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ODOT to make high-speed rail presentation tomorrow
As part of an initial environmental process, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation invites the public to a presentation about preliminary plans for high-speed rail on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium, 400 Civic Center, at 6 p.m.
Transportation officials, joined by community planning organizations and city officials will present details of improvements planned between Tulsa, Oklahoma City and the Texas state line, as well as some of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
The competitive grant program which allows for these improvements is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and advances the Obama administration's vision for high speed intercity passenger rail throughout the nation. In all, $8 billion in ARRA funds are available to states through this program, which is divided among the following funding tracks: Track One - Shovel-ready Projects; Track Two - Service Development Programs; Track Three - Service Planning Activities; and Track Four - Appropriations-Funded Projects. ODOT's preliminary application filed on July 10, seeks approximately $2 billion in Track Two for service development programs. The Federal Railroad Administration anticipates announcing the final awards by the end of the year. Following the public meeting, comments on Oklahoma's high speed rail plan will be accepted until September 25 by mail to ODOT Rail Division, 200 N.E. 21st St., Rm. 3-D6, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 or by e-mail to jbridgwater@odot.org. Citizen comments will be included in the final application packet.
Persons who would like to attend this meeting, but find it difficult due to disability, architectural barrier, or other special needs, or require a sign-language interpreter, should contact Craig Moody at (405) 522-1465.
County to host series of public meetings about river projects
Tulsa County will hold a series of public meetings September 16 and 17 to discuss a portion of the Arkansas River Master Plan currently under implementation.
Presenters will discuss the overall plan, which spans the Arkansas River from the Keystone Dam to Jenks and includes low water dam construction and rehabilitation, ecosystem restoration, shoreline stabilization and recreational uses.
The purpose of the meetings is to inform the public of the current status of the projects and recommendations for future studies, and request input to be incorporated in the Environmental Summary Report.
Tulsa County Commissioners Karen Keith and Fred Perry will be present to discuss the project and answer questions. Engineers and planners will also be available to discuss technical specifications and aspects of the project.
Funding of this portion of the Master Plan is provided by Vision 2025 and federal dollars.
Meeting locations and times are:
Jenks/South Tulsa – Wednesday, Sept. 16, 5:30 p.m. at the Jenks City Council Meeting Room, 211 North Elm, Jenks.
Tulsa – Thursday, Sept. 17, 1:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Central Library Aaronson Auditorium, 400 Civic Center Plaza.
Sand Springs – Thursday, Sept. 17, 5:30 p.m. at the Case Community Center, 1050 West Wekiwa Road.
For more information contact Terry Simonson at 918.724.3005.
Mayor Taylor delivers final State of the City address
“It’s not about me, it’s about we,” was part of Mayor Kathy Taylor’s opening remarks to a crowd of more than 750 attendees at her final State of the City address given last Tuesday following Labor Day.
Having chosen not to run for re-election, Taylor’s speech highlighted many of the region’s recent accomplishments including a state-of-the-art 911 center, PLANiTULSA, the BOK Center, bolstering mentoring programs and soon- to-be completed ONEOK Field.
“We’re a city that dreams big and works hard,” said Taylor.
She also addressed what she sees as top issues for the next mayor of Tulsa including balancing the budget, continuing the work with PLANiTULSA, working toward greater public safety and continually strengthening the education system.
“Education is indeed what changes the world,” said Taylor.
During the question and answer portion of the program, Taylor was asked her thoughts on the move to a regional government in which she responded:
“Regional government is where a city of our size needs to head,” said Taylor. “If we’re going to compete in a global economy we’ve got to be together as a region – not fighting each other through layers of government.”
Additionally, Taylor was asked about the greatest challenge she felt the incoming mayor would have to face to which she responded, balancing the budget.
In recognition of Taylor’s dedication and service to the city, the Tulsa Metro Chamber presented her with a plaque, which read:
“Thank you, Mayor Kathy Taylor, city of Tulsa, for keeping the vision, leading among challenges and dedicating your passion to the betterment of the city and its citizens.”
For more coverage of the Chamber’s State of the City featuring Mayor Taylor, visit the following links:
Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor delivers State of the City address
Regional government touted
Tulsa mayor delivers State of the City address
Chamber appoints consultant to focus on aerospace industry
Jim Fram, Tulsa Metro Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development, announced last week the addition of Dennis Altendorf as the Chamber’s new aerospace/aviation consultant tasked with strengthening retention, expansion and recruitment of Tulsa-area aerospace companies and identifying areas of improvement to make the region more attractive to relocating aerospace businesses.
Altendorf brings with him more than 35 years of experience in aerospace operations and logistics in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, he was aerospace development director for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Altendorf has also served as a senior operations analyst/consultant for CollaborX Inc., now Teledyne CollaborX Inc., where he led teams on analysis and integration for major defense contracts.
Preceding his position with CollaborX, Altendorf retired from active duty in the Air Force after 28 years of service, concluding his career as the chief of staff for the 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.
"Dennis will be a tremendous resource to our economic development team in the effort to assertively pursue one of Tulsa’s primary industries – aerospace,” Fram said. “He has an extensive background and invaluable relationships in this business sector, which has untapped potential in Northeast Oklahoma.”
Currently, Tulsa is home to more than 100 companies and 13,000 jobs in the aerospace industry. These jobs support an additional 10,000 indirect jobs, and provide a $4.3 billion impact on the local economy. Altendorf believes there is much room to expand.
“There are lots of companies out there we're not as familiar with as we should be,” Altendorf said in an interview with the Tulsa World. “Tulsa is the center of the aerospace industry for the state — manufacturing, commercial (airlines), MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul), OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), American Airlines. Northeastern Oklahoma is the place you can really capitalize. We want our aerospace companies to succeed, and if they do, we will succeed.”
Altendorf said his approach will extend to cooperation on workforce development and educational issues with Oklahoma’s educational institutions.
Read an article about Altendorf in the Tulsa World.
Chamber congratulates primary winners
The Tulsa Metro Chamber extends its sincere congratulations to Tulsa city council and mayoral candidates who will appear on this year’s ballot.
As the primary advocate for the Tulsa region’s business community, the Chamber is encouraged to see the energy and enthusiasm among so many citizens willing to put Tulsa’s best interest at the forefront.
“While we were disappointed by the news of Mayor Kathy Taylor’s decision to not seek re-election, we are ready to congratulate and collaborate with our city’s next great leader and look forward to forging a new relationship through which we can do our part to move this great region forward,” said Tulsa Metro Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal.
As the election season progresses, look for details about opportunities to meet and hear from the candidates through Chamber sponsored events.
Membership directory advertising deadline extended two weeks
The deadline to reserve an advertisement in the Tulsa Metro Chamber's 2010 Membership Directory and Community Profile has been extended two additional weeks to allow members ample opportunity to take advantage of this prime advertising space.
Benefits of advertising in the Membership Directory and Community Profile include:
• Promotion of your business in the community
• Increased visibility and profitability
• Maintenance of your communication link with the local public
• Reasonable ad rates with free ad preparation
The deadline to reserve space is Friday, Sept. 25.
In addition to being our most highly requested publication locally and nationally, the entire publication, including all advertisements, is placed on the Chamber Web site at TulsaChamber.com at no additional cost.
To reserve your ad space, contact Gerry Gabel at 918.798.9729 or gerryg@lawtonsales.com.
Chamber membership entitles each company to one listing in the alphabetical section by company and one in the classified section by type of business. The company will be listed in the Buyer's Guide section under their primary classified listing only. If you wish to be listed under more than one classified listing, please discuss the additional listings with the Lawton Publications representative when they call.
Thank you for your help in providing Chamber members with a valuable marketing tool. For questions or more information, please email the Chamber's office at TracyPope@TulsaChamber.com or call 918-560-0249.
Survey seeks input about Drillers Stadium
What should happen to Drillers Stadium?
That is the question Tulsa County officials are posing to Tulsa citizens by launching a public survey accessible through their Web site, tulsacounty.org, asking for views, opinions, ideas and suggestions from the public on the future use of the Driller Stadium site.
By providing feedback through the survey, citizens will help the county determine the best possible use for the site once the Drillers baseball team moves to their new home at ONEOK Field next season.
The survey was launched on Friday, Sept. 11, and will remain on the Tulsa County Web site through the end of October. To take the survey, simply log on to tulsacounty.org and follow the link to the survey.
Chamber welcomes new businessesEach month the Tulsa Metro Chamber's Hospitality Club welcomes new businesses and new Chamber members to the community by assisting with ribbon cuttings and groundbreaking announcements.
Gardner’s Books
Richard Gardner, Owner
4421 S. Mingo Rd.
Tulsa, OK 74146
Phone: 627.7373
www.gardnersbooks.com
Sam’s Club
Brandon Tinsley, Store Manager
4420 S. Sheridan
Tulsa, OK 74145
Phone: 627.1443
www.samsclub.com
APICS
Sheila Lawson, President
Phone: 284.2667
www.apicstulsa.org
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