LAWTON – The City Council has tentatively picked a concessionaire for School House Slough, and recreational area agreements for Lakes Lawtonka and Ellsworth were discussed recently.
One bidder for the School House Slough contract at Lake Lawtonka was Juan Rodriguez of Cache, a City of Lawton employee. “Should I be selected as the vendor, it is my intention to submit my resignation to my supervisor,” Lawton Lake Supervisor Jim Bonnarens.
Rodriguez said he would begin paying the city $1,000 per month 30 days after the convenience store opens for business. He would deduct from his monthly payments anything he spent on repairs and improvements to the city-owned property.
Restarting fuel service would be “paramount” and would be provided “as quickly as the Oklahoma Corporation Commission would allow,” Rodriguez said.
The next step would be stocking the store with “normal convenience store items.” Alcoholic beverages, principally beer, would “soon follow upon licensing from the ABLE Commission.”
He would offer “a limited take-out menu starting with pizza,” and spend the off season “improving the facility and preparing for” a broader menu.
James and Natalie Janis of Lawton also submitted an M&O proposal for School House Slough. They proposed a seven- year lease with a 5% pa yback on gross sales, but only if the payback were postponed for three years.
Both bidders asked the city to provide one trailer/camper space for the vendor at no cost, and both maintained that the city should not issue permits to competing food vendors.
The council directed city staff to negotiate a f ive-year lease agreement with Rodriguez, d/b/a School House Slough Convenience Store LLC, for management and operation of the SHS convenience store and fuel pumps. The agreement must be reviewed first by the city’s bond counsel and then brought back to the City Council for formal approval.
Former concessionaire Kent Waller’s long-term lease for School House Slough expired Dec. 31, 2022, and the city spent a little under $3 million to compensate him for improvements he made there. Since then the city has been seeking someone to manage the concession area.
In a related matter, the council received a staff briefing about current city lake recreational area agreements, including concessionaire agreements, at Lawtonka and Ellsworth.
Parks & Recreation Director Larry Parks and Lake Superintendent Bonnarens related that the city has two recreation area leases remaining at Lake Lawtonka and two concessionaire leases at Lake Ellsworth. “The remaining city properties located around the lake areas are covered by agriculture leases,” the officials said.
The two recreational leases are with the Sunken Bridge Yacht Club and the Lawton Boat Club. The two concessionaire leases at Ellsworth are Ralph’s Resort and the Fisherman Cove areas. Expiration dates on those agreements are drawing near.
“We need to look at what is being charged, whether it’s too little,” Councilman George Gill said.
“The citizens of Lawton own those properties and we need to get the most money we possibly can for them,” said Councilman Randy Warren. “We need to increase those fees more than once every 28 years.”
“We need to send these bac k for a look at the fees,” echoed Councilman Kelly Harris.
The City Council asked the Fee Committee to develop a suggestion, and voted to extend existing contracts month-to-month “until better information is available.” The Fee Committee is comprised of Councilmembers Mary Ann Hankins, Linda Chapman, Bob Weger, and Harris.