OKLAHOMA CITY —State leaders need a much better understanding the costs associated with meeting new education standards, the author of a controversial Oklahoma education study said this week.
John Augenblick, the president of Denver-based Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, defended his firm’s 2005 study of the way Oklahoma’s education system is funded, saying the questing of how much it cost a state to provide education services which meet governmental standards is “a pretty new question.”
Augenblick’s two-part study, “Calculating the Cost of an Adequate Education in Oklahoma,” analyzed the “adequacy of revenues available to elementary and secondary school districts in Oklahoma” for the 2003-2004 fiscal year.
The second portion of the report — finished in April of 2005 but never released by the House of Representatives — said state per-student spending would have to be increased to almost $7,000 to “ensure school districts have a reasonable chance” to meet state and federal student performance expectations.
With more than 600,000 students enrolled in Oklahoma public schools, records show the state would need to spend an additional $844 million in new education funding to meet standards set by state lawmakers and the federal No Child Left Behind law.
“One question — and it’s a relatively new question that leaders are asking — is ‘what does it cost for school districts to reach (those) standards,’” Augenlick said. “No businessman would last 10 minutes if they didn’t ask a similar question.”
The answers, he said, are often controversial.
“I’m not going to tell you that this stuff isn’t controversial,” he said. “Sometimes it becomes dangerous for a state to sponsor this type of study; by sponsoring it, it becomes official and has more power.”
And then, Augenblick said, the information becomes the legal basis for a lawsuit.
“Quite frankly, there are people who go around telling Republican leaders that ‘you are silly to do this type of analysis,’ that if the result is a number which you may not want to fund, because the study was sponsored by the state it could become the basis for a lawsuit.”
While then-House Speaker Todd Hiett has not said why Augenblick’s 2005 study wasn’t released during his tenure as House leader, Damon Gardenhire, a spokesman for current House Speaker Lance Cargill, claimed the study was made available, but that its conclusions “were questionable at best, since the firm was clearly a tool of the NEA.”
“Other studies reach different conclusions,” Gardenhire said in an e-mail to The Transcript Sept. 10. “And other states are experiencing fiscal problems because of similarly flawed studies by Augenblick. Meanwhile Oklahoma continues to make record investments in public education.”
This week, Augenblick refuted Gardenhire’s claim.
“We have no relationship with the NEA,” Augenblick said. “We don’t have a contract with them. He (Gardenhire) would have to tell me what he means by that. We don’t take orders from anybody. We do what we’re asked in the best way that we can.”
Augenblick also said Gardenhire’s statement that his firm “seems to reach strikingly similar conclusion in state after state” was wrong.
Augenblick cited studies his firm did for Maryland and Kansas, where, he said, the states used “our numbers in (their) education funding system.”
“Maryland was very proud of their accountability system,” he said. “But they wanted an answer to what it cost and we set about doing the work. Later, the Legislature created a new school finance system and used our numbers in this new system.”
Maryland officials, he said, “knew there was no way to fund” their formula so they used a six-year phase-in process. “They now have reached a point were they are funding schools at a level sufficient so districts have no excuse. And, as far as I know, they weren’t bankrupt.”
Gardenhire countered, saying the form “seems to find that the only way to solve a state’s education problems is to throw hundreds of millions of dollars more at the system.”
This almost always seems to hinge on “adequacy” with lawsuits by state-level teachers’ unions and public policy fights hanging on Augenblick’s intriguing findings, he said.
“Last year, the OEA filed one such lawsuit against the Oklahoma Legislature, and it was dismissed. This seems to follow a pattern of lawsuits seen in other states. Other education experts have questioned Augenblick’s methodology.”
Gardenhire, however, did not say which experts have questioned the firm’s work.
Still, Augenblick said he was surprised the study was paid for and not released.
“It would be unusual for a state to do a study and for it not to be made public somehow,” he said. “It’s unusual in our experience. That doesn’t mean people like them and people agree with them; because it’s public money, they are normally released.”
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sparks lukewarm on Dank's ethics bill
OKLAHOMA CITY — A proposal by an Oklahoma City lawmaker to ban in-session campaign contributions, prohibit transfers of campaign funds between political action committees, and prevent the use of campaign funds for personal use, is drawing a lukewarm response from a Cleveland County state Senator.
Monday, state Rep. David Dank announced he would file legislation “to remove the clouds” caused by political fundraising in Oklahoma.
“The Oklahoma Clean Campaign Act (will) assure that the process of raising money for political campaigns is open, honest and divorced from the legislative process,” Dank said in a media release.
However, state Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman, said Dank’s proposal really doesn’t do anything new.
“I haven’t read the legislation,” Sparks said this week. “But from what I’ve learned, it sounds like a lot of what he’s doing is already being addressed.”
Dank said his bill would:
• Tighten the definition of a “person” making a campaign contribution to eliminate loopholes used in the past by some companies and other organizations.
• Limit legislative contributions in any election cycle by an individual, lobbyist or family to a total of $40,000. Under current law, he said, a single lobbyist could contribute up to $700,000 in any election year, thereby “flooding the field with enormous donations.”
• Ban contributions to incumbent legislators and candidates for the Legislature during the legislative session and for 15 days before and after the session to eliminate the "pay for play" suspicions that naturally arise when large donations are made while recipients are considering legislation.
• Limit the use of campaign contributions to actual campaign expenses. “The use of campaign funds for purchasing expensive computer equipment and office supplies, traveling around the country, lodging, food, automobiles and other expenses not related to the campaign would be prohibited,” he said.
• Require detailed listing of all campaign expenditures on regular reports filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
• Prohibit the use of campaign funds raised to run for one office in seeking another office. This would prevent incumbents from shifting funds into a new account to pursue another office.
• Prohibit the use of surplus campaign funds for personal purposes or donation to another candidate. This would prevent excess donations to term-limited legislators.
• Prohibit the transfer of funds from one PAC to another. “Such transfers are often used to shield the identity of donors as their dollars move from one PAC to another,” he said.
