City launches green education program

Oklahoma City residents wanting to learn more about green infrastructure can participate in a series of free monthly classes offered through the City of Oklahoma City.

The first class, Successful and Sustainable Landscapes, will take place from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, February 2 in the Community Room of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, 1000 N Broadway Avenue (map).

Presenter Brian Dougherty will discuss practical ideas for people to plant and maintain landscapes in Oklahoma City.  Dougherty is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and Director of the Parks & Public Spaces Initiative at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.

The class is free and open to the public.  Registration is not required.

The series was a recommendation of a taskforce studying green infrastructure for the City.  Green infrastructure highlights the importance of the natural environment as a contributing part of the City’s infrastructure.

WARD 2/City-Wide

Thursday, February 16 – Town Hall Meeting and Health Fair  

A city-wide Town Hall Meeting and Health Fair hosted by Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid will be held at 6:00pm until 9:00pm at the OKC Marriott, 3233 N.W. Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73112.

Health Organizations are invited to set up booths in the hotel Entry Foyer. Confirmed Speakers include: David Blatt PhD (Director, OK Policy Institute), Terry L. Cline, PhD (Oklahoma Commissioner of Health), Gary Cox, JD (Director, OKC-County Health Dep’t [OCCD]), Ed Shadid MD(OKC Councilor, Ward 2), Ray Vaughn JD(Oklahoma County Commissioner, District 3),

Terri White MSW (Commissioner, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse).

Contact Councilman Shadid with any questions at 297-2402 or view the Facebook Event.

Oklahoma City homeowners can apply online at www.okc.gov now through February 15 for a chance to receive a partial rebate on the purchase and installation of a new safe room.

A safe room is any above or below ground shelter that provides protection from a tornado and meets or exceeds FEMA 320 and/or 361 guidelines.

Participants will be chosen from an electronic random selection to be conducted at the end of February.  Sixty-four homes per ward will be selected for a total of 504 Oklahoma City homes.

Recipients will be notified by mail and given 30 days to return a voluntary participation notice.  The storm shelter can be installed only after participants receive a notice to proceed from the City. Recipients will then have nine months to install their shelter.

A maximum rebate of $2,000 is available per home selected, not to exceed 75 percent of the cost of the storm shelter. Industry experts estimate the cost of a shelter ranges anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 or more.

“Now that our safe room program is off the ground we hope to offer it annually to residents,” Emergency Manager Frank Barnes said.  “Having a safe room in your home is the best way to protect your family during a tornado.”

Residents can apply on line at www.okc.gov or pick up an application at the City Clerk’s Office on the second floor of City Hall, 200 N Walker.

A break in occurred near 68th & Portland on Tuesday, 12/20/2011 around 8:30 or 9:00 PM.  Police were called and did investigate.  No one was home at the time of the incident.

Remember to keep all doors and windows locked and secured at all times.  Anytime you see suspicious activity, call 911 immediately.

Oklahoma City Beautiful and Southern Tree Preservation is planning a pine tree removal day for January 28. Pine wilt has been spreading around our city and killing non-native pines at an alarming rate. The blight can only be stopped by cutting down the pines that are sustaining the nematodes (the cause of the disease).

Lisa Synar, OKC Beautiful Executive Director, said “Last year was great, we removed 46 trees! This year we hope to get to even more. We are so happy to be able to provide this service to Oklahoma City.”

From 8 a.m. till 5 p.m., arborists will cut the trees and volunteers will pull the branches to the curb. Once the branches are at the curb, the City will pick them up and burn them.

In order to make the Pine Tree Removal more successful, volunteers are heavily needed. For more information about this event or to volunteer, please call Lauren Dennison at 525-8822 or e-mail lauren@okcbeautiful.com

For More Information Contact:
Lauren Dennison at OKC Beautiful
lauren@okcbeautiful.com
Office: 405-525-8822
Fax: 405-525-8826

Information about Pine Wilt
Information and online application form available here.

Local Firefighters are partnering with Liberty Mutual to help families live safer, more secure lives.  They believe the more you know about home fire hazards and the steps you can take to prevent home fires, the safer both your family and our community will be.

The Fire Safety Pledge program is your chance to give back to the brave men and women of your local fire department who tirelessly work to protect your community.  Each fall, Liberty Mutual offers $10,000 awards to fire departments where community members demonstrate their commitment to fire safety.

If granted, our Fire Department will use these funds to purchase and provide smoke alarms to individuals who cannot afford to equip their household with a working device.

Simply Log on to www.befiresmart.com and take the quiz, then credit the Oklahoma City Fire Department with the contact.

Thank you for your assistance in  this effort.

The Pledge program is now open - through October 31st.

Oklahoma City is developing a new comprehensive plan, called planokc. It is a long-range plan with the goal of ensuring a healthy environment, community, and economy for our residents. planokc is for the entire city – all 621 square miles. There are nine elements of planokc: Sustain, Connect, Green, Live, Enrich, Play, Strengthen, Serve, and Go.

A Citizen Advisory Team is being formed to assist with the development of planokc. Applications will be accepted through Thursday, November 10, 2011. The Mayor will appoint 25 members to represent a cross-section of interests across the community. You may apply to represent any of the eight planokc elements, the Healthy Communities Oversight Group, the development sector, public schools, or the community at large. Additionally, members of Planning Commission and City Council will represent each Ward on the Citizen Advisory Team.

The Citizen Advisory Team will provide advice at key junctures in the planning process, overseeing the collective work done by stakeholder groups. The Team is expected to meet approximately 15 times during the development of the plan. The plan is anticipated to be complete in 2013.

If you are interested in applying or know someone who is, please visit www.planokc.org or click here to fill out an application. You may also call 297-2283 to have one mailed to you.

The City of Oklahoma City, in partnership with the Tree Bank Foundation, is making 1,000 free trees available to citizens as part of the “Great OKC Tree Give-Away.”

Residents who want a free tree must pre-register. Registration begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 6. There are two ways to register:

1. Log on to www.okc.gov/releaf  and click on the registration link.
2. Call 405-604-0041

Only those citizens living inside the corporate limits of Oklahoma City are eligible to receive a free tree. This includes residents who are served by Oklahoma City Police and/or Fire. Having an Oklahoma City utilities bill is not a sole qualifier. The program is open to private residences only, and there is a limit of one tree per household.

Distribution will take place on Saturday, October 29 at the OSU-OKC Physical Plant, 930 North Portland Avenue.  Residents picking up their trees must bring their registration confirmation card.

This is the fifth time the Tree Bank and the City have teamed up for the effort, and to date, over 4,500 free trees have been distributed to Oklahoma City citizens. Funding for the program is provided through a grant from the Houston-based Apache Foundation.

For complete program details, including a list of the tree types available, citizens may visit online at www.okc.gov/releaf, or call 405-604-0041.

2011 April Newsletter

2010 August Newsletter