Stillwater to Vote on $36,000,000 For Capital Improvements

[Bunty]

I doubt if OSU students are going to like having .5 more in sales tax added on to everything they buy in Stillwater. But then college students hardly ever vote on anything. It will be up to the townspeople to decide. If they think their taxes are already high enough, they will probably vote NO.

http://www.stwnewspress.com/breakin....have-final-say

Stillwater councilors discuss city improvement plan » Local News » Stillwater NewsPress

[Spartan]

Sooo... Some ball fields, something vague about public safety, and something vague about public transit based on existing infrastructure.

People would probably like a half penny tax if it produced some MAPS-like results. This program was originally envisioned when Bartlett ran for mayor because he wanted to harness a MAPS-like program for Stillwater based on the extraordinary success in OKC.

This is not even close to being MAPS-like. Or even Vision-like, which was a watered down version of MAPS.

[Bunty]

Try this link if first one above doesn't work: http://www.stwnewspress.com/breaking...have-final-say

It's somewhat similar to what was voted on and rejected from about 10 years ago, except for a new police station that was approved. So maybe the city manager didn't want to get too ambitious with the voters. What if the proposal was twice as big, meaning a 1 cent increase in city sales tax and a $180 property tax increase on a $100,000 house? It would probably only have half as much of a chance of passing. At any rate, Stillwater needs more civic greatness than having one of the best police stations in the state as pictured. Stillwater needs to build a real community center sooner or later. Trying to base one on an old middle school looks ridiculous.

[Just the facts]

Weaver said the city would look to improve any structure pertaining to public transportation

Does anyone know what structure he could possible be talking about?

[Spartan]

Does anyone know what structure he could possible be talking about?

Probably... a road.

The Stillwater leadership doesn't really know any of the technical terms that make up a city. Weaver comes across like more of a good ole boy than a major university Finance VP.

[OKCRT]

They should ask Daddy T-bone to foot the bill.

[Spartan]

What's funny about that is i think the citizens of Stillwater covered a significant portion of the bill for raising the roof on GIA

[Bunty]

They should ask Daddy T-bone to foot the bill.

Really. Pickens took out a lot of residential property off the tax rolls to clear the way for OSU's Athletic Village.

Stillwater High School plans to build an Athletic Village of its own on property it has already acquired to the north of it. But it won't be financially able to start construction for a few more years. Pickens ought to offer to help pay for it to get it started now. He also ought to help Stillwater in other ways. Who knows how many star high school athletes thinking about going to OSU turned it down, because they thought Stillwater was such a crappy town, compared to other places they were thinking about?

[Spartan]

How in the hell does developing a high school athletic village make Stillwater a nicer town? Those houses north of Hall of Fame were ratholes and that housing stock is now being replaced by a boom in new housing development, most of which is more urban in nature.

You townies are absurd. OSU is forcing Stillwater to be a nice town, but it's not without objections from anyone without university ties.

This is why a Stillwater MAPS is a ghastly idea - lack of vision amongst the townies. Stillwater needs more development and redevelopment built to a higher standard, NOT a new police HQ, family baseball tournament fields, and a high school athletic village.

[lasomeday]

Spartan.....You have no idea what you are talking about or the socioeconomic nature of Stillwater. Have you been to Stillwater since you were 10? It has come along way! Downtown is 10 times better than Main Street in Norman and has more housing than Main Street. It has a great urban vibe and a great since of community.

I would live in Stillwater any day over Cleveland.... wait I have!

[soonerguru]

Spartan.....You have no idea what you are talking about or the socioeconomic nature of Stillwater. Have you been to Stillwater since you were 10? It has come along way! Downtown is 10 times better than Main Street in Norman and has more housing than Main Street. It has a great urban vibe and a great since of community.

I would live in Stillwater any day over Cleveland.... wait I have!

Not speaking for Spartan, but he did attend OSU, so I'm pretty sure he understands Stillwater.

[Spartan]

Having transferred from one to the other in my day, not that I want to incite any rivalry in this thread, gives me a good comparative sense for what a college town should be. Norman has a lot of issues, too.

Lasomeday - our posts actually agree. Go back and re-read mine.

[Bunty]

Spartan.....You have no idea what you are talking about or the socioeconomic nature of Stillwater. Have you been to Stillwater since you were 10? It has come along way! Downtown is 10 times better than Main Street in Norman and has more housing than Main Street. It has a great urban vibe and a great since of community.

I would live in Stillwater any day over Cleveland.... wait I have!

Some of the buildings downtown are undergoing extensive remodeling, a sight to see in a town with two Wal-marts and several large strip malls. Downtown, though, could use a high rise, or two. Maybe Stillwater National Bank, or a local energy company should build one.

[Bunty]

You townies are absurd. OSU is forcing Stillwater to be a nice town, but it's not without objections from anyone without university ties.

This is why a Stillwater MAPS is a ghastly idea - lack of vision amongst the townies. Stillwater needs more development and redevelopment built to a higher standard, NOT a new police HQ, family baseball tournament fields, and a high school athletic village.

OSU, in moving its many gifts of art to the old downtown post office, is one way OSU is forcing Stillwater to be a nicer town.

Stillwater got it's fine new police station over 5 years ago. It was about the only item voters approved of on a list of capital improvement proposals.

If Stillwater population continues to grow at a significant rate, nearly 20% since 2000, decent development is bound to come. Further, if it votes YES Nov. 12 for $36,000,000 in capital improvement projects, it should help make Stillwater more attractive to developers as well as industry. More on that: Stillwater officials brief county officials on capital improvement plans » Local News » Stillwater NewsPress

[Just the facts]

I would vote against Proposition 2 and replace it with a mass mailing that says "If you move far away from a fire station it will take the fire department long to reach you." - and leave it at that.

[Bunty]

If replacing an old fire station with a newly relocated one will bring down the cost of fire insurance, they should point it out. If not, it may not be needed at such a high priority.

[Plutonic Panda]

I would vote against Proposition 2 and replace it with a mass mailing that says "If you move far away from a fire station it will take the fire department long to reach you." - and leave it at that.

trying to force people to live in a high-density environment?

[Dubya61]

trying to force people to live in a high-density environment?

No. Trying to have people pay for the level of municipal support they are demanding.

[Plutonic Panda]

No. Trying to have people pay for the level of municipal support they are demanding.

So increase taxes a little bit if necessary, but don't spread fear propaganda to try and "force" people to live closer to the core where most public services are. It is common knowledge that if you live further way from a fire station, it will take longer for them to respond, any three year old could tell you that. We might as well send out letter that say it will take you longer to get to the grocer and restaurants if you live far out from the the city.

[Just the facts]

So increase taxes a little bit if necessary, but don't spread fear propaganda to try and "force" people to live closer to the core where most public services are. It is common knowledge that if you live further way from a fire station, it will take longer for them to respond, any three year old could tell you that. We might as well send out letter that say it will take you longer to get to the grocer and restaurants if you live far out from the the city.

Good idea, I would support those mailing as well. Sadly, these same people just expect retail and city services to follow them where ever they live but cry when asked to pay for it. Meanwhile, the people who chose to live closer to the existing fire station - thus saving the city money on roads and services, get shafted when the fire station moves. Now those people have to pay for a new station, another fire truck, and get worse service. Then we get threads like "What happened to NW OKC". Well duh - THIS is what happened.

[Plutonic Panda]

Why would you waste money sending a piece of mail with information in it everyone already knows?

Also, you blame sprawl and people wanting to live in a suburban environment for what happened to NW OKC, I blame lack of community pride and investment. There are plenty of urban areas in horrible disrepair and in the same state as The Village/Bethany and worse.

[Just the facts]

I'll just leave at this - as I don't want to derail the thread anymore.

[Bunty]

Meanwhile, the people who chose to live closer to the existing fire station - thus saving the city money on roads and services, get shafted when the fire station moves. Now those people have to pay for a new station, another fire truck, and get worse service. Then we get threads like "What happened to NW OKC". Well duh - THIS is what happened.

Too true. The fire station they want to close and move to a new one near the opposite corner of OSU is in a heavily urbanized part of Stillwater. I bet I would vote NO, if I lived in that neighborhood. Without that current fire station nearby, Eskimo Joe's and the Hideaway stand a bigger chance of burning down.

Pictured is fire station to be closed and and a new one built in a different location, if approved by vote of the people:

[onthestrip]

Seems pretty odd to want to demolish that campus fire station. I'd at least like to hear the reasons for it. It seems like it'd be a waste to tear down a historic building the easily serves the fire safety students as well as the dense, surrounding area.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Seems pretty odd to want to demolish that campus fire station. I'd at least like to hear the reasons for it. It seems like it'd be a waste to tear down a historic building the easily serves the fire safety students as well as the dense, surrounding area.

Whoa! what? I missed the tear down part.