Public Safety Center Forum Set For Monday…Part 2
This letter is in response to Randel Shadid’s letter regarding the proposed Edmond Public Safety Center.
My name is Chris Cook, I am the President of the Edmond Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and a Detective with the Edmond Police Department. We are urging residents to vote yes to the proposed new Safety Center that will house the Police Department, Emergency Management and the 911 Call Center.
I would like to clear up erroneous information that was included in Mr. Shadid’s recent letter.
#1.The building will cost $379 per square foot, not the more than $400 stated by Mr. Shadid. This is not the same as building a house, laboratories, a 911 Center and the Jail facility require extra security measures which increases the cost per square foot.
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Public Safety Center Forum Set For Monday
Still haven’t made up your mind on the proposed public safety center?
Then come to an open forum at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Edmond Council Chambers, 20 S Littler, hosted by the COPS Leadership Council. After a short presentation those in the audience can ask questions and those watching on Edmond Life TV, cable channel 20, can e-mail their questions about the $31.5 million Public Safety Center.
Here are what representatives from both sides of the issue are saying.
Letter to the editor from Randel Shadid.
I am writing to encourage the voters to vote no on the new $31.5 million, 83,000 sq.ft., property tax financed ballot issue on Nov. 4th. The issue is styled Proposition 1 on the ballot. There are a variety of reasons I oppose the present plan. I agree that the Police Department needs more space. That is not the issue. The issue is do they need 83,000 sq. ft. at over $400 per square foot construction cost and should it be financed with property tax.
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Dinner For Delores Helps Abuse Victims
Domestic violence can happen anywhere and at anytime.
According to Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s office, more than 23,400 domestic violence cases were reported across the state in 2007. That same year, 56 domestic violence homicides happened. Oklahoma ranks fourth among states in the rate of women killed by men, according to a new study by the Violence Policy Center.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Oklahoma, and Monday in Edmond, the Attorney General’s office is hosting its third annual Dinner for Delores.
The dinner supports the Delores Fund, named for an eastern Oklahoma domestic violence survivor. All proceeds are used to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
The dinner will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at Cafe 501, 501 S Boulevard. The cost is $50. Tickets, which are tax deductible, are available by calling Marcia Smith at 524-0700, ext. 12 or Carrie Bullard at 409-4023.
In fiscal year 2008, the Delores Fund honored 350 requests for more than $67,000.
Let me encourage you to learn more about domestic violence in our state and help support victims of abuse.
Friday Is Deadline To Register To Vote
Friday is the last day to register to vote in time for the Nov. 4 presidential election.
This year, Edmond residents have the opportunity to vote for president and federal and state legislators. There are also four state questions on the ballot this year. Oh, yeah. You might have heard something about a proposed Edmond Public Safety Center, too.
But to vote on Election Day, you must be registered. If you’ve recently moved or changed your name, re-registering to vote may make voting more convenient. Registering to vote is easy. You must be a United States citizen, resident of Oklahoma, and at least 18 years old to apply to become a registered voter.
But you could be among the registered voters who might be surprised Nov. 4 to learn they can’t vote. Registered voters who have missed voting for the past six years will not be able to vote unless they register again. You can call the election board to see if your name has been purged from voting.
Oklahoma voter registration application forms are available at the County Election Board, 4201 N Lincoln Blvd. Application forms also are available at Edmond post offices, the Edmond public library, and all tag agencies, as well as on the Internet at http://www.elections.state.ok.us/.
Here’s a list of Edmond tag agencies:
Woodcrest Tag Agency, 3131 East Waterloo Road, Suite A, 348-9000
Sanford Edmond South, 3216 South Boulevard, 341-9401
Santa Fe Tag Agency, 338 South Santa Fe Avenue, 330-2112
Broadway Tag Agency, 3900 South Broadway, Suite 2E, 341-1400
Edmond Tag Agency, 2 West 1st Street, 341-0742
How Far Should Fire Fighters Go To Assist People?
Your first memory of fire fighters might be of them climbing ladders to rescue kittens out of trees.
From this movie stereotype we’ve come to trust that firefighters and for that matter police officers often go above and beyond the call of duty to serve others.
So is there any harm when Edmond firefighters perform good deeds for others while on duty?
The actions of some firefighters who took time to finish building a deck for an injured fire fighter on leave due to back surgery, has come into question recently. Those involved saw what they were doing as helping finish something that could have been a safety hazard for the fire fighters children according to what they told an Oklahoman reporter.
Even Edmond Fire Chief Gil Harryman said there are several incidents where fire fighters have helped Edmond residents in a number of ways. When one person was taken to the hospital after collapsing while mowing the lawn, a fire fighter took the mower and finished the job. Another time fire fighters helped repair a wheelchair ramp at an Edmond home that was about to collapse after answering a medical assist call.
Does there need to be stricter guidelines that would keep our fire fighters or police officers from performing personal assistance functions? Isn’t that the type of service we would like to see, not only in rescuers, but in each other, neighbors helping neighbors?
Where is the line? That’s for all of us to consider.
