Sand Springs churches donate $4000 to Sand Springs Police and Fire for Christmas
/By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
The Sand Springs City Council recently held their regular monthly meeting and representatives from the Sand Springs Ministerial Alliance were present to present the Police and Fire Departments with a $4,000 donation for the purpose of Christmas bonuses.
Harvest Church Pastor Steve Allen, HillSpring Church Pastor Brent Kellogg, and First Church of the Nazarene Pastor Rod Thelander presented the annual donation to Police Chief Mike Carter and Fire Chief Mike Wood.
Oklahoma Municipal League representative Missy Dean presented awards to employees who have served the city for 25 years. Police Captain Jay Barnett, Captain Todd Enzbrenner, Lieutenant Gary Everett, Deputy Chief John Mars, Fire Driver Charles Bowman, Water/Wastewater Superintendent Kenneth Boswell, Water Maintenance Operations Supervisor Donnie Wicker, and City Clerk Janice Almy were all recognized.
Storm Water and Utilities Technician Jon Odle gave an annual address to the Council regarding the City of Sand Springs Storm Water Plan. Odle discussed the damage done by citizens dumping leaves, grass clippings, and other debris into the street and stormwater drains. He suggested the City find ways to educate the community about the subject.
The Council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 1293 amending existing zoning code. Under new regulations, minimum aesthetic standards have been set regarding the amount of visible metal a building may be constructed of. Each side of a new building will be limited to certain percentages of visible metal, though exceptions may be granted through the Board of Adjustment. The ordinance does not apply to existing buildings and is modeled after existing regulations passed in neighboring communities.
Council also approved Resolution No. 17-14, adopting a Safe Routes to School policy for the City of Sand Springs. The policy sets in place an outline for the City to follow when evaluating streets or other improvement projects that will provide safer and more efficient ways for pedestrians to travel to and from school.
This was Vice Mayor John Fothergill's last meeting with City Council as he will be vacating his seat before the Spring election. The two-term Ward 4 councilman was recently approved as a chief deputy for the Tulsa County Commission and is legally unable to hold dual offices.
Christine Hamner and Nancy Riley have filed to run for the vacant seat this Spring. Riley is a former Republican then Democratic State Senator. She also ran for Council against Fothergill and the late Pastor Terry Scott. She came in second in the primary election, defeating Scott, then lost to Fothergill in the runoff.
