The Woodward News

Local News

September 13, 2012

Local industrial foundation holds meeting

Brandi Thomas Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Woodward Industrial Foundation Board members met Monday and heard some reports.

It was the first meeting for the foundation board since District Attorney Hollis Thorp ruled last week that it is a public body and must hold open meetings. The foundation challenged the decision and a ruling hasn’t been made in the case yet.

Board members approved financial statements for August 2012 before getting into reports.

Bobby Alexander, transportation commissioner for district 6, was present and talked about a possible joint venture between the state and the City of Woodward on improvements to 34th Street.

He also talked about the  governor's bridge improvement plan that will take place over the next 8 years.

The goal announced by the department of transportation earlier this week is to have all remaining structurally deficient bridges in the state fixed by the end of the decade. Overall there are 2,030 road and bridge projects in the 8-year plan.

Taylor Burnett with High Plains Technology Center said the school would be receiving a check from the Oil and Gas Conference in the amount of $10,000 on Monday morning, Sept. 17.

"We will be doing a check presentation at 11:30 out at the training site on the hill and this will allow us to buy a new piece of training equipment for the oil and gas training facility," Burnett said.

With no new business, LaVern Phillips, president of the foundation rounded out the meeting with a report on the new Mitchell Lakeside 6 theater opening and some of the events that have taken place at the new Conference Center.

Phillips reported that on opening night the theater sold 408 tickets to the 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. showings and 616 the following week. On both of those nights there were home football games.

The conference center has booked 101 events for 2012 and Phillips was greatly impressed with the way the Oil and Gas Conference and the Dust Bowl presentations were done at the Conference Center.

He said they were "very proud of the leadership of the city" with these events and with its help on keeping the theater here in Woodward.

The court clash between the foundation and the District Attorney's Office will apparently be ruled on next week by District Judge Paul K. Woodward out of Garfield County (Enid).

According to the court minutes posted on odcr.com after the initial hearing on Monday, attorneys for each side must present their legal authority or briefs by Monday, Sept. 17 and the court will rule by Sept. 21.

The Industrial Foundation is seeking a declaratory judgement against District Attorney Hollis Thorp's ruling that the foundation is a public body. The foundation says it is instead a private entity that contracts with the city.

The case was filed in Woodward County District Court and subsequently assigned to Judge Woodward.

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