Bob Evm
this been an l
year?
was a duzie -
cold, wind.
"you name it if
be caused by
weather.
a slight
frost on the lower
our windshield
Didn't
enough
gardens.
' XXx
Warm weather is
Lhe motorcycles
garages and
Some of
g riders
vehicles out
some trips
group is go.
in May.
ride to south
their motor-
get on a train
Sounds
nteresting trip.
tried to talk
to taking a
trip with me,
having to
SOmething like
Lloyd, has rid-
n~otorcycle all
eXCept when the
the ground,
he even ex-
that and
too
think about
up my
until the ther-
reaches 68
and is climbing.
Unable to get
on my
cycling a
sport when
is below
at 55
hour. The sun
of difference.
XXx
were in
a week or
one of those
a column
trip in my
on page two
ily Report
and
accounting
been back ten
that same
8till
and indif-
if they
are, or at least
impres-
ought to
benefit of
especially if it
once in a
friend-
Person in
hard to do.
said on the
New York Ci-
a con-
"jungle",
on the
drove •round
for four
got away
and
Streets and
People milling
One
notice that
was so bad,
I could see
city, but it is
the
New York Ci-
than
t~ns $113 per
runs $20,
$25 for two.
tickets
The only
that was
a GreyHne
Tour, which
person for
hour trip
city. That is
be~t way to
'Pped at
which
of the
store after
public cor-
massive
which also
and
Page
News and Views of the Cimarron Valley
THOUGHT OF THE
WEEK
"The best mirror is a friend'•
eye." -- Gaelic proverb
VOL. 95 NO, 31
I
Perkins, Payne County, Oklahoma - USPS 428040
I I II
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1984
@
Well, it turns out last
week's OK on the city's
water applied to everyone
but the residents of four
trailer houses at Hert and
Third streets.
City Manager Gerald
Hall said residents of the
trailers had to boil their
water for two days after it
was discovered Wednes-
day the trailers had been
that had not been flushed
out yet.
The trailers are now
tapped into the old water
line.
Hall said the new line
was re-chlorinated
Wednesday and that it
would be opened up to the
public after two daily
samples come back
without bacteria.
The previous week, a
"inadvertently" hooked harmless bacteria was
up to a new water line found in the city's water
but the water was OK'd
by county officials after
the chlorine pumps were
turned on.
Hall said the trailers
had requested water ser-
vice before the new line
was approved and that a
plumber tapped into the
new line.
"It was just a situation
where one hand did not
know what the other was
doing," he said..
City firemen could not save this mobile home when
a flash fire ravaged it Saturday morning about 9:.30
a.m. The Harvey Kitchels were asleep when a young
daughter screamed that the house was on fire. A
siamese mother cat died trying to save her days old
A community analysis
of Perkins was recently
completed by Ben Pier-
pont of the Oklahoma
Gas and Electric Co. Pier-
pont was in Perkins
Thursday morning to
meet with Perkins Cham-
ber of Commerce to
discuss the report.
Pierpont said he was
contacted to do the report
"Perkins is in competi-
tion with other com-
munities for business," he
said. Businessmen %viii
come in and look at your
community for an hour or
so and that's the only
chance you~l get."
'~he days of the huge
industry are over," he
said, meaning that more
and more new industries
four to five months ago. , are small high-tech firms.
He said O.G.& E. has a
staff of three to do com-
munity analyses at no
cost to the communities.
Pierpont reported fin-
ding Perkins in "excellent
to good condition
overall."
He said he conducts
these surveys by coming
into the community ac-
ting as an outside
business person looking
at what Perkins has to of-
fer for business.
The lowest rating given
to an aspect of the
Perkins community was
that of "fair" given to the
three items relating to in-
dustrial sites. A fair
rating shows an area
needing improvement by
the community.
Pierpont said Perkins
needs more attractive in-
dustrial sites, with all
utilities connected. Rail
service should also be
available, the report
indicated.
"The prospects we
work with want to set up
operations immediately,"
he said.
III
'q'hey 11 wan to blend in
with your cSmmunity,"
he said.
There were 27 items
rated under 10 different
headings. Of the 27, ex-
cellent ratings were given
to 11 items, good ratings
were given to 13 and fair
to three.
Under transportation,
good ratings were given
to the highways, motor
freight service and air ser-
vice. Under the labor
market section,-an ex-
cellent rating was given
to the availability of labor
while good ratings were
given to the type of labor
available {"mostly un-
skilled but highly produc-
tive and trainable'~, wage
rates and labor-
management relations.
The report stated the
unemployment rate in
Perkins for February
1984 is 5.2 percent, accor-
cling to the Oklahoma
Employment Security
Coinmiesion, as compared
to 7.6 Percent for the
state and 8 percent for the
nation.
Perkins Civil Defense
volunteers got a workout
this past week with two
calls on Thursday night
and one Sunday morning.
Director Steve Will-
ingham said the storm
watchers did an "ex-
cellent" job reporting the
storms. "At all times, per-
sonnel (monitoring) at Ci-
ty Hall knew exactly
what was happening
without ever having to
look out the window," he
said.
Thursday night, spot-
ters were called out at
5:50 p.m. and were in loca-
tions surrounding the ci-
tyby 6:10, according to
records kept by Will-
ingham and City
Manager Gerald Hall.
Times and events on the
records were
reconstructed from
memory after the inci-
dent, they said.
A tornado was reported
at Guthrie at about 6 p.m.
At 6:15, a tornado was
reported on the ground at
Langston and, five
minutes later, another
was reported on the
ground at Coyle.
Perkins spotters at
Olivet Cemetery reported
a tornado west of their
location at 6:25. A minute
later, visual confirmation
was received from the
spotters at Goodnight
and IXL {about five miles
west of town).
Willingham said that at
one point spotters had
reported there were two
separate tornados on the
ground. He added tor-
nados were spotted from
four of the five locations.
The tornado warning
kittens in a bedroom closet. The kittens survived.
Firemen David Sasser and Laverne Minor cool the
fire. The house is located on East Knipe, on the alley
behind the Hquor store.
a
The utilities section
received four excellent
ratings for the water,
sewer, electxic and natural
gas services.
Excellent ratings were
also received by the com-
munication services, for
the local newspaper and
the available radio and
television stations.
Under municipal ser-
vices, the city rated ex-
cellent in city administra-
tion and good in police
and fire protection and
medical services.
Educational oppor-
tunities were also rated
excellent in the public
schools and vocational-
technical training areas.
Ad valorem taxes were
rated good, "not ex-
cessive."
Living conditions
{recreation, residential
areas and the downtown
area} were rated good,
although "a shortage of
rental property was ap-
parent."
The community at-
titude was rated
excellent.
Pierpont said his
paving more streets and
providing more sewer and
water services to
residents as well as
businesses.
He stressed the need for
zoning policies to be in-
itiated by the city for con-
trolled, orderly growth.
• In other recommenda-
~ons; he saki, "I think it
would behoove Perkins to
align itself with
Stillwater. A jealousy fac-
tor should not exist bet-
ween Perkins and
Stillwater."
He said that if
Stillwater were to get a
plant, it should be viewed
as a benefit for Perkins.
"rhe World Color Press
plant is going to have a
great effect on Perkins,"
he said as an example.
Chamber of Commerce
President Larry Wilson
said there were two
priorities he could think
of to have the chamber
work "on right•way::
developing a good rela-
tionship with Stillwater
and reestablishing the
town's industrial
foundation.
ratings were based on))er-
sonal observations,
statistical community in-
formation andlocal ALL IN A NAME
interviews. CLAREMORE Dr.
He said the purpose of and Mrs. Ward bought
the analysis was to Necessary's Hickory Pit
"enhance the quality of from Jim and Mary
life and service Perkins Necessary. The
provides." Necessarys have retired.
He said city planners -o-
would have to look into
°O-
l I
siren sounded in Perkins
at 6:28 when a tornado
was sited 6 miles west of
Perkins.
The tornado was track-
ed as it moved east-north-
east. At 6:40, its dust
cloud was seen 3/4-mile
north of town. That area
was quickly checked for
damage.
Spotters were called
back in at 7 p.m. but were
sent back out at 8:40 that
night to watch some
severe weather as it
developed.
Watchers reported
small hail, heavy rain and
winds before being called
back in again at 10:15.
Oddly enough, Will-
ingham said, damage
to trailer houses was done
during the second period
of storms instead of when
the tornados passed by
earlier that evening.
He said it was possible
that a small, unformed
tornado could have done
the damage. '~vVe don't
really know if there was a
tornado or not, but I
think if you asked those
people who lived there
they'd probably say yes,"
he said.
Had the city been
struck by a tornado, the
city's disaster relief team
would have been ready to
help take care of the in-
jured. The team is made
up of local health profes-
sionals, clergy and other
concerned citizens.
But the action wasn't
over after Thursday
night. Spotters were
again called out Sunday
morning at about 10:20
a.m. after Oklahoma City
{Continued on Page 8)
It looks like well be
getting the first "dog
day" of the year at the
animal vaccination and
registration clinic May
12.
The clinic is scheduled
his time to the city and is
reducing his vaccination
fee to $6. The clinic pro-
vides a service to those
who would not normally
be able to get to their vet
for a vaccination and to
to run from 11 a.m. to 3 encourage the registra-
p.m. in the old fire station
bay at the city building.
Perkins veterinarian
Doug Fulnechek will be
on hand to vaccinate dogs
against rabies. Someone
from the city will be there
to register the animals im-
mediately after the
vaccination.
Fulnechek is donating
tion of animals.
All animals residing
within city limits must be
registered -- and to be
registered they must have
proof of rabies
vaccination.
Registration fees are $1
for a male or spayed
female dog and $2 for an
unspayed female.
According to city or-
dinance No. 141, "ALL
dogs running at large and
unlicensed dogs are sub-
ject to impoundment by
the dog warden."
When an owner claims
his impounded dog he is
required to pay the $20
impoundment fee plus
vaccination and registra-
tion costs if necessary.
Fulnechek stressed that
the clinic is only for rabies
vaccinations and that no
other shots or examina-
tions will be given to the
pets.
Jim Dullenty and Randy Ciausen, editor and advertising director for True
West and Old West magazines, move into their new offices on U.S. 177 just
north of Perkins TV and Appliance. Truckloads of office equipment and back
issues of the magazines began arriving last week and the pair have to put
things up as well as finish up on their next deadline.
Ann Miller accepted
Monday the positions of
Perkins city clerk and
Public Works secretary-
clerk left open since
Elizabeth Wise, who was
clerk for the past 11
years, resigned March 21.
Miller will start work
May 14. She is currently
an inventory clerk at the
State Department of
Vocational-Technical
Education in Stillwater.
"I 'In really looking for-
ward to it," she said.
City Manager Gerald
Hall said Miller was pick-
ed from among 17 total
applicants. The town
board officially offered
her the jobs at its meeting
last Monday.
Miller said she has liv-
ed in Perkins for the past
six years. "I really enjoy
Perkins," she commented.
Tralk~ house residents on Eden Chapel Road
survey the twisted hulk of their former home after
high winds destroyed it Thursday night.
A
