Oh, well, the water.

Well, you're a little bit more than a lot.

All right.

Good morning.

Welcome to the Tulsa Authority for Economic Opportunity regular board meeting for Thursday, June the twenty fifth.

We are in order and let's call the role.

Yes.

Craig Abraham.

Here.

Counselor Bingle.

Here.

Call Bracey.

Tyler Duncan.

Here.

Jennifer Griffin.

Elliot Hertata.

Andy McMillan.

I'm here.

Steve Mitchell.

Joan Parkhurst.

Ashley Phillipson.

Katie Blahke.

Aaron Parsley.

Here.

Sorrell Sigford.

We have a forum.

All right.

Item two review of the consent agenda requests to remove any items for separate discussion consideration and vote.

Any such requests from the trustees?

Hearing none.

Item three, consider discuss and approve, amend revisor reject vote to approve consent agenda items A through F, as noted in your agenda and in your meeting packets.

Craig Abraham.

Sorry.

Call Brazy.

Tyler Duncan.

Yes.

Andy McMillan.

Yes.

Ashley Phillipson?

Yes.

Aaron Parsley.

Yes.

Item four with the consideration of any items removed.

There were none.

So we move on to item five.

Consider discussion approved men revised an agreement with GovSense platform.

Not to exceed 136 to 40.

Renita and Lynn.

What'd you say?

All right, good morning.

So Lynn and I are here to bring forward GovSense.

Now, if you remember last year, this was a tool that we've been looking at.

I guess exactly 12 months.

No, even more than that.

About a year and a half, year and a half.

That we've been considering it.

And so it is a government government resource planning tool.

It is a financial management software that we're asking to move forward with.

And this ties into our larger core strategy of optimizing our operations and tightening up our financial management system.

So I'll take it to you for why I need it.

Okay, so what this does is it brings together, it'll it'll help us pull together the information.

We'll still be working a little bit with MUDIS as well, but this stuff from the city of Tulsa, from the banks, from the counties.

But it'll help us with transparency, it'll help it'll and efficiency, but it'll also allow you to see what we're doing.

Um there's certain modules right now.

We just want to do the financial one.

If they're there, it's scalable.

So if they're in the future, if there are other um things that we want to add, like asset management of our you know, garages of our properties, whatever, uh, we can do that.

Uh we can add the CRM later, we if we want to, we don't have to.

So right now we're just looking at the financial aspect of it.

Um it'll help with our audit because it's already looking at all the government accounting standards boards and incorporating those um uh restrictions or implementation dates.

Um it's just it'll create a lot of efficiencies.

In the past, um, I don't know if you'll remember uh about a year ago, the city of Tulsa quit doing our accounting.

Um, and what they did was they pulled all our financial statements together.

Um they took over the audit, they wrote the audit narrative, and for about a year I've been doing all of that as well.

So um it it kind of takes the place of that was assigned to one full-time employee, and so it it just stands in for that.

So, yeah, so I think the main things are like it streamlines our financial operations, it increases transparencies, it's gonna be better use.

Using this tool, it will be better use of our finance director's time.

Um, you will be have if we decide to go forward with this, you will have access to the platform as well.

So you can go in and take a look at um transactions.

Um I believe we so we've already spoken to the finance committee about this.

We've also spoken um in the admin and ops committee about this.

Um, I know in the weekly update about two weeks ago.

I um attached the project description guide on the why, the who, what, why, uh, and how of the project and um the gov sense, and so gov Sense itself, if you remember, is based on Oracle.

And they also provided an implementation plan that I had included in that weekly update as well.

Um, they also provided a risk management um document that went through like areas that you know people look at as risks and how they would mitigate that.

Well, I was just gonna say that it's obviously as the name implies, structured for governments and fund accounting, which is um unique to governments, and so this total cost that is up there that includes um 81,000, you'll see it in the memo, 81,000 for implementation, the first year annual subscription fee of 54,000, and then 7500 for the gov sense personnel to travel to um Tulsa and help us implement in person.

It is all also um already in the budget, so this is not additional money, but yes, please.

So remind me, is this a cloud-based service?

Okay, and so the question I would have is because it is cloud-based.

Um is there like an orchestrator to kind of maneuver?

Because I think you said you still have to deal with MUNIS as well.

How many different platforms are you dealing with simultaneously for financials?

So, it's okay.

I was gonna say, take it.

So I think there's there's one thing.

So um about 18% of our budget comes from the city, right?

And then there's that whole other part that is our own.

So we're still gonna have to deal with MENIS because we do work with the city, but we're also looking at that whole other section of revenue and expenses and things that is outside of the city.

