Also, new life for old city hall

– Former City Councilman Roger Barton is appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation last month of Ward 2 Council Member Nancy Mouser.

– City Hall on Main Street to be remodeled after being vacant for years.

– Chelsea Lewis appointed to Planning & Zoning Commission.

The Eufaula economy is booming, with over $2 million in sales over the past five months.

City Manager Jeb Jones reported at Monday’s City Council meeting that after receiving sales tax figures from the Oklahoma Tax Commission this week, showing $293,000 in sales tax receipts, he compared numbers over a five month period.

The sales tax numbers reflect how much money is collected in sales taxes.

“Convert that into sales, actual money through the register, over the past five months there has been $2,168,000 in additional sales over the same five month period a year ago. That is good, really good,” he said. “The community, not just the city, deserves a pat on the back. This is due to the businesses and the efforts of everyone in the community.”

He attributes the increase in revenue to a myriad of activities taking place in the community.

Rodeos, Whole Hawg, Cruise Night: “The number of people who come to town for Cruise Night is incredible,” he said.

Fishing tournaments are another factor.

“On Sept. 22 and 23 the Crappie Masters Tournament will be here, and we will have 400 anglers in town,” Jones said.”There will use Xtreme Amphitheater for weigh-ins; there will be TV coverage on taped delay, to run on the outdoor channel next year. It is good publicity, good advertisement. We get a lot of anglers in town, a lot of national coverage. People know where Eufaula is. They come here and experience our small town and our hospitality.”

More good news

The City Council breathed new life into the old City Hall on Main Street, approving an $885,000 remodeling project for the building that was vacated three years ago due to black mold and other issues.

The black mold was remediated, but an effort to remodel the historic building initially was unsuccessful because of the cost of the project – over $2 million.

Jones said he never gave up on the building.

“I have made one final attempt to find an acceptable quote to complete the remodel of City Hall,” he said. “I worked with Cowan Engineering to build and scale a Request For Proposal (RFP) document with a budget of $1,000,000.

“This is my final attempt to get across the finish line.”

He put the scaled down project out for bid and received two submissions.

Cunningham Construction was the low bidder, at $885,000.

The council approved the bid and work is expected to begin in late October or early November.

Sean Cunningham said the project will take between six and eight months.

Last year the city bought the building where city hall is currently located, at 17 Hospital Drive, with the eye on possibly making it a permanent office for the city.

Now that work will begin on the old city hall building, the city can sell the building on Hospital Drive.

“I won’t have any problem selling it,” Jones said.

Appointments

The City Council made several important appointments, including former City Councilman Roger Barton to fill the vacancy left by the resignation last month of Ward 2 Council Member Nancy Mouser. He will serve until the 2025 election.

Mouser resigned due to health reasons.

Chelsea Lewis was appointed to fill the Planning & Zoning Commission seat left vacant by the resignation of James Hickman, who resigned after being appointed to the City Council to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Dan Kerby.

At the August council meeting, Serina Kleveter, executive director of the Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce, was appointed to the Planning & Zoning to fill the position left vacant by the resignation of David Henson.

Vice Mayor Josh Cummings was selected to serve on the Eastern Oklahoma Development District Board of Directors to complete the three-year term formerly held by Mouser. The term ends on June 30, 2025.

Jones said in the event that Cummings can’t attend one of the monthly meetings he will fill in.

“As members of EODD we have a seat on the board, a voting seat. All of our REAP grants go through EODD. It’s where the funding for senior meals comes from. It’s a really important position. There are real benefits to us, locally,” Jones said.

Other business

Desirae Evans was approved for a Specific Use Permit to operate a daycare center in a neighborhood on Choctaw Drive in the River Oaks Addition, located south of the cove area in Eufaula.

The Council approved a zoning change from Residential to Commercial General on the southwest corner of SH 9 and Border Street. Roley McIntosh and Donna Wiedel request the change to purchase the property and build a car detailing business.

Approval was given to the city’s annual REAP Grant Application to EODD. The application will be for $87,000 to purchase two new Whelen Storm Sirens, along with the necessary equipment and software that allows the sirens to be automatically activated when the National Weather Service issues a warning.

Police Chief David Bryning was given permission to apply for a portion of a $23 million Opioid Abatement Grant being offered by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office. “Your vote on this item will authorize my signature on a letter of intent that is required prior to making the grant application,” Bryning said.

Student Resource Officer Mike Harris was given permission for the police department to join with the school and city in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish guidelines and protocols for “who and how student information is filed and accessed by the Eufaula PD in the event of an incident involving a student.”