“The legislative process has been tainted by suggestions that access and even legislation can be bought," Dank said. “A central provision of this bill would ban contributions during the legislative session while bills are actually being considered.”
Dank’s proposal follows an investigation of possible Republican campaign finance violations by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. According to the a state GOP official, the ethics commission is looking into how donations made to the state organization wound up in a county fund.
“This is not about party,” he said. “We simply have to divorce the contribution process from the lawmaking process, and the best way to do that is to ban contributions during session.”
Sparks, said “a lot of what Dank is proposing” is already addressed in existing law.
“Instead of tinkering with the state’s campaign finance law, lawmakers should work to make sure there is full and complete disclosure of all campaign contributions and their contributors,” Sparks said. “The best process is full disclosure — full disclosure is paramount. But our campaign laws keep changing every year and I believe that injects more uncertainty into what we’re doing.”
Additionally, Sparks said lawmakers and the ethics commission should “work together” to tell candidates how they should to improve their campaign reports.
“What I really think would be helpful is if the ethics commission would tell candidates where their filings need to be improved.”
As an example, Sparks said that two years after he began raising money, he “was surprised to read” that listing ‘self employed’ was no longer an adequate designation.
“I’d done it for two years and never heard from ethics commission,” he said. “I want to do things the right way. A little input would have helped.”
Instead of changing rules every year he said, “working better with candidates in relation to their reports, instead of playing ‘gotcha’ after the fact, would help.
“Then, the ultimate process is served by disclosure. If Rep. Dank’s mechanism will really improve things, then great. But if we’re trading one system for another, just for the sake of saying we’re improving things, well, that’s not having any impact.”
Dank’s proposal will be reviewed when lawmakers reconvene the legislative session in February 2008.
Monday, state Rep. David Dank announced he would file legislation “to remove the clouds” caused by political fundraising in Oklahoma.
“The Oklahoma Clean Campaign Act (will) assure that the process of raising money for political campaigns is open, honest and divorced from the legislative process,” Dank said in a media release.
However, state Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman, said Dank’s proposal really doesn’t do anything new.
“I haven’t read the legislation,” Sparks said this week. “But from what I’ve learned, it sounds like a lot of what he’s doing is already being addressed.”
Dank said his bill would:
• Tighten the definition of a “person” making a campaign contribution to eliminate loopholes used in the past by some companies and other organizations.
• Limit legislative contributions in any election cycle by an individual, lobbyist or family to a total of $40,000. Under current law, he said, a single lobbyist could contribute up to $700,000 in any election year, thereby “flooding the field with enormous donations.”
• Ban contributions to incumbent legislators and candidates for the Legislature during the legislative session and for 15 days before and after the session to eliminate the "pay for play" suspicions that naturally arise when large donations are made while recipients are considering legislation.
• Limit the use of campaign contributions to actual campaign expenses. “The use of campaign funds for purchasing expensive computer equipment and office supplies, traveling around the country, lodging, food, automobiles and other expenses not related to the campaign would be prohibited,” he said.
• Require detailed listing of all campaign expenditures on regular reports filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
• Prohibit the use of campaign funds raised to run for one office in seeking another office. This would prevent incumbents from shifting funds into a new account to pursue another office.
• Prohibit the use of surplus campaign funds for personal purposes or donation to another candidate. This would prevent excess donations to term-limited legislators.
• Prohibit the transfer of funds from one PAC to another. “Such transfers are often used to shield the identity of donors as their dollars move from one PAC to another,” he said.
“The legislative process has been tainted by suggestions that access and even legislation can be bought," Dank said. “A central provision of this bill would ban contributions during the legislative session while bills are actually being considered.”
Dank’s proposal follows an investigation of possible Republican campaign finance violations by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. According to the a state GOP official, the ethics commission is looking into how donations made to the state organization wound up in a county fund.
“This is not about party,” he said. “We simply have to divorce the contribution process from the lawmaking process, and the best way to do that is to ban contributions during session.”
Sparks, said “a lot of what Dank is proposing” is already addressed in existing law.
“Instead of tinkering with the state’s campaign finance law, lawmakers should work to make sure there is full and complete disclosure of all campaign contributions and their contributors,” Sparks said. “The best process is full disclosure — full disclosure is paramount. But our campaign laws keep changing every year and I believe that injects more uncertainty into what we’re doing.”
Additionally, Sparks said lawmakers and the ethics commission should “work together” to tell candidates how they should to improve their campaign reports.
“What I really think would be helpful is if the ethics commission would tell candidates where their filings need to be improved.”
As an example, Sparks said that two years after he began raising money, he “was surprised to read” that listing ‘self employed’ was no longer an adequate designation.
“I’d done it for two years and never heard from ethics commission,” he said. “I want to do things the right way. A little input would have helped.”
Instead of changing rules every year he said, “working better with candidates in relation to their reports, instead of playing ‘gotcha’ after the fact, would help.
“Then, the ultimate process is served by disclosure. If Rep. Dank’s mechanism will really improve things, then great. But if we’re trading one system for another, just for the sake of saying we’re improving things, well, that’s not having any impact.”
Dank’s proposal will be reviewed when lawmakers reconvene the legislative session in February 2008.
Jail design committee meets
Cleveland County officials began the process of developing plans for a new county jail at an “information gathering” meeting Wednesday at the county fairgrounds building.
Chaired by Norman architect Ben Graves — the jail’s designer — the meeting included county commissioner Rod Cleveland, assistant district attorney Dave Batton, jail consultant Don Jones, undersheriff Eddie Thomason and sheriff’s department officials Doug Blaine and Sid Stell.
Graves said the meeting was held to gather input which could be used to help his firm design the new facility.
“We wanted to defer this meeting until the commission and the sheriff had an opportunity to discuss the site location,” he said. “We’re trying to prepare a program of your jail needs to be presented to the architect and commission, so we can develop a plan.”
On Monday, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to locate a new county jail on a 28.92-acre tract of land bought by the county in April. That land — purchased at a cost of $1.3 million — is near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW.
While no action was taken at the meeting, Graves said he was hesitant to discuss ideas about the jail in front of the news media for fear of generating “coffee talk.”
“The one thing I don’t want is to get information out in public that hasn’t been decided on yet, in error, where we have coffee shop talk,” he said. “We’ve had it two years now. We need to get it to a point where the information that we do put out is accurate; that way we’re going to keep from having confusion with the public. It isn’t an effort to hide anything, just a process we go through.”
On other projects he’s been involved in, Graves said the planning process was closed.
“We’ve not done that (open meetings) in other counties,” he said. “We’ve done a planning process and then offered that document, once it’s completed, to the newspaper and said, ‘these are our decisions, they were made on this date and this is how we’re gonna proceed.’”
Some of those issues discussed included the number of beds in the facility, whether the new jail would include the Cleveland County sheriff’s office, transportation access to the location, the needs of other communities that use the facility, future expansion of the new jail, how the jail would be funded, and how the county would use its existing downtown jail over the next decade.
Additional concerns, Graves said, were raised by residents of the Franklin Road area.
“In visiting with the families out there, Commissioner Skinner and myself have made a pledge to them to locate the facility as far to the south as possible,” he said.
Jail consultant Don Jones urged the group to make plans which include “issues such as laundry, kitchen, staffing and future growth.”
“Ask yourself, ‘Will there be a sheriff’s office out there?’” he said. “‘And how would we include it later?’ Those issues have a definite impact on jail operation.”
Jones, from Cushing, said construction costs for the facility could be expensive. “Each square foot could be anywhere from $150 to $300,” he said.
Graves said the committee also should seek input from other governmental departments and city officials in the county, including those in Norman, Moore, Lexington, Noble and Oklahoma City.
“We’ll be getting other departments involved to learn their needs,” he said. “We’ll try to break down the areas we’re going to need a lot of information on.”
As an example, Graves cited plans by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to reconstruct the US 77 overpass. Plans that were unknown by county officials until recently.
“Commissioner Sullivan talked to ODOT and the City of Norman,” he said. “And no one was aware that in the fall of 2008 they (ODOT) were going to start reconstructing the overpass. They are going to bring it (the overpass) in farther to the south. And they’re proposing to move the intersection 500 feet to the south.”
Graves said members of the committee would meet with city and ODOT officials to discuss how the project would be funded.” There is a possibility the county would donate property for the right of way,” he said.
With dozens of issues remaining to be examined, and at least two months work ahead, the committee broke into groups to gather information about the jail’s administration, location and funding. The goal, Graves said, was to have some type of document ready for commissioners by mid-November.
“When we get through, it’s going to be the most innovative jail done in the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “But the truth is we can’t design this jail for Sheriff Beggs, he’s not going to be sheriff forever. We have to design it for the community.”
The committee is expected to meet again next week.
Chaired by Norman architect Ben Graves — the jail’s designer — the meeting included county commissioner Rod Cleveland, assistant district attorney Dave Batton, jail consultant Don Jones, undersheriff Eddie Thomason and sheriff’s department officials Doug Blaine and Sid Stell.
Graves said the meeting was held to gather input which could be used to help his firm design the new facility.
“We wanted to defer this meeting until the commission and the sheriff had an opportunity to discuss the site location,” he said. “We’re trying to prepare a program of your jail needs to be presented to the architect and commission, so we can develop a plan.”
On Monday, the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to locate a new county jail on a 28.92-acre tract of land bought by the county in April. That land — purchased at a cost of $1.3 million — is near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW.
While no action was taken at the meeting, Graves said he was hesitant to discuss ideas about the jail in front of the news media for fear of generating “coffee talk.”
“The one thing I don’t want is to get information out in public that hasn’t been decided on yet, in error, where we have coffee shop talk,” he said. “We’ve had it two years now. We need to get it to a point where the information that we do put out is accurate; that way we’re going to keep from having confusion with the public. It isn’t an effort to hide anything, just a process we go through.”
On other projects he’s been involved in, Graves said the planning process was closed.
“We’ve not done that (open meetings) in other counties,” he said. “We’ve done a planning process and then offered that document, once it’s completed, to the newspaper and said, ‘these are our decisions, they were made on this date and this is how we’re gonna proceed.’”
Some of those issues discussed included the number of beds in the facility, whether the new jail would include the Cleveland County sheriff’s office, transportation access to the location, the needs of other communities that use the facility, future expansion of the new jail, how the jail would be funded, and how the county would use its existing downtown jail over the next decade.
Additional concerns, Graves said, were raised by residents of the Franklin Road area.
“In visiting with the families out there, Commissioner Skinner and myself have made a pledge to them to locate the facility as far to the south as possible,” he said.
Jail consultant Don Jones urged the group to make plans which include “issues such as laundry, kitchen, staffing and future growth.”
“Ask yourself, ‘Will there be a sheriff’s office out there?’” he said. “‘And how would we include it later?’ Those issues have a definite impact on jail operation.”
Jones, from Cushing, said construction costs for the facility could be expensive. “Each square foot could be anywhere from $150 to $300,” he said.
Graves said the committee also should seek input from other governmental departments and city officials in the county, including those in Norman, Moore, Lexington, Noble and Oklahoma City.
“We’ll be getting other departments involved to learn their needs,” he said. “We’ll try to break down the areas we’re going to need a lot of information on.”
As an example, Graves cited plans by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to reconstruct the US 77 overpass. Plans that were unknown by county officials until recently.
“Commissioner Sullivan talked to ODOT and the City of Norman,” he said. “And no one was aware that in the fall of 2008 they (ODOT) were going to start reconstructing the overpass. They are going to bring it (the overpass) in farther to the south. And they’re proposing to move the intersection 500 feet to the south.”
Graves said members of the committee would meet with city and ODOT officials to discuss how the project would be funded.” There is a possibility the county would donate property for the right of way,” he said.
With dozens of issues remaining to be examined, and at least two months work ahead, the committee broke into groups to gather information about the jail’s administration, location and funding. The goal, Graves said, was to have some type of document ready for commissioners by mid-November.
“When we get through, it’s going to be the most innovative jail done in the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “But the truth is we can’t design this jail for Sheriff Beggs, he’s not going to be sheriff forever. We have to design it for the community.”
The committee is expected to meet again next week.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Commissioner, jail architect to meet
Cleveland County Commissioner Rod Cleveland is expected to meet with Norman architect Ben Graves, jail consultant Don Jones and officials with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office 9 a.m. today at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds to discuss the county’s new jail.
The meeting, confirmed by commissioner Rusty Sullivan, is being held “to gather information” about the jail, including its size and possible construction costs.
However, Sullivan and commission president George Skinner said they wouldn’t attend the meeting.
Cleveland’s meeting follows Monday’s unanimous vote by the commission to locate a new county detention center on a 28.92-acre tract of land located near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW. That land, which the county purchased in April for $1.3 million, was owned by York International.
For more than a year, commissioners have struggled with issues surrounding the county’s existing jail in downtown Norman.
Twice in 2006, state officials threatened the county with heavy fines, or possible closure of the facility, if the jail’s inmate population wasn’t decreased.
Since then, commissioners made plans to open a second jail facility and have examined more than 60 different locations, including the Franklin Road site, a plot of land near the Norman YMCA and a 240-acre site in Lexington next to the Lexington Assessment and Reception center.
This week, county official were told the jail averaged 213 prisoners during Sept. 13-19, 12 more inmates than the previous week. The facility was built to hold 177.
The commissioners’ next scheduled meeting will be 9 a.m. Monday at the Cleveland County Office Building, 201 S. Jones Ave.
The meeting, confirmed by commissioner Rusty Sullivan, is being held “to gather information” about the jail, including its size and possible construction costs.
However, Sullivan and commission president George Skinner said they wouldn’t attend the meeting.
Cleveland’s meeting follows Monday’s unanimous vote by the commission to locate a new county detention center on a 28.92-acre tract of land located near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW. That land, which the county purchased in April for $1.3 million, was owned by York International.
For more than a year, commissioners have struggled with issues surrounding the county’s existing jail in downtown Norman.
Twice in 2006, state officials threatened the county with heavy fines, or possible closure of the facility, if the jail’s inmate population wasn’t decreased.
Since then, commissioners made plans to open a second jail facility and have examined more than 60 different locations, including the Franklin Road site, a plot of land near the Norman YMCA and a 240-acre site in Lexington next to the Lexington Assessment and Reception center.
This week, county official were told the jail averaged 213 prisoners during Sept. 13-19, 12 more inmates than the previous week. The facility was built to hold 177.
The commissioners’ next scheduled meeting will be 9 a.m. Monday at the Cleveland County Office Building, 201 S. Jones Ave.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Citizens uphappy about jail location
A decision to build a new county jail near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW is drawing complaints from the people who live in the area.
Monday, several families living along Churchhill Downs Road said they were unhappy with the announcement that Cleveland County’s Board of Commissioners would build a new jail facility near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW.
The 3-0 decision, made at the commission’s weekly meeting, placed a new jail facility on a 28.92-acre tract of land purchased by the county in April. That sale — a $1.3 million deal — was finalized this summer.
And while the decision — made after months of discussions and review of more than 60 possible sites — was praised by some officials, several residents said they were not pleased by the commission’s action.
“I’m not happy with it,” said John Fletcher, who lives on Churchill Downs, just off Franklin Road. “We haven’t been very well informed. We don’t know exactly what’s been going on.”
Locating the jail along Franklin Road, he said, was “really wrong” and a hazard to the county. “They talked about having it (the jail) in Lexington,” he said. “We didn’t know. There are a lot of fuzzy things going on.”
Fletcher said commissioners told residents of the area “there would be a discussion and (they would) keep us informed about it.”
“But they made a decision without any input,” Fletcher said. “They didn’t tell us before; we didn’t have any input at all.”
Fletcher said he was concerned officials would lease beds in the facility and take in inmates from other states.
“This area is a growing part of Norman,” he said. “There is a shopping center out here, a hospital, and a vo-tech, so it doesn’t seem like a very desirable place for a jail. This is an entry port into Norman, and of all the entire county they could choose from, it seems like a silly place to put the jail.”
James Hannah, another resident of the Churchill Downs area, said he, too, was upset by the decision.
“I’m very disappointed,” Hannah said. “I was kinda expecting some pre-notification. We thought that after some previous meetings we’d had with the commission they would contact us directly.”
Area residents, Hannah said, didn’t want a jail located on one of Norman’s main entry points.
“I thought the city felt strongly about preserving the gateway into Norman, to ‘put your best foot forward,’ particularly during football season,” he said. “I don’t know what it is we can do; maybe we can speak to the city.”
Hannah said he also wanted to know if county officials were able to overcome environmental issues on the land. “That area is part of the Little River drainage. I’d like to know if the Corps of Engineers have been talked to, they are responsible for all that drainage.”
Hannah, who said he and his family have lived in the area for the past four years, said his main concerns centered on safety, property values in the area, and the logistics and burden of building a second jail.
“People think about safety first,” he said. “Then they think about property values, then the third thing is the logistics or the burden of building another jail. I wonder if it has been fully investigated. I don’t think the financial impact on the citizens of the county and the city have been investigated. I want to know how the county plans to pay for all that. Are they gonna surprise the citizens of the county with a tax increase?”
But while many residents in the area expressed concern about the location, the mayors of Moore and Norman said, overall, they were pleased by the decision.
“I’m OK with it,” Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis said. “I’m pleased with the decision.”
No decision about the jail, Lewis said, would please everyone.
“Everyone is a ‘not in my back yard’ type,” he said. “It’s just like when you put in new sewer plant, people gripe about the location, but everyone knows you have to have one.”
Lewis, a former member of the jail site selection committee, said members of the commission worked hard to make the best decision possible. “I know the commissioners went to a lot of trouble and lot of hard work,” he said.
Like Lewis, Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal praised the commission’s decision.
“I want to congratulate the commission,” she said. “I know it’s been a very difficult decision. I know they’ve done a careful job. This is a choice that will be beneficial to the county and all its communities.”
Rosenthal said she believed county officials would work to address concerns about the jail’s location. “I know, at the same time, they are working diligently to address the concerns of residents of Hidden Lake area who worried about the site.”
Rosenthal said she was encouraged by the commission’s efforts to minimize “any type of intrusion” by the jail in the neighborhood.
“I know they will do a careful job of planning to mitigate those concerns. And while I wasn’t privy to all the information that the commission had in front of them, I knew the pros and the cons of the Lexington site, and the pros and cons of the downtown site. And based on what I know, I believe this was a good choice.”
Monday, several families living along Churchhill Downs Road said they were unhappy with the announcement that Cleveland County’s Board of Commissioners would build a new jail facility near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW.
The 3-0 decision, made at the commission’s weekly meeting, placed a new jail facility on a 28.92-acre tract of land purchased by the county in April. That sale — a $1.3 million deal — was finalized this summer.
And while the decision — made after months of discussions and review of more than 60 possible sites — was praised by some officials, several residents said they were not pleased by the commission’s action.
“I’m not happy with it,” said John Fletcher, who lives on Churchill Downs, just off Franklin Road. “We haven’t been very well informed. We don’t know exactly what’s been going on.”
Locating the jail along Franklin Road, he said, was “really wrong” and a hazard to the county. “They talked about having it (the jail) in Lexington,” he said. “We didn’t know. There are a lot of fuzzy things going on.”
Fletcher said commissioners told residents of the area “there would be a discussion and (they would) keep us informed about it.”
“But they made a decision without any input,” Fletcher said. “They didn’t tell us before; we didn’t have any input at all.”
Fletcher said he was concerned officials would lease beds in the facility and take in inmates from other states.
“This area is a growing part of Norman,” he said. “There is a shopping center out here, a hospital, and a vo-tech, so it doesn’t seem like a very desirable place for a jail. This is an entry port into Norman, and of all the entire county they could choose from, it seems like a silly place to put the jail.”
James Hannah, another resident of the Churchill Downs area, said he, too, was upset by the decision.
“I’m very disappointed,” Hannah said. “I was kinda expecting some pre-notification. We thought that after some previous meetings we’d had with the commission they would contact us directly.”
Area residents, Hannah said, didn’t want a jail located on one of Norman’s main entry points.
“I thought the city felt strongly about preserving the gateway into Norman, to ‘put your best foot forward,’ particularly during football season,” he said. “I don’t know what it is we can do; maybe we can speak to the city.”
Hannah said he also wanted to know if county officials were able to overcome environmental issues on the land. “That area is part of the Little River drainage. I’d like to know if the Corps of Engineers have been talked to, they are responsible for all that drainage.”
Hannah, who said he and his family have lived in the area for the past four years, said his main concerns centered on safety, property values in the area, and the logistics and burden of building a second jail.
“People think about safety first,” he said. “Then they think about property values, then the third thing is the logistics or the burden of building another jail. I wonder if it has been fully investigated. I don’t think the financial impact on the citizens of the county and the city have been investigated. I want to know how the county plans to pay for all that. Are they gonna surprise the citizens of the county with a tax increase?”
But while many residents in the area expressed concern about the location, the mayors of Moore and Norman said, overall, they were pleased by the decision.
“I’m OK with it,” Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis said. “I’m pleased with the decision.”
No decision about the jail, Lewis said, would please everyone.
“Everyone is a ‘not in my back yard’ type,” he said. “It’s just like when you put in new sewer plant, people gripe about the location, but everyone knows you have to have one.”
Lewis, a former member of the jail site selection committee, said members of the commission worked hard to make the best decision possible. “I know the commissioners went to a lot of trouble and lot of hard work,” he said.
Like Lewis, Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal praised the commission’s decision.
“I want to congratulate the commission,” she said. “I know it’s been a very difficult decision. I know they’ve done a careful job. This is a choice that will be beneficial to the county and all its communities.”
Rosenthal said she believed county officials would work to address concerns about the jail’s location. “I know, at the same time, they are working diligently to address the concerns of residents of Hidden Lake area who worried about the site.”
Rosenthal said she was encouraged by the commission’s efforts to minimize “any type of intrusion” by the jail in the neighborhood.
“I know they will do a careful job of planning to mitigate those concerns. And while I wasn’t privy to all the information that the commission had in front of them, I knew the pros and the cons of the Lexington site, and the pros and cons of the downtown site. And based on what I know, I believe this was a good choice.”
Cleveland County Commissioners chose jail site
Cleveland County Commissioners voted 3-0 Monday to build the new county detention center on a 28.92-acre tract of land located near Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW. They also appointed Ben Graves, a principal partner in the firm Architects in Partnership, to start drawing plans.
Chairman George Skinner said the site selection committee had looked at more than 60 sites originally, handing the commissioners 10 sites they thought were the best. After careful study, commissioners picked the Franklin Road property.
Skinner said many people in the neighborhood did not want the center built there.
“It is in my district, and I took it to heart and looked at other sites,” Skinner said.
He said he looked at some property on North Base, but it was not big enough and it was across the street from the Cleveland County Family YMCA. Another lot was across from Sysco Food Services of Oklahoma, but it was too rough and would take too much work. Skinner said he considered land by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s substation south of Noble but there are no utilities there and it would be more expensive to build there, he said. Another piece of property was by Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue, but Yamanouchi Consumer Inc. owns one side and OU owns the other, he said, so that piece is not viable.
The last piece commissioners considered was a 240-acre site near the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center. The Department of Corrections said they would help pay and would even lease beds from the county. However, the water wells and lagoons there are barely adequate for their prison. Skinner said it would be more expensive for the county to build new water wells and lagoons than to build on one of the other sites.
Last month, Skinner, Commissioner Rusty Sullivan, Graves, Sheriff DeWayne Beggs and Cleveland County jail administrator Sid Stell attended a National Institute of Corrections jail design seminar in Colorado, along with representatives from four other counties in Oklahoma with the same overcrowding problem.
Skinner said they visited a detention center north of Denver that was in an industrial site right off a highway much like the Franklin road area. Skinner said it did not look like a jail. The way it was built and bermed up, he said, with shrubbery and trees, it looked like an office building.
“You walk inside and the reception area looked like an office building, too,” Skinner said.
Past that was a large recreation hall, offices, an infirmary and then the cells, he said. That center holds 177 inmates and they are going to have to build on, Skinner said.
“People who live in that area (Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW) have commented and I have assured them this property will not look like a detention center,” Skinner said.
A doctor’s office is being built right across the highway, Skinner said, and he doesn’t think people would be building offices if the detention center would be a problem.
Skinner also said there was no left turn at the intersection of Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW because it was too dangerous. The city and county are talking about moving that intersection one city block south and possibly putting up a traffic light, Skinner said. That would solve another problem.
Sullivan said some people had voiced concern that property values would decrease. He said Don Sullivan with the Department of Corrections had done several studies that showed property values actually increased. He also said he liked the central location, serving the entire county.
District 1 Commissioner Rod Cleveland said since he was not in on the jail studies from the beginning, he thought he could be unbiased and after weighing all the pros and cons, regarding costs, utilities, location, he could “say with confidence, we’ve made a good choice.”
Skinner said Graves will begin to draw the plans with input from the commissioners, Don Jones and Sheriff Beggs. He said the building would be one story and they are planning on 500 beds. Sullivan said as fast as the county is growing they will need that many.
Once the plans are approved, they will look at costs and how to pay for it, Skinner said. He thinks the whole process will take 30 to 36 months.
The commissioners plan to keep the present detention center, built in 1984, open as well and will use it to house prisoners awaiting trial.
In his jail report, Neil Vickers told commissioners the detention center averaged 213 prisoners the week of Sept. 13-19. This is 12 more than the previous week.
Chairman George Skinner said the site selection committee had looked at more than 60 sites originally, handing the commissioners 10 sites they thought were the best. After careful study, commissioners picked the Franklin Road property.
Skinner said many people in the neighborhood did not want the center built there.
“It is in my district, and I took it to heart and looked at other sites,” Skinner said.
He said he looked at some property on North Base, but it was not big enough and it was across the street from the Cleveland County Family YMCA. Another lot was across from Sysco Food Services of Oklahoma, but it was too rough and would take too much work. Skinner said he considered land by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s substation south of Noble but there are no utilities there and it would be more expensive to build there, he said. Another piece of property was by Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue, but Yamanouchi Consumer Inc. owns one side and OU owns the other, he said, so that piece is not viable.
The last piece commissioners considered was a 240-acre site near the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center. The Department of Corrections said they would help pay and would even lease beds from the county. However, the water wells and lagoons there are barely adequate for their prison. Skinner said it would be more expensive for the county to build new water wells and lagoons than to build on one of the other sites.
Last month, Skinner, Commissioner Rusty Sullivan, Graves, Sheriff DeWayne Beggs and Cleveland County jail administrator Sid Stell attended a National Institute of Corrections jail design seminar in Colorado, along with representatives from four other counties in Oklahoma with the same overcrowding problem.
Skinner said they visited a detention center north of Denver that was in an industrial site right off a highway much like the Franklin road area. Skinner said it did not look like a jail. The way it was built and bermed up, he said, with shrubbery and trees, it looked like an office building.
“You walk inside and the reception area looked like an office building, too,” Skinner said.
Past that was a large recreation hall, offices, an infirmary and then the cells, he said. That center holds 177 inmates and they are going to have to build on, Skinner said.
“People who live in that area (Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW) have commented and I have assured them this property will not look like a detention center,” Skinner said.
A doctor’s office is being built right across the highway, Skinner said, and he doesn’t think people would be building offices if the detention center would be a problem.
Skinner also said there was no left turn at the intersection of Franklin Road and 24th Avenue NW because it was too dangerous. The city and county are talking about moving that intersection one city block south and possibly putting up a traffic light, Skinner said. That would solve another problem.
Sullivan said some people had voiced concern that property values would decrease. He said Don Sullivan with the Department of Corrections had done several studies that showed property values actually increased. He also said he liked the central location, serving the entire county.
District 1 Commissioner Rod Cleveland said since he was not in on the jail studies from the beginning, he thought he could be unbiased and after weighing all the pros and cons, regarding costs, utilities, location, he could “say with confidence, we’ve made a good choice.”
Skinner said Graves will begin to draw the plans with input from the commissioners, Don Jones and Sheriff Beggs. He said the building would be one story and they are planning on 500 beds. Sullivan said as fast as the county is growing they will need that many.
Once the plans are approved, they will look at costs and how to pay for it, Skinner said. He thinks the whole process will take 30 to 36 months.
The commissioners plan to keep the present detention center, built in 1984, open as well and will use it to house prisoners awaiting trial.
In his jail report, Neil Vickers told commissioners the detention center averaged 213 prisoners the week of Sept. 13-19. This is 12 more than the previous week.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Where the sidewalk ends: Torn up walkways a problem for local mom
Every morning — weather permitting — Anne Baker takes her son, Michael, to Head Start.
It’s not that far; she travels from her home on Comanche Street, east to Cook Street. Then it’s north down Cook to Main Street, then east on Main Street to Head Start.
The trip is just a mile or so, but for Anne, it takes more than 30 minutes. Still, she says she enjoys the time — it’s just her and Michael.
Only Anne Baker doesn’t drive.
Neither does her husband.
And she can’t walk.
Nor can her husband.
So to get Michael to school, Anne uses her small, motorized wheelchair. She puts Michael on her lap and buckles both of them in. The boy’s small backpack is tucked next to her and they set off, moving quietly down the street.
The trees are tall and shady, and though there are few sidewalks, the traffic in the area is sparse, the neighborhood still.
Occasionally a stray dog will watch the pair, but most days it’s just Anne and her son. Very little is said, Michael is nestled on his mom’s lap and seems amazed by the outside world as Anne carefully steers her red wheelchair down the street.
Five days a week she makes the trip — once in the morning and once in the evening.
But electric wheelchairs run down quickly.
Her chair is good for about 15 miles before needing a recharge. And some days, Anne has to recharge between school trips.
“I’ve put a lot of miles on it,” she said. “It’s seen a lot more travel than just around the house.”
Diagnosed with spinal bifida at the age of 5, the 26-year-old has spent most of her life using a wheelchair.
A graduate of Norman North High School, Anne attended the Moore Norman Career Tech for a while, then, five years ago, she met her husband, Ronnie. Ronnie, like Anne, uses a wheelchair; he has muscular dystrophy.
Two years ago Michael was born.
“And he’s absolutely perfect,” she says, smiling.
•
About three weeks ago, the City of Norman began a $3 million project to make major improvements along Main Street from 12th Street to Carter Street. Plans include a traffic circle, new crosswalks and sidewalks and expanding Main Street to four lanes.
“It’s a big, messy project,” said Norman’s Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary. “We’re improving a really difficult intersection at 12th Street, and the intersection at Carter and Main. We’re also widening Main to accommodate the additional traffic.”
The first phase — which has already started — involved moving utilities along a stretch of Main Street, west, between Carter Street and 12th Avenue NE.
And that means construction, holes, loose dirt and digging up sidewalks.
Sidewalks that, until now, had been Anne Baker’s route down Main Street to Head Start.
A route that, even on a bright sunny day, was a challenge; a route that, now, has become a major problem — especially following a rain.
“I don’t mind traveling like this,” she said. “I can’t really drive because I might blackout, so we go in my wheelchair. With Michael so close, I stay focused and we do pretty well.”
Until three weeks ago.
With no sidewalks along Main Street, lots of loose dirt, sand and several thunderstorms, the trip which used to take about 30 minutes has become a nightmare.
“The rain and mud are a real problem. I’ve already been stuck with Michael twice and I’m scared of getting stuck there again.”
Stuck in a wheelchair, along a busy street, in the mud, with her son — and no way to get help.
Frustrated, she spoke to a workman involved with the project.
“They talked to me a couple of weeks ago, but they didn’t know of anything they could do.”
But Anne refused to give up.
Instead, she developed a unique way of getting Michael to school. She took her usual route down city streets until she got to Main, then as she traveled east, she darted in and out of driveways, along the street, waiting for the cars to pass and avoiding the mud and holes.
“It’s kind of strange and sorta’ frightening,” she said. “But it’s been like this for at least a month. I haven’t seen any workmen in a while, so I’m doing the best I can. I go to one driveway and then another driveway wait for cars to go past, I don’t want to get run over or anything.”
•
Once in a while Anne takes MetroLift — a Metro Transit vehicle which is lift-equipped for riders with disabilities.
The ride cost her $1 each way.
And, at first glance, that doesn’t seem like much.
But $2 a day adds up pretty quickly for a family that survives on about $900 per month.
“We get food stamps and SSI,” she said. “But our budget is limited and I can’t afford to do that every month.”
And so, instead, Anne, Ronnie and Michael make due.
And that means traveling to school via wheelchair.
“I’m going to take my son to school, one way or another,” she says. “That’s important.”
Still, help may be closer than she knows.
Along with his duties as the city’s public works director, Shawn O’Leary serves as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator.
And O’Leary wants to help.
“My concern is this area is gonna’ be a mess for a while,” he said. “It will be torn up for at least a year. It’s going to be a very disruptive construction zone.”
And O’Leary doesn’t want a woman — using a wheelchair with her 2-year-old son — forced to travel Main Street while it’s under construction.
“Once it’s complete, she’ll have wonderful sidewalks and crosswalks,” he said. “But that’s going to be a while.”
Instead, O’Leary is trying to arrange alternative transportation.
“Right now, we’re going to examine her route and see what we can do to facilitate a solution to her problem. I’m hoping we can find some type of transportation assistance for her. We work through it and try to help.”
Welcome news for Anne Baker.
Because for her, the task of taking her little boy to school isn’t as simple as it used to be.
It’s not that far; she travels from her home on Comanche Street, east to Cook Street. Then it’s north down Cook to Main Street, then east on Main Street to Head Start.
The trip is just a mile or so, but for Anne, it takes more than 30 minutes. Still, she says she enjoys the time — it’s just her and Michael.
Only Anne Baker doesn’t drive.
Neither does her husband.
And she can’t walk.
Nor can her husband.
So to get Michael to school, Anne uses her small, motorized wheelchair. She puts Michael on her lap and buckles both of them in. The boy’s small backpack is tucked next to her and they set off, moving quietly down the street.
The trees are tall and shady, and though there are few sidewalks, the traffic in the area is sparse, the neighborhood still.
Occasionally a stray dog will watch the pair, but most days it’s just Anne and her son. Very little is said, Michael is nestled on his mom’s lap and seems amazed by the outside world as Anne carefully steers her red wheelchair down the street.
Five days a week she makes the trip — once in the morning and once in the evening.
But electric wheelchairs run down quickly.
Her chair is good for about 15 miles before needing a recharge. And some days, Anne has to recharge between school trips.
“I’ve put a lot of miles on it,” she said. “It’s seen a lot more travel than just around the house.”
Diagnosed with spinal bifida at the age of 5, the 26-year-old has spent most of her life using a wheelchair.
A graduate of Norman North High School, Anne attended the Moore Norman Career Tech for a while, then, five years ago, she met her husband, Ronnie. Ronnie, like Anne, uses a wheelchair; he has muscular dystrophy.
Two years ago Michael was born.
“And he’s absolutely perfect,” she says, smiling.
•
About three weeks ago, the City of Norman began a $3 million project to make major improvements along Main Street from 12th Street to Carter Street. Plans include a traffic circle, new crosswalks and sidewalks and expanding Main Street to four lanes.
“It’s a big, messy project,” said Norman’s Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary. “We’re improving a really difficult intersection at 12th Street, and the intersection at Carter and Main. We’re also widening Main to accommodate the additional traffic.”
The first phase — which has already started — involved moving utilities along a stretch of Main Street, west, between Carter Street and 12th Avenue NE.
And that means construction, holes, loose dirt and digging up sidewalks.
Sidewalks that, until now, had been Anne Baker’s route down Main Street to Head Start.
A route that, even on a bright sunny day, was a challenge; a route that, now, has become a major problem — especially following a rain.
“I don’t mind traveling like this,” she said. “I can’t really drive because I might blackout, so we go in my wheelchair. With Michael so close, I stay focused and we do pretty well.”
Until three weeks ago.
With no sidewalks along Main Street, lots of loose dirt, sand and several thunderstorms, the trip which used to take about 30 minutes has become a nightmare.
“The rain and mud are a real problem. I’ve already been stuck with Michael twice and I’m scared of getting stuck there again.”
Stuck in a wheelchair, along a busy street, in the mud, with her son — and no way to get help.
Frustrated, she spoke to a workman involved with the project.
“They talked to me a couple of weeks ago, but they didn’t know of anything they could do.”
But Anne refused to give up.
Instead, she developed a unique way of getting Michael to school. She took her usual route down city streets until she got to Main, then as she traveled east, she darted in and out of driveways, along the street, waiting for the cars to pass and avoiding the mud and holes.
“It’s kind of strange and sorta’ frightening,” she said. “But it’s been like this for at least a month. I haven’t seen any workmen in a while, so I’m doing the best I can. I go to one driveway and then another driveway wait for cars to go past, I don’t want to get run over or anything.”
•
Once in a while Anne takes MetroLift — a Metro Transit vehicle which is lift-equipped for riders with disabilities.
The ride cost her $1 each way.
And, at first glance, that doesn’t seem like much.
But $2 a day adds up pretty quickly for a family that survives on about $900 per month.
“We get food stamps and SSI,” she said. “But our budget is limited and I can’t afford to do that every month.”
And so, instead, Anne, Ronnie and Michael make due.
And that means traveling to school via wheelchair.
“I’m going to take my son to school, one way or another,” she says. “That’s important.”
Still, help may be closer than she knows.
Along with his duties as the city’s public works director, Shawn O’Leary serves as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator.
And O’Leary wants to help.
“My concern is this area is gonna’ be a mess for a while,” he said. “It will be torn up for at least a year. It’s going to be a very disruptive construction zone.”
And O’Leary doesn’t want a woman — using a wheelchair with her 2-year-old son — forced to travel Main Street while it’s under construction.
“Once it’s complete, she’ll have wonderful sidewalks and crosswalks,” he said. “But that’s going to be a while.”
Instead, O’Leary is trying to arrange alternative transportation.
“Right now, we’re going to examine her route and see what we can do to facilitate a solution to her problem. I’m hoping we can find some type of transportation assistance for her. We work through it and try to help.”
Welcome news for Anne Baker.
Because for her, the task of taking her little boy to school isn’t as simple as it used to be.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Wow, am I surprised!
I just discovered that this little blog is considered one of the top ten most influential political blogs in Oklahoma according to
BlogNetNews.com in their Sept. 9 rankings. The RDPR came in at No. 7, right behind our old friend Mike McCarville. So, I just wanted to say "thanks" to all you who have been reading and posting.
I'll keep writing and posting. Please keep reading, and thanks again for your support.
– M. Scott
1 TPD Blog
2 The Lost Ogle
3 Oklahoma Political News Service
4 My Tulsa World Blog
5 SoonerThought
6 The McCarville Report Online
7 The Red Dirt Political Report
8 Oklahomily the Blog
9 Living On Tulsa Time
10 Okiedoke - Vintage Okie opinion
11 Stan Geiger
12 BatesLine
13 meeciteewurkor
14 Bounded Rationality
15 blue oklahoma
16 Satellite Sky
17 Speaker Cargill's Blog
18 MedBlogged
19 OKLAHOMA OpinionsViewsOK.comOkieLife.com
20 Sidebar Blog: Law and Disorder, Okie Style
NOTE: BNN's Oklahoma Blogosphere Influence Rating combines a variety of data sets to determine which blogs are most powerfully influencing the direction of the Oklahoma political blogosphere. The exact method BNN uses to calculate influence scores must remain proprietary in order to prevent attempts to game the system. BNN's methodology takes into account the fact that all Internet data is profoundly limited in its reliability by using multiple data sets that, when combined, reveal a fair picture of activity in the blogosphere.
BlogNetNews.com in their Sept. 9 rankings. The RDPR came in at No. 7, right behind our old friend Mike McCarville. So, I just wanted to say "thanks" to all you who have been reading and posting.
I'll keep writing and posting. Please keep reading, and thanks again for your support.
– M. Scott
1 TPD Blog
2 The Lost Ogle
3 Oklahoma Political News Service
4 My Tulsa World Blog
5 SoonerThought
6 The McCarville Report Online
7 The Red Dirt Political Report
8 Oklahomily the Blog
9 Living On Tulsa Time
10 Okiedoke - Vintage Okie opinion
11 Stan Geiger
12 BatesLine
13 meeciteewurkor
14 Bounded Rationality
15 blue oklahoma
16 Satellite Sky
17 Speaker Cargill's Blog
18 MedBlogged
19 OKLAHOMA OpinionsViewsOK.comOkieLife.com
20 Sidebar Blog: Law and Disorder, Okie Style
NOTE: BNN's Oklahoma Blogosphere Influence Rating combines a variety of data sets to determine which blogs are most powerfully influencing the direction of the Oklahoma political blogosphere. The exact method BNN uses to calculate influence scores must remain proprietary in order to prevent attempts to game the system. BNN's methodology takes into account the fact that all Internet data is profoundly limited in its reliability by using multiple data sets that, when combined, reveal a fair picture of activity in the blogosphere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