So we're always gonna need a tie in.

What we're hoping to do is become less reliant on just the city system.

Okay.

I have a question also because it's cloud-based about security.

Are we going to have uh to incur costs for an IT person to keep us secure?

Um I'm concerned about all that's a lot of information to have on somebody else's servers besides ours.

And the city's already experienced one ransomware um episode, and that would be my biggest fear.

All that information out there, we could be held hostage.

Who's providing the security?

Um, and uh will that require us to have extra people to do that on our side?

Right.

So for extra people on our side, no.

Um, and so those platform itself, again, it's backed by Oracle, so no, no offense to the city, but I actually do trust the scale and size of Oracle and their ability to keep our information safe.

If nothing else, it's probably a better move to move away from the city's.

Okay, no offense.

Um, you're great too, maybe.

Um, but I do that's a genuine concern, and it's within their um risk mitigation plan that I had attached to the weekly update.

Um we don't need to hire someone separately.

This we are gonna be relying on them and their IT people and the large team that they have.

Um, but I do feel that given the size and scope of Oracle, I feel comfortable relying on them to protect our security and data.

I'm not sure if it's good because they're big and strong, or if it's bad because they're big and strong, with a bullseye on them.

Well, they they would have the money for RD and cybersecurity much more than that.

As an ERP uh GRP system, this is software as a service, it'd be pretty typical to have uh pretty significant security documentation that they could provide if you wanted it.

I'm not sure I could understand it if I tried to read it.

Um, bank will probably.

I'm not sure I can uh so I I have I guess I'm less concerned about about their implementation of security at that level.

Our organization also uses Oracle for our cloud-based data, so I'm not super concerned about that.

Um but I but I do understand the questions around security that are I think valid just to make sure that our our access to our information is secure and that it's not you know corruptible as much as possible.

So I think that's a valid concern.

Um I do have one minor question, and that's just that the agreement itself, unless I have not refreshed uh the folder appropriately.

I have the project description and the I have the project description and the implementation plan, but I'm not sure I have the agreement, the actual uh the actual agreement.

You may not agree on it, do it another.

Yeah, I think that is it on the board packet.

Okay.

Did we not have it in the board packet?

The two documents that I have is yeah, the project the implementation plan and then the project description, the actual contract.

I don't have it.

Is there an actual we'd love to see that?

Um while we're while we're thinking about that, the uh the term is this an annual, this an annual contract, multi-year contract, what's it's a one year contract?

It's a one-year contract.

So one year, we're into this for one year, but we're gonna be into a system that is uh that is a long-term system, essentially, right?

We're we're not looking at an implementation cost every year, we're not looking at a no, it would be the annual subscription fee.

Um that we have, yeah.

So that is going to be built into our budget going forward, and what we just have to follow the rules as far as one year contracts and rules, yeah.

Does the subscription uh increase annually as per the contract, or is it just we have the contract for the one year and then we'll find out next year what the subscription is?

I wouldn't say it's like three percent, the three percent increase each year.

Yeah, and so for the first year it's 54,640.

Right, which is cheaper than the full-time employee.

And I would assume there's gonna be additional costs as you add modules to the modules, absolutely.

So we'll see those incrementally potentially.

And I'll tell you right now just from an ops point of view, I don't see us adding anything within the next year.

I really need this via financial management.

But future-wise.

But future wise.

Yeah, so I think exactly.

If we're finding it really useful, if we feel that it would be um, it would just optimize how we work in our real estate department, definitely.

I will say I will also work on making sure we have increase in revenue.

Yes.

Could there be a discount for entering a multi-year contract as opposed to a year by year contract?

So I think we can only do one-year contract.

The city.

Well, I thought you had a different authority in the city that's beyond multiple year contract.

You can go down multiple years you can't.

I understood it.

The city can't.

That's what we have.

I can do that.

That's what you have to again you won't do.

Okay.

I misunderstood that.

Right now we have a one year contract.

I'd like to explore the con the concept.

The multi-year.

If it's gonna be a discount, too.

Yeah.

That wasn't provided.

I would have looked at that, but that wasn't provided for us.

But to that same token, um, I didn't ask enough.

Yeah.

Okay.

But your point is we'll take it sometimes if we get some time as a scale.

I assuming the system is working, I think it's gonna work.

We know it's gonna work go into more of a multiple-year renewable uh contracts.

Yeah, we could look into that.

Make sense.

Yeah.

Especially looking at if we can say two percent, three percent, especially if you got three percent increase a year.

If that could be mitigated by a longer contract, if the service is working, yeah, it makes sense.

