HOCHATOWN – A decision by the McCurtain County Board of Commissioners to delay a public vote on the incorporation of Hochatown could be putting people’s lives and millions of dollars’ worth of cabins at risk.
In fact, the lack of municipal services for the small, southeastern Oklahoma community has become such a concern that it has drawn the attention of federal and state agricultural officials.
Earlier this year, a group of Hochatown residents presented the commission with a petition signed by a majority of those who live of the small southeastern Oklahoma community. The petition asked the county commission to call an election on the possible incorporation of Hochatown.
But despite a law requiring the commission to act within 30 days, no action has been taken since April.
Dian Jordan, Hochatown’s unofficial mayor and the organizer of the effort, said the continuing delay prevents Hochatown from adding municipal services such as police and fire.
And it’s the lack of those services – particularly a municipal fire department – that has drawn the attention of the state Forestry Department and the United States Department of Agriculture.
In December, state Forestry Services Director Mark Goeller to members of the ag board that he was concerned about the potential for wildfires in Hochatown. According to the on-line media service eCapitol, Goeller said Hochatown “has the possibility to become the site of another fire tragedy such as the 2016 Gatlinburg, Tennessee, fires.”
“Let me tell you this: we need to take a tour down there,” Goeller said. “It is scary for a guy like me to see where these people have built these homes. These cabins and the potential for loss, not only just the home loss but also loss of life is tremendous. Our guys were out Thanksgiving, all night working on fires. So, it’s coming.”
In addition to Goeller, screenshots obtained by Southwest Ledger show the Hochatown’s wildfire potential was a featured topic at a USDA forestry convention in South Carolina. One source, who asked not to be identified, said the wildfire potential for Hochatown “has the attention of the USDA on a national level and is a big topic of conversation.”
Documents from Forestry Department show that Oklahoma experienced 859 wildfires in 2021 which covered 73,521 acres.
Edmond attorney Liz George, the attorney for the group, said the push for Hochatown’s incorporation would continue and could include another legal action. “We are considering taking prompt legal action to move the process forward,” she said.