There are a few things going on in the area that bear close watching. That doesn’t mean they are bad, or that anything nefarious is going on. It means that these items are the people’s business, and you are the people, so pay attention.
One, in Geary, there are a lot of questions being asked directly to the people. The biggie is what do the residents want to see happen about the ball fields.
Here is the issue. The City of Geary owns the ball fields. They are rundown and need a lot of work, work that is going to be costly.
The schools have traditionally used the fields and helped financially and physically with the upkeep. Now push has come to shove, and the deferred repairs and upgrades can no longer be deferred.
The city steadfastly refuses to sell the fields to the school, even though the district has offered to purchase them several times.
So the question is should the district pay for the work on the fields and continue to use them, or should it develop its own fields elsewhere?
The auditor once had some issues with the district paying for work on fields it did not own, but I believe a workaround has been found.
In their defense, the school board isn’t making the decision out of hand. They haven’t forgotten they work for the residents, so they have mounted a campaign to find out what those residents want.
If you live in Geary, or nearby, if you have kids who play on those fields, if you are a member of a non-school team that uses the fields, take a few minutes and answer the survey the district has posted on its social media page. You’re on social media anyway.
If you aren’t on social media, call or go by the superintendent’s office and make your preference known.
Because if you don’t, and the district makes a decision that is not in line with what you would do, then you don’t have anyone to blame but yourself.
Closer to this office, there is a new Chief of Police in Watonga. He is Briston Lowry, and again, if you get the chance to stop by the department, do. Or if you see him around, say hello, stick your hand out and become acquainted with this nice young man. With a little luck and Lord willing, he will be in that seat for a good, long time.
And last but certainly not least, a fun fact that I did not know. OK, maybe not fun, but definitely interesting. Our own Diamondback Correctional institution is the largest ICE detention center in Oklahoma. As I have said before, it isn’t what we want to be known for, but there it is.
In a perfect situation, there would be no need for any facilities like Diamondback. But there is a need, at least for now.
But what about down the road? What happens in five years, or when the administration changes? What happens if we swap red for blue at the national level?
Do all those jobs evaporate? Does the windfall of impact fees to the city blow away? Does the facility sit there empty for another 10 or more years?
I believe if the community keeps an eye on what is going on, if it continues to exert a steady pressure on our elected officials, the chance that it closes down and stalls the progress the impact fees are making will be lessened.
It’s the people’s business, and we are the people, so pay attention.