Yeah, and so maybe that's something we look at next year once we kind of roll it, roll it out and work with it.

How long is your UAT on this?

What's a UAT?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Um so basically it's kind of like beta testing.

Okay.

Right?

It's uh before you put it into production, right?

So there's gonna be a ramp up time where you get um kind of simulate the environment and basically have your users go in there before you put it in production.

I'm gonna assume that you're going to do all the beta testing because bugs have to be worked out, obviously when you start a new system.

So, yep, okay.

Yeah, so you got a little bit of time.

Yeah, I just want to make sure that we're thoughtful.

Yeah, thank you for that process and the training because yeah.

So we have implementing a new system is is a lot of work.

Oh, absolutely.

So like within the implementation plan, we have discovery and BRD weeks one and three, configuration and data migration weeks four through ten, UAT and training for weeks eleven and twelve, and then go live weeks thirteen through sixteen.

Okay.

Yeah, and I to Aaron's point and to uh Carl's.

I think the first year when you're just getting into a system, I think it's wise to have a cautionary um mindset about how this works.

You know, because sometimes in the IT world, there's this great idea of this new application, and you find out it's not what you thought it was.

And then you have to go back to the drawing board.

So I like the approach from both angles of this.

Absolutely.

Okay.

All right.

Any other questions?

Questions from the trustees.

It would be good too that I think that our document put in the minority back on the 6th of May, May, 6th of June.

It would be good for you by the first, because it plan also is a risk management.

Agreed in there that it'd be good to take a look at.

Uh that that's very good to some of your points as well concerned about a risk management exposure, they have uh in terms of the impact.

So that's a good document.

Go back and everybody take another look at it.

All right, so I'm following up on my my earlier question of the I don't have an agreement.

No.

So which I'll send.

It's a it's just the area.

We got the error.

It's only implementation.

It's not documented.

I think we sent it to it.

We'll see.

Okay.

So we do have the agreement from Gov Sense itself.

Okay.

We just don't have it in the board package.

Yeah, we don't have it in the board packet.

Okay.

And the contracted uh terms of that agreement are for the dollar amount as specified in the agenda 136 not to exceed 136240.

And the term of that is July 1 through June 30.

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Okay.

So I think I would leave that to my uh colleagues as to whether or not they're comfortable proceeding uh yeah, I'm sorry about that.

Carl, you're in the finance group.

How do you feel?

You're good?

I'm I'm good.

I would I the agreements are the agreement shouldn't be enough to grant us a move rolling.

Okay.

I'm with Carl.

Eric's already reviewed the contract or your your I reviewed this in uh June of 2025.

Okay.

Okay.

I'm good.

I will get you through that.

And I would be talking about this for a while.

So we can send that out.

Okay.

Okay, and I will tell you, like most software is a service agreements.

It was the most one-sided document that I've ever seen.

Yeah, that's a thing.

That's a feature of the screen.

I was like, I would say if we consider a multi-year contract, we'll have to take a good hard look at the termination provisions.

Yeah, I should be able to that's right.

Most contracts, that would be benefit of the user is more approved for a provider.

Yeah, right.

That's I'm not getting legal terms, but you're right.

Yeah.

Alright.

If there are not further questions, then I would entertain uh motion or action on it.

Motion to approve.

So motion.

Second.

And a second.

That's why the discussion let's call the rule.

Craig Abraham?

Yes.

Counselor Bingle.

Yes.

Carl Bracy.

Yes.

Tyler Duncan.

Yep.

Andy McMillan.

Yes.

Ashley Phillipson.

Yes.

Aaron Parsley.

Yes.

Motion approved.

Alright.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um item six.

Consider discussing approved the member advisor agenda.

Fourth renewal to the lease agreement with the city of Tulsa and the Tulsa Public Facilities Authority for the lease of property located here.

Yes, alright.

This is about Partner Tel Sateo and its home.

So right now I will let you know that we currently have 18 full-time staff.

And we are at capacity desk-wise.

So we brought Maria on, we brought John on, and we have zero desks.

Um for anyone else that we would want to bring on.

Not now, we don't have any current openings, but I'm thinking ahead for like the next six years, six months and six years.

Six months, one year.

And so as I look to grow the organization as we do more work and get more revenue and things like that, um, we would do need a space to grow into.

And so the opportunity has come about to move to floor 11 within the building.

So next floor up.

Um currently our square footage is 4146.

The new space would be 622.

So additional space, it will stay at the current rent amount, and we'll actually be able, it's a space that we will be able to grow into.

