When Shawnee Board of Education members meet Tuesday evening, one of the items for discussion will concern a proposed fall bond issue. No action can be taken at the meeting, however, because it’s listed on the agenda for discussion only.
Shawnee School Superintendent Marilyn Bradford indicated she will be asking the board to consider an October bond issue. The primary reason, she said, is because of the dire condition of the high school roof and finding other sources of revenue to fix it are not likely any time soon.
She is not sure of what amount might be needed for a bond issue. While the roof repair is critical, she says, there could be other items the board might want to consider. If the board indicates it wants to consider a bond issue for October, then a special meeting would have to be called in order to set an election since Tuesday night’s agenda doesn’t allow that any action be taken on it.
The meeting, open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the administration building at 326 N. Union.
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Tourism plays a significant role in the state’s economy, and it provides a major economic impact in Pottawatomie County as well.
Gordona Rowell, executive director of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in Shawnee, told local Rotarians earlier this week that Pottawatomie County ranks 12th of 77 counties in the state for traveler expenditures. In 2006, which is the most recent year figures are available, $62.7 million was spent in this county on tourism. Payroll revenue generated amounted to $7.8 million and $3.5 million was generated in state tax receipts from this county.
Tourism provided $1 million in local tax receipts, and the information she shared showed that 550 jobs would have been eliminated without these traveler expenditures throughout the county.
Domestic travel expenditures are big business for Oklahoma, where they reached $5.3 billion. Statewide, 71,900 jobs were attributed to the travel industry, equating to 4.6 percent of the state’s total non-agricultural employment. She pointed out that without these travel-generated jobs, Oklahoma’s unemployment rate would have been 8.2 percent instead of 4.0 percent that year.
Rowell also spent a considerable part of her presentation detailing information on the planned Shawnee Area Visitors Center, noting that collectively the 12 tourist information centers throughout Oklahoma average more than 270,000 visitors a month. Of those, Thackerville along I-35 in far southern Oklahoma ranks first with more than 100,000 visitors each month. The one located near Sallisaw on I-40 in the far eastern part of the state is No. 2 with over 56,000 monthly.
Midwest City, less than 30 miles down the road from us, ranks No. 6 out of the 12, she said.
Land is being purchased for the proposed location for the Shawnee Visitors Center directly north of the LaQuinta Inn and Suites as reported a couple of weeks ago. The Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce board of directors approved the purchase, but the funds being used to purchase the land, which is costing $500,000, is coming from the 5 percent lodging surcharge on motel and hotel rooms and the $1 RV space per night.
Of the $500,000, $200,000 is being put down and the remainder is being financed over a period of 15 years, although realistically it’s believed the property will be paid off in three to five years. The financing is divided equally between Arvest, First National Bank, United Bank, BancFirst and Vision Bank.
In answering questions about the design and layout of the new center, Rowell showed the preliminary drawings and she emphasized nothing has been finalized at this time. She accepted some of the suggestions made during her presentations, adding that a number of things are still being considered to serve the needs of those who will visit the center.
She also mentioned the site is ready to build on with new roads and the utilities, including water, sewer, electric and gas already there.
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Concerning the proposed sports complex which city commissioners have agreed to purchase 160 acres of land for, a 16-inch water line runs along North Kickapoo Street up to Wes-Tech Road, City Engineer John Krywicki says. He indicated the city will need to run a 12-inch line from that intersection for at least a half mile west along Wes-Tech where the property begins. City code requires that size of line, he said.
The closet sewer line, Krywicki said, is located on the land owned by the School Land Commission that the city was considering for the complex. He indicated the city will need to run about 2,800 feet of sewer line northward across the School Land to tie into the property being purchased.
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If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, call 214-3922 or e-mail michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Include name and phone number for contact purposes.
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When Shawnee Board of Education members meet Tuesday evening, one of the items for discussion will concern a proposed fall bond issue. No action can be taken at the meeting, however, because it’s listed on the agenda for discussion only.
Shawnee School Superintendent Marilyn Bradford indicated she will be asking the board to consider an October bond issue. The primary reason, she said, is because of the dire condition of the high school roof and finding other sources of revenue to fix it are not likely any time soon.
She is not sure of what amount might be needed for a bond issue. While the roof repair is critical, she says, there could be other items the board might want to consider. If the board indicates it wants to consider a bond issue for October, then a special meeting would have to be called in order to set an election since Tuesday night’s agenda doesn’t allow that any action be taken on it.
The meeting, open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the administration building at 326 N. Union.
•••
Tourism plays a significant role in the state’s economy, and it provides a major economic impact in Pottawatomie County as well.
Gordona Rowell, executive director of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in Shawnee, told local Rotarians earlier this week that Pottawatomie County ranks 12th of 77 counties in the state for traveler expenditures. In 2006, which is the most recent year figures are available, $62.7 million was spent in this county on tourism. Payroll revenue generated amounted to $7.8 million and $3.5 million was generated in state tax receipts from this county.
Tourism provided $1 million in local tax receipts, and the information she shared showed that 550 jobs would have been eliminated without these traveler expenditures throughout the county.
Domestic travel expenditures are big business for Oklahoma, where they reached $5.3 billion. Statewide, 71,900 jobs were attributed to the travel industry, equating to 4.6 percent of the state’s total non-agricultural employment. She pointed out that without these travel-generated jobs, Oklahoma’s unemployment rate would have been 8.2 percent instead of 4.0 percent that year.
Rowell also spent a considerable part of her presentation detailing information on the planned Shawnee Area Visitors Center, noting that collectively the 12 tourist information centers throughout Oklahoma average more than 270,000 visitors a month. Of those, Thackerville along I-35 in far southern Oklahoma ranks first with more than 100,000 visitors each month. The one located near Sallisaw on I-40 in the far eastern part of the state is No. 2 with over 56,000 monthly.
Midwest City, less than 30 miles down the road from us, ranks No. 6 out of the 12, she said.
Land is being purchased for the proposed location for the Shawnee Visitors Center directly north of the LaQuinta Inn and Suites as reported a couple of weeks ago. The Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce board of directors approved the purchase, but the funds being used to purchase the land, which is costing $500,000, is coming from the 5 percent lodging surcharge on motel and hotel rooms and the $1 RV space per night.
Of the $500,000, $200,000 is being put down and the remainder is being financed over a period of 15 years, although realistically it’s believed the property will be paid off in three to five years. The financing is divided equally between Arvest, First National Bank, United Bank, BancFirst and Vision Bank.
In answering questions about the design and layout of the new center, Rowell showed the preliminary drawings and she emphasized nothing has been finalized at this time. She accepted some of the suggestions made during her presentations, adding that a number of things are still being considered to serve the needs of those who will visit the center.
She also mentioned the site is ready to build on with new roads and the utilities, including water, sewer, electric and gas already there.
•••
Concerning the proposed sports complex which city commissioners have agreed to purchase 160 acres of land for, a 16-inch water line runs along North Kickapoo Street up to Wes-Tech Road, City Engineer John Krywicki says. He indicated the city will need to run a 12-inch line from that intersection for at least a half mile west along Wes-Tech where the property begins. City code requires that size of line, he said.
The closet sewer line, Krywicki said, is located on the land owned by the School Land Commission that the city was considering for the complex. He indicated the city will need to run about 2,800 feet of sewer line northward across the School Land to tie into the property being purchased.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, call 214-3922 or e-mail michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Include name and phone number for contact purposes.
