'Watonga Wants to Grow'

WATONGA — Watonga's city government is preparing for a big transition. This month it will be moving from its decades-old home at 115 N. Weigle and into a newer, larger facility at 410 W. Main, the former Department of Human Services building.

That is, most of the government will be moving. Karrie Beth Little, Watonga's new city manager, is already working there. Two weeks into the position, Little believes the city's shiny new home is just a first step in a bigger, brighter future for her hometown, the place where she was born and raised and still lives today.

"We want to grow. Watonga wants to grow," Little told the Watonga Republican this week, adding that improved infrastructure will be key to attracting and retaining businesses. "We have to be prepared to take on those new businesses when they come in. We really, as a town, need to look at that and see where we need to go."

Little was born in Watonga and graduated from Watonga High School in 1995. In 2000, she got the first in a series of corrections-related jobs that would make up the bulk of her next 20 years, at the now-closed Diamondback Correctional Facility.

After living out of state for a time, Little's family moved to Shawnee where she worked at the Pottawatomie County jail. Three years later, in 2011, she moved back to Watonga.

With Diamondback now shuttered, Little took a job in 2015 at the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton. At the time, Great Plains was just getting new inmates after being closed for years. Little was one of its first hires, working her way from human resources up to the prison's compliance administrator.

Now, Great Plains is closed again.

"It was really sad," Little said. "That was a livelihood for that community, and that area. It brought a lot of jobs. It was the largest employer for Caddo County for a long time."

Little stayed on with a skeleton crew after the prison emptied, but her contact recently ran out. And that's about when Watonga's city manager position came open.

She interviewed in July and was offered the position in August.

Little enjoyed working in corrections because of the variety, she said. "It's not the same thing everyday," she said. "You walk in and you have a plan, but it can shift very quickly." Now, she's excited to take on her new job because of Watonga's recent change in form of government, giving the city manager more sway and responsibility.

She was also drawn to the job as an opportunity to serve, she said. "The city government is service-oriented — that's what we do. So that, with the new government and it being a service-driven industry, I thought: That's what I want to do."

Little said she's spent her first weeks on the job getting to know her departments and department heads, and learning the basics of the position. She thanked outgoing city manager Larry Mitchell, who held the position on an interim basis for more than a year, as well as the city council for their support and advice.

"The council said from day one that they're behind me 100 percent," Little said. "Anytime I called or asked a question ... they've just been very, very gracious to give me their time."

Among her first challenges as manager will be transitioning to a new City Hall and hiring a new police chief. Little said she hopes to post that position later this week.

She's also eager to work closely with the Watonga Chamber on the upcoming Cheese Festival, as the Chamber will have office space inside the new city building as well.

But long-term, Little is focused on the city's growth potential and infrastructure. And she reiterated the importance of supporting local businesses and shopping in town, when possible.

"That generates revenue so that we can do things in Watonga," Little said. "When our sales tax revenue is up, that allows the city funds to do the things that we need to do in order to move forward. ... Buy your gas in town, buy your groceries in town, and try to keep those dollars as local as you can. Because you do support your fellow citizens in paying their salaries, you support the government so that we can fix that road that has a pothole in it, and things like that."

In her off hours, Little said she enjoys spending time with her five children and five grandchildren. "And I think that's one thing that Watonga provides the ability for," she said. "You don't have to go somewhere to enjoy your family; you can enjoy them here."