Now a lot of this is also coming um coming from good news that Sixth, the car rental company that we share the floor with is also looking to grow out their company.

So that's great for Tulsa, great for uh great for jobs, all those kind of things.

And so um we've been working with Nia and I have been working with Roger Acibo with the city um facilities management, and I do think that this move from seven to eleven will be for the benefit of the organization.

Right now the timeline is uh for September 1st.

Now we did move recently, I am aware of that, but um I do think that we've learned a lot in that process, and we will be able to optimize our space better.

So, for instance, if you've been to our space right now, you walk in and there's like a large storage cube in the next space, we will move that storage cube to the back.

So what you'll see in the lease uh um in front of you is an agreement that keeps us on the seventh floor up until um up until September 1st, and then September 1st on, we will be on 11.

What that also means is that we're closer to the mayor's office.

Um and I appreciate the building working with us and providing us essentially a discount on our square footage, the fact that we are going up over 2,000 square feet, but then staying at the same rent for this year.

Um we do expect an increase for next year.

How much should it cost for us to move down in the first place?

It costs about eighty thousand.

And how much is it gonna cost for us to move up?

Nothing.

We are getting it um because sixth is uh looking to um expand, they will be covering most of the cost.

Again, I don't I don't I won't say this is what I've understood.

I know it's a discussion between six to the building.

So there won't be any costs to this.

Cool.

What is what I will say, just uh logistically planning, um we will likely have to work remote for the end of August, just as the move happens.

So moves taking place.

It's hard for the uh city's economic development organization to uh get in the way of a company growing.

Right, I know.

It's a good problem to have that a company is growing and needs the space.

And I think in the new space, honestly, it's two thousand extra square feet.

I mean, we can then look at, you know, 20, like we're at 18 right now.

We can look at 25 people, maybe in some time, maybe up to 30, maybe, um, including interns.

So, and I we've asked the building as well that there is um a provision that we don't move again for the next two years to provide some stability.

Okay.

With the cost of zero cost to move in terms of the physical assets, what about what about the issues in terms of technology sources or not really so I mean we're working?

Yeah, great question.

We're working with the space planners right now as far as like core drillings and things like that, but again, we're in the same building, so nothing really is gonna change.

We'll have uh different badge access, of course, but um all that kind of foundational infrastructure will stay the same.

I like the idea of zero cost.

True, right?

Zero zero cost and more your favorite price.

How hard?

That's uh hard to say no to.

So is that an even split of that floor?

Sorry?

Between you and sixth.

No, we just have a corner of it.

Um, so we have the southeast corner of that floor, and the rest of it is sixth.

No, I'm talking about a moving to 11.

Oh, so there's no one else there.

Oh, I know.

That used to be a floor, we all know.

Oh, we have 11, 12, and 13, and we just vacated thirteen last year, so are you like gonna split since both of you are looking at future expansion?

You just taking that 11th floor and just kind of splitting both sides of uh.

Sorry, and I should clarify.

So six is looking to expand on seven.

Oh, okay.

Okay, so just you are moving.

Okay, gotcha.

Sorry, I didn't I didn't clarify that, yeah.

Okay.

I would like to take a tour of the space.

I'm all about this, but I would just like to see it.

Yeah, absolutely.

We have a badge access now.

I think Nia and I have badge access, so we can do that.

Cool.

Um we are, you know, just from my point of view, we are gonna prioritize the windows and have a similar space.

I think there's things that have worked um in this new space.

I think the level of privacy has been helpful for the organization versus our previous setup where we were more kind of horizontally spread out.

We're now much more cube like or a rectangle like, and so there's a lot more interaction, collaboration between the team, I think having our separate lunch spaces, all those kind of things that's been good.

We'll keep that.

The document in front of us extends the lease term through June the 30th of 2027.

Okay.

Um it confirms the expected lease rate.

Which my understanding is that that's essentially a zero impact budget item on the lease rate.

Correct.

So the the rate per square foot is actually dropping to accommodate that, which I think is a nice move from the building owner.

Right.

So right now it's 1850, I believe.

It's going to twelve, and then when we look at um fiscal year 28, it'll go to 1250.

So there's gonna be a slight increase there.

So the fourth amendment that's in front of us right now extends the term for a year, and keeps the payable monthly installments where they are.

It doesn't speak to, it doesn't speak to the floors and the movement in the unless I'm unless I'm missing something.

No, there's nothing in in the document that was in the packet about moving.

Right.

It's confirms the current lease as it is.

So the document, yeah, the document that's in front of us, like I like that it has the lease.

I like that it has the term.

If there is an if there's sort of a side agreement about how this move is gonna be.

I'll just have the fourth amendment.

Okay.

Yeah, I just have the fourth amendment page in it.

I mean, it references um, okay.

So if we so there is agreement for the move as well, right?

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

And like, yeah, we have the map of the floor in it.

And the agreement for the move is captured in in another document or is captured in the lease version that I just.

Sorry, I'll have you come up on this.

Is that not only been captured?

That's one of the I just know that there's move and there's cost of involved, and that's why I'm asking.

Who's it like who's agreeing to what?

This was the agreement, the amendment that was supposed to be presented before we were told that we were going to move.

Before the move.

And this makes sense in that context.

Yes.

Okay.

So there is another document that has been reviewed by uh legal counsel that does speak to the relocation from seven to eleven uh in September as Bernita mentioned.

Okay.

Uh the rate staying the same.

Is it the uh the increase for fiscal year twenty eight?

Okay.

So, that's just every actions we're looking at right now.

This yeah, this is not the correct version of the amendment.

Okay.

Is the correct version of the team?

I didn't.

Do we need to approve this to keep our lease in place and then have another vote later?

Or we stable this, or what?

Since that move is not happening until until September, do we approve the fourth as it's presented here and then do a little bit?

I would looking to get it approved as soon as possible because it still has to go through TPFA and city uh legal council as well before because this goes into effect I think the July one.

Okay.

Um, so I can upload it real quick for you, and maybe we can come back to the agent item.

Can we do that one?

Eric says yes.

Okay, let's do that.

I got the nod from Eric.

Yeah, with the change in business terms addressed and agree to the amendment provided these additional terms are added.

Okay.

And then I'll I'll make sure that they are all right.

So for right now, we will move off of the discussion of six and discuss item seven uh with the possibility of looping back to item six later.

Consider discuss and approve, amend revise or reject a seventh amendment to the city of Tulsa Teo agreement for affordable housing trust fund administration to revise the compensation amount from one percent to three percent to a flat fee of four percent.

Remember, okay.

So all this does is simplify the administrative fee because um what was happening was that we could charge the city a 1% fee with uh an additional 3% if we um detailed out Eric's fees specific to any affordable housing trust fund work, and that was creating an administrative nightmare for Eric's office.

So uh what we've done is request that the city uh allow us to charge a 4% fee, which is also consistent with uh what is charged for the DDRF funds as well as the uh administrative fee that we received from TCF for the affordable housing trust fees.

Questions for Lynn?

Hearing none.

Is there a motion on item seven?

Second.

It's a motion and a second on item seven.

Would you please call the roll for us?

Yes, Craig Abrahamson, yes, Councillor Bingle, yes, Carl Bracy, yes, Tyler Duncan, yep, Andy McMillan, yes, Ashley Phillipson, Aaron Parsley, yes, all right.

Sounds done.

Good work there.

Shall we continue on to finance and real estate?

I don't know if I think so.

Are you ready unless you're ready for six item six?

Um, yeah, it is on one of the okay.

It's in team.

So would we find that in the box?

Yeah, okay.

So let's go on to item eight for now.

Uh considering about the team, so I'm sorry.

You're right.

Consider discuss and approve amend revised reject loan agreement by and between John T.

Catherine D.

MacArthur Foundation and Teo in the amount not to exceed two million dollars.

Vicky, warning.

It is still more, it is simple.

Thank you.

We have talked about the Just Home Project for many, many years.

This started uh probably at the end of 21, and uh the application was put in in 2022.

We were accepted by the MacArthur Foundation as a jurisdiction or a city that would participate in the Just Home program.

So uh it's taken a while to get to this point, but we are certainly thrilled that we're here, so as you can see, I threw together a little agenda up here.

After the beautiful Revlon paint.

Yep, there we go.

So what the Just Home Project does is works with individuals that were previously justice involved, helps them as they exit the system to provide housing to them and services to them so that they can move forward safely into the community and uh contribute.

So we've tried to encapsulate that in the pictures going from, you know, a a system into a home into training and education and then on into a job.

And the whole thing is we don't want to, we're trying to help so that we don't see people go back into incarceration.

So as I mentioned, partner Tulsa got accepted into this program in 2022, and we do provide housing and services for these individuals.

In the early stages, we were giving it given a grant to work with our community and come up with a communities advisory committee, a stakeholder group, if you will.

So that has been cemented into ourselves, family and children's services, housing solutions, and the Terrence Crutcher Foundation.

So periodically we will meet as a group, and whatever our task is at the time, we work through that and then move on to other things.

We have recently incorporated Breck Wilkins, who is our program evaluator, as well