FROM THE MAYOR’S DESK: Let’s propel Lawton to the future

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By Mayor Stan Booker, City of Lawton

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  • Lawton's Mayor Stan Booker
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If we can all just take a deep breath and set aside the pandemic for a minute. Remember back in February when the citizens passed the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) extension by a 2 to 1 margin? Then before it could go into effect, the pandemic hit.

The CIP passed in February and went into effect on April 1, 2020. With all the chaos and confusion surrounding the times, many have forgotten about how we are planning to “Propel Lawton to the Future.” Successful communities plan for the future, and the CIP is our plan. We must become a city of choice for young families.

This is no ordinary CIP as it is designed to invest in our City in a way that will make us that city of choice for young families. Number one on our minds has to be public safety. This CIP invests significantly in our youth, six million dollars to be exact. By helping youth be successful, we will cut crime. Every child deserves our help to be successful. Frederick Douglas said, “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken adults,” and we all know that is true. This is already in the works with different councilpersons investigating different options, and more will be coming forward soon.

Our $20 million investment in Parks & Recreation will be a game-changer for sure! Soon, the council will receive a recommendation from the Parks & Recreation Commission for a Parks Master Plan. We will hold public meetings so that citizens will have the opportunity to drive the train and determine what is important. This is where the indoor sports complex comes in to play. Renovations at our ball fields, and other parks amenities, will help to make us a city of choice for young families.

Everyone wants better roads, and the Propel CIP not only addresses Lee Boulevard and other major roads, but also sets aside $10 million to catch us up on deferred preventative maintenance on our streets. This will fix the streets needing repair and keep the streets in good condition in good condition longer. This is a smart investment in the future that will pay dividends. And, don’t forget the Street Bond that was passed for residential streets. That work is about to begin. We will also be accelerating the work schedule so that more streets will be refurbished sooner rather than later.

Sidewalks are a must in this day and age when people want “Walkable Cities.” With the Propel CIP, we will be building sidewalks on main thoroughfares and close to schools. We must become more walkable to attract families.

Everyone wants to live in a beautiful place and this CIP will Propel us to that end, with $8 million designated for items that will be easy on the eyes. We are seeing that our new street sweeper is working and cleaning up our streets and gutters. And, we can already see a decline in litter as citizens buy in to the cleaner, greener Lawton-Fort Sill.

We are making many other investments in infrastructure repair and replacement. For instance, our water system has many components that are past their useful life and need attention. We have set ourselves up for success in the future by designating funds that will be used to upgrade infrastructure and keep down repair bills. But, to really Propel us to the future, we must go after, and secure, jobs. Jobs that will generate prosperity for our community. We have learned that high-tech jobs  must be part of our plan if we are going to build a city that our children and grandchildren will want to remain in or return to.

We continue to focus on STEM education in order to prepare our children for high-tech jobs. For now, our kids are leaving our com- munity for meaningful work in other locations. However, the Propel CIP is having a positive effect, even as you are reading this article. The FISTA, Fires Innovation and Science and Technology Accelerator, and its partner companies that will be supporting our Cross Functional Teams (CFTs) at Fort Sill are already beginning to create opportunity. A program that addresses the Army’s needs for Cyber Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently begun to hire. Yes, Virginia, there will be high-tech jobs in Lawton-Fort Sill.

The citizens of Lawton-Fort Sill have set the trajectory for a bright future with the passing of the PROPEL CIP. And the future starts right now.