were
listening into the council Monday night, mister Lordson talked about the wastewater reuse project
that we're looking at that hasn't been approved by the state yet, but it
would allow us to put water into the Caney and then take it back out
downstream and do so um safely and so that that is not quite where we
need it yet, but that is also something that the city is looking into,
as well as other water sources that we could tap into potentially to offset
some of the shortfall more we're currently getting water now. Mister Bailey on Monday
at the City Council enad City Manager mentioned an akworfer that we might be able
to access in nearby Osage County that could help us out as well as maybe
some other municipalities and other bodies of water. But I understand that could be
kind of costly. It could be costly. I know the city at the
end was brought up and I believe is getting water from Call Lake and Osage
County, and I think that costs them around three hundred million dollars to be
able to access that water. And I see Enid's issue was that the city
was growing and they needed the water, not necessarily that their water supply our
sources were depleting. We're in a little bit different in the situation, but
obviously would be some expense. I think there will be a committee put together
to look at all kinds of different resources. There could be grants or loans
available to tap into other water resources. So we obviously want to do things
britainly and cost effective so that we're not passing along a lot of additional costs
to our constituents. Sure, you don't want to. Citizens have been pretty
good, pretty patient with this, and it's not really anybody's fault. It's
an act of nature, and you know, God bless you, your folks
are doing your darkness to make sure that we at least have drinking water and
water to use for bathing right now. I understand that restrictions are still in
place. Could they get possibly any more stringent if this persists, they could
A level four is the next phase. I know we're not there. We're
kind of looking at if we got no additional water, I think that would
be around the end of August. But as you stated, we are getting
some rain, and hopefully that rain is some of that rain is hitting that
awkwifer, so I think there shouldn't be a need hopefully again. Good Lord,
Well and everybody say some prayers that there's rained. Unfair. Oh yeah,
that'll it'll, it'll care the issue. And do you have any luck
rain dancing? Maybe that's the ticket. Well tell you, I've been watching
the radar all morning and it looks like it's hitting that dry spot pretty good,
and it looks like we've got more to come. Unfortunately, it's going
to take a lot more, but this is a pretty good start. I
want to switch topics with you here, City Councilor trepor Dorsey g O Bond.
I understand that we've got the g O Bond election all set for October,
correct, Yes, sir, that is correct, UM, and periodically
we do GEO bonds and uh, this one will not affect or cause any
increase in your taxes. That won't change the mill levy. It is simply
UM the normal things that we need to do. UM. I know a
lot of that. Again, I apologize because I don't have all the information
short notice, that's all right, But about eight million dollars of that,
I believe it is going to streets, and I know constituents UM for a
while now has stated that they would like to see street improvements, and so
I know we have a big uh you know, majority of that will be
going to streets, which will help. I think we have good streets in
our city, in our community, but obviously, UM, there are streets
that need to be updated and repair and so forth, and that that is
something that a lot of folks and that understand. Some bridges are going to
get some much needed to rehab as well. So transportation looks to be taking
care of pretty good. We got parks and recreation pretty well handled the last
time around. But I see they're going to get a little bit more money
too. But I see where our facilities, especially for public safety facilities,
are going to get a pretty generous chunk if if this has passed by the
public, Yes, that's correct, And you know, I know we have
obviously as time goes on, when you have facilities that that need updated,
um, facilities that are older, that tends to happen, and just like
your technology and uh and those type of things. And so I think at
last time the technology was touched in the last year bond and so this one
we're gonna try to make sure our facility these are up to date. We
we we have a fire department that uh, pretty old and the need some
of some updates and and there's some other projects so as well. So that's
that's just part of the own a home. You kind of know, there's
things that you have to do over time to make sure you keep that home
and get livaviol repair indeed, just basically keeping things where they need to be
in order to be effective. And of course, being guardians of our community
here, h you'd like to know that your your fire department's got a safe
place to do their thing. And I think we're talking about the one on
the Virginia Avenue. I was kind of surprised. I did not know that
it was as old as it is, and now knowing that, I realized
just how important that upgrade is going to be. Yes, sir, you
know, um there, when you start talking about these kind of things and
these projects, you learn a lot of things, Like you said how old
certain facilities are. Just for instance, then talking about the golf course because
there's some money set aside, Brita, the greenings at the golf course are
sixty years old. Wow. Um, so that you know they've they've been
around a long time. And we do have one of the the nicest golf
public golf courses, I believe in all of Oklahoma, and we have I
think one of the nicest park systems that's not the nicest and the northeast Oklahoma.
So obviously, these these these funds will go to continue to make sure
that we have all of these amenities for our citizens and that will also draw
people to our community. We had some discussion about our tourism. I know
we've had some nice things that have happened in recent years with the movie over
in Osage County, and I think there's some talk of a movie in Ramona
and some other things like that. But outside of those, uh, you
know, movies or those type of productions coming our way. We always want
to get people to come to our community because when they're coming to our community,
they're spending money buying gas, eating, going to our parks. Hopefully,
with some of the improvements and money that we put in in the past
years, we're getting more people coming to town for baseball, for soccer,
for for different things where they're going to be hopefully staying and spending money in
that that money goes directly goes back to help the city. Well, you
know, pickleball is a big one. They've got a couple of big tournaments
here in this town that's working out pretty good. One especially, I think
it's in October that does really well. But getting back to the golf course,
Say, isn't Adams where we do the the the big thing for United
Way, Yes, sir, Yeah, that that tournament happens every year.
And you know, I want to say, don't want to fit, but
that tournament raises about a million dollars a year, by the way, and
all of that money goes back into our community. Yeah, and it goes
back to all the nonprofits that the United Way serves, and so all of
those services are being provided to our constituents. So it's very important that again
we keep up our facilities, our roads, our parks, and this money
will help do that our infrastructure. And again it won't it won't increase,
It won't increase your taxes. It won't increase the middle levee. So it's
uh my mind. It's always a good deal whenever you can, and we've
we've always tried to the council and the city be prudent and not increase the
middle levy and not pass tax burden back on the constituent. Very good.
Hey Trevor Dorsey Yard City councilor here who was a pivot pinch hitting today on
the city matters. I really appreciate you taking time out of your very very
busy day away from your job and away from families. Spent a few minutes
with us today here on the radio. No Tom and always a good uh
talking within a pleasure and I hope we get as you said, well a
lot of that rain that you're seeing on the radar will make make an impact
this week. All right, your prayers right to God man. Thank you
very much, appreciate the tramp bye bye now and that is trypor Dorsey and
he is our one of our city councilors here in Bartlesville and Pinch