ALTUS — Residents left without air-conditioning and cold water were welcomed to the city gymnasium last week as temperatures soared to over 100 degrees.
The gym, located at 601 Katy Drive, served as a cooling station for those people who were battling the heat wave that hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit June 28 and stayed above the century mark over the next two days.
Altus Mayor Robert Garrison said the gym’s cooling station was open from noon to 7 p.m. and was accompanied with cold water.
“This was mainly for the excessive heat we’re having and will be open until the temperature goes back down,” he said.
Temperatures dropped back into the mid to lower 90s on Saturday.
This was the first time Altus city officials have opened a cooling station for residents, the mayor said.
Altus will continue to open the gymnasium as a cooling station when the summer temps become “unseasonable,” City Manager Gary Jones said.
“When it gets to a point that it’s detrimental to our residents, that’s when we’ll open it again,” he said. “It (heat) gets to people when there’s long stretches of hot weather, when the temperature or heat index is 100 (degrees) or above.”
City officials will continue to monitor the summer weather before deciding whether to open the cooling station.
Water usage restricted
City officials also began restricting water usage because of the ongoing drought and water levels at Tom Steed Reservoir, which remain below 70%. The city officially declared Stage 2 water conservation restrictions, which are set by local ordinances.
All outdoor watering will be limited to two days per week from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. to midnight. All outdoor watering or irrigation will be prohibited from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., except for hand-watering with a hose or watering can, according to city ordinance. Hoses must be equipped with shut-off nozzles.
Single-family addresses ending in odd numbers will water only on Saturdays and Wednesdays while single-family addresses ending in even numbers will be required to water only on Sundays and Thursdays.
Other properties such as multifamily, commercial, industrial, and churches are allowed to water only on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Nonessential city water use will be suspended, such as water line flushing, fire hydrant testing and washing of vehicles. Watering of parks, cemetery and other city property will be limited to Mondays and Thursdays.
Pressure washing or hosing buildings, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots or patios is prohibited, except for commercial operations where such restriction would cause a substantial hardship.