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June 24, 2004
Michael C. Romig Chosen to Represent City in Zoning Case
Michael C. Romig has been chosen to represent the City of Tulsa in the District Court Case regarding the zoning change request at the duplex at 51st Street & S. Atlanta Pl.
Mr. Romig generally handles zoning cases for the City of Tulsa. Once the response is filed there is no set timeline for the case to proceed. Typically, the plaintiff requests the judge to set a hearing for discovery and the other steps in the process.
The LCNA Executive Committee will be available to help Mr. Romig with any information he deems necessary to help this case. Stay tuned for updates as they become available. You can also check the status of the case by going to the OSCN website located HERE
Posted by webmaster at 07:19 PM
June 20, 2004
Oklahoma - Sorry I couldn't resist.
Once upon a time in the kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael the archangel found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired of God. "Where have you been?"
God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made." Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance." "Balance?" Inquired Michael, still confused.
God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth but cold and harsh while southern Europe is going to be poor but sunny and pleasant." I have made some lands abundant in water and other lands parched deserts. This one will be extremely hot and while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land mass and said "What's that one?" "Ah," said God. "That's OKLAHOMA -- the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful lakes, streams, hills, and forests. The people from OKLAHOMA are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous and they are going to be found traveling the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there would be balance!"
God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the idiots I put in OKLAHOMA CITY at the Capitol."
Posted by webmaster at 11:10 AM
June 19, 2004
The Story of Father's Day
Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day." In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all be honored on Father's Day.
Posted by webmaster at 11:37 PM
June 17, 2004
Mayor's Job Program Gears Up
The Mayor's Job Program is a free service for 16 - 21 year old youth who are looking for employment. Youth may sign up at the Workforce Oklahoma Downtown Tulsa Career Center located at 2 N. Elgin between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
The Mayor's Job Program matches employers with youth by referring young people who meet the qualifications desired by the employer.
For more information call the Mayor's Job Program hotline at 596-1515 or visit
the website at www.tulsamjp.com.
Posted by webmaster at 02:15 PM
June 05, 2004
Planning District 18
Just a little FYI.....
The Lewis Crest Neighborhood Association is in Planning District 18. When checking for zoning applications in and around our neighborhood there are two things that I look for-- the planning district and the council district the zoning application is located in. So basically when I look at the TMAPC's or BOA's agenda, I look for PD-18 and CD-9. If a zoning application hits on those two keys, I look into it a little bit more which includes the exact address. If you want to know more, drop me a note via feedback by clicking here.
To view a .pdf version of Planning District 18 click on the link below.
District 18 map.pdf
Posted by webmaster at 02:31 PM
Litmus Test for Local Government?
One of the many newsletters that I'm subscribed to comes from the OCPA (Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs). Although I don't agree with all their policy positions, a lot of the points that are brought up by this organization are thought provoking. I was reading through the veritable sea of information when I ran across this question and resulting answer.
Should Local Government Subsidize Business?
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very sophisticated in the finer intricacies or inner workings of politics and quite honestly I don't really want to be. I've been described on more than one occasion as being a "calls them like he sees them" and "needs to be more diplomatic" type of person. Some people that know me probably have many other unprintable names for me as well.
In a free society and market economy, government should be limited to protecting people and their property while undertaking for people beneficial functions they cannot perform themselves. Government should provide for citizens what markets cannot readily supply. Thus government often provides public goods which markets would under-supply. Taxing some citizens to simply to give the money to another citizen, or equivalently to give someone a product or service at less than the market price, is not a legitimate function of the government in a free society.
To steal a phrase from my wife.... "I like what I like" and I happen to like the above answer to the question regarding local govenments subsidizing businesses. I guess thats why my comfort factor dwindles when I read news regarding giving businesses subsidies or breaks for locating here. When you throw in all the politics that are involved, my comfort factor dwindles even further.
A recent post at Batesline.com regarding the Bass Pro Shop that will be in Broken Arrow will maybe illustrate how local government and business subsidies might not be in the interest for *ALL* citizens. Unfortunately I have a lot of questions but no solutions. One thing I do know is that going to the "tax the citizen" well again and again can only go on for so long before the well runs dry.
I would like to encourage you to visit OCPA's website as well as Michael Bate's website for various points about policies that affect all of us.
Posted by webmaster at 11:18 AM
CPR for Citizens at Save-A-Life Saturdays in the Park!
Plan to sign your family up for free CPR classes any Saturday in June. This is the 5th year for Tulsa Parks and Citizen CPR to offer these free training events to the public. For more information, call Citizen CPR at 596-3600 or follow this link to their website registration page: http://www.tulsacpr.com/Classes/save_life_saturdays_registration.html
Here are the following dates/locations --
•June 12 (Reed Park, 4233 S. Yukon)
•June 19 (Hicks Park, 3443 S. Mingo)
•June 26 (Zeigler Park, 3903 W. 4th St.)
•June 26 (Lacy Park, 2134 N. Madison Pl.)
Posted by webmaster at 09:49 AM
Business as Usual?
I received an email this week regarding the duplex at 51st & South Atlanta. It would appear that it's "business as usual" and that the owners have no plans to stop doing business out of this residential zoned property. I believe the zoning problem we're experiencing is really just a piece of the larger problem with zoning in the City of Tulsa. Unfortunately I don't forsee the rash of zoning problems getting better until some changes are brought with planning etc. As "informed" citizens in the *GREAT* City of Tulsa, I highly encourage you to become proactive with issues that affect our city. Here's the email I rec'd -----
I work nearby the duplex located at 2506/2508 East 51st Street and there appears to be a lot of traffic this week.
I believe that the LCNA is blessed with having so many people that are willing to become involved in the neighborhood and the issues that affect the area that we work, live, play & go to school in. If anyone would like to become involved with the LCNA, but are not sure what they can do, please get in contact with us via email, feedback form, or call one of us.
For instance, right now, ~ 10:00 a.m. there are three car parked in front (east side is full). About 9:30 a.m. there were four (one in front of the east unit) and the postman had to park on the east side. He did have a mail delivery to the west address.
If there is an injunction against business usage, it ought to be easy to log in the cars & prove it. (cars there in day time only etc)
We don't want to watch a business in operation there either. The last year's problems on 51st St have been sufficient.
Thanks JW for giving us this web site and for him (& others from Lewis Crest) contacting us.
Speaking of involvement in the LCNA, the next quarterly meeting will be on Thursday, June 17th. The LCNA block party will be in September. Both of these events are an excellent way to get acquainted with your neighbors and neighborhood!
Make sure you continue to check out our website for updates and sign up for email notifications, it only takes a moment.
Posted by webmaster at 09:22 AM
June 02, 2004
Severe Thunderstorms leave MANY without Power in Tulsa
Here is some news from the Mayor's Office For Neighborhoods regarding the damage and power outages as a result of the thunderstorm today. If you know of anyone in the neighborhood that needs assistance during this time. Please alert the LCNA via feedback form on our website or calling the following numbers: 918-637-8830 or 918-747-8022
********* City Emails ***********
Below is an email that I received from AEP/PSO. They are working very hard to get the electricity up and running and they will keep the public posted as mentioned below.
Thanks,
Erin Patrick
A brief note to let you know that we currently have approx. 60,000 customers out of power in the Tulsa/Tulsa metro area due to the storm which blew through this afternoon. Due to the heavy winds and tree limb damage, we are currently estimating up to 3 days for full storm recovery. We will be running radio ads alerting the public to the status, and to take safety precautions with downed power lines. All of our available resources are working toward recovery at this time.
Tulsa Storm Messages June 2, 2004
Downed wires safety message: Consider any downed wire to be dangerous and stay away from it. The line can be fully energized and not be sparking. Report downed wires to PSO at 1-888-218-3919.
Very damaging storm due to the high winds. Number of poles down. Multiple-day storm recovery. Customers without power need to plan for an outage that could possibly last into the weekend.
We are still assessing the damage. The number of customers reported out is expected to increase some this evening as people go home and find their power is out.
We are well into the process of calling in extra resources to help with storm repairs.
Erin Patrick
Mayor's Office For Neighborhoods
200 Civic Center
Tulsa, Ok 74103
(918)596-1292
(918)596-9010 fax
Posted by webmaster at 05:42 PM
June 01, 2004
Gas Pricing 101
Recently I submitted the LCNA News to a web ring site called Blog Oklahoma. The Blog Oklahoma web ring is a community of websites that have some connection to, write about, or live in the State of Oklahoma. There's also a link to the Blog Oklahoma webring in the lower right side of the LCNA News page.
An interesting article that was linked to at the Blog Oklahoma site dealt with gas pricing. It's definately worth the read if you've fealt the higher costs of gas on your cash flow. The article can be found here.
If your interested in the various prices of gas in and around Tulsa you might want to check out this website as well called TulsaGasPrices.com.
On our homepage there's also a new poll for you to vote in regarding gas prices. Take a moment and vote! It's fun, painless, and bet of all it's FREE.
Posted by webmaster at 08:02 PM
Email Regarding Memorial Day
I received the following email from Bill Wortman on Sunday May 30. I can only presume that he signed on to the LCNA News website and read the Memorial Day article that I had posted a couple of days earlier. This article can be found here.
Mr. Wortman lives a "stones throw" from the Lewis Crest area and I can only presume he checks in our website now and again to see what's happening in our "neck of the woods.". After reading his email, I thought it only fair to share it with the rest of the neighborhood. Here is his email in it's entirety. Hopefully you'll get something out of it like I did.........
Dear Bobby,
I wanted to take some time and share with you my thoughts this Memorial Day Weekend. As our homeland lies under direct threat like no other time in our history and our soldiers fight on two fronts to protect us, this national holiday takes on solemn significance. We pause to reflect and honor the memory of those departed who have served our country in the uniforms of our armed forces.
I served in the U.S. Navy with people who came from all walks of life, from every corner of this great land of ours. They were fathers, sons, friends, and neighbors. They were all ordinary people - living ordinary lives - who were asked to make extraordinary sacrifices in extraordinary times, for their country. They answered her call for a higher purpose - to preserve liberty, justice, equality, and the right to live in a world free from tyranny.
But the fact remains that Memorial Day is more than a holiday - it is a day when our nation should express gratitude to the soldiers who give real meaning to the word "hero." Sadly, the unprovoked terrorist attack on America on September 11, 2001, was a reminder that we must never take our bountiful blessings or our freedom for granted.
The Americans we honor today loved the ideals and values upon which this nation was founded. I am proud to say that our fighting men and women continue to live those values, values like loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
The conduct of our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrates their commitment to these enduring values as they restore liberty and human dignity to those who suffered under oppressive regimes. Often, they put their own lives at risk to protect the lives of innocents and avoid civilian casualties.
I would like to remember Pat Tillman, the professional football player who turned his back on millions of dollars for playing a game. He chose to risk his life as a front line combat soldier in the Army Rangers. He served a year in Iraq, when he returned home last Christmas he could have chosen an assignment anywhere in the world. Because Tillman had seen so much combat he was even eligible for an early discharge. His sports agent said teams were beating down the door and he could have him on the football field in time for spring mini-camp. Instead Pat Tillman signed up for a tour of duty back on the front lines, but this time in Afghanistan, where he lost his life in a firefight.
Pat Tillman understood the threat to our nation. He also knew the best way to defend America was to take the fight to the enemy?s soil. Many brave young men have made the same sacrifice. What singles out Pat Tillman is this interesting fact: When Pearl Harbor was bombed there were 5800 professional athletes in the United States. By March of 1942, 5400 had enlisted in military service. On September 11, 2001 over 13,000 young Americans were professional athletes only one enlisted for military service, Pat Tillman.
The words that adorn the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, where some of our heroes are interred, also speak volumes about the bravery and valor of the men and women who risked their lives for our nation.
"Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity, but in simple obedience to duty as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all and died."
May the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country live forever in our memories. And may we honor them by doing everything we can to protect freedom for future generations, whenever, and wherever, it is threatened.
Sincerely.
Bill Wortman
Side Note: I contacted Mr. Wortman about getting his permission to post this email. Here's his reply to my request--
Thanks for your response. Feel free to use the piece as you see fit. I am running against John Sullivan in the republican primary and need all the name recognition I can get. I am for lower spending to facilitate lower taxes - cutting taxes without cutting spending just means our kids and grandkids get higher taxes. Also, as a veteran, I feel very grateful for the sacrifice our forebearers gave for our liberty, which we need to protect.
Posted by webmaster at 07:42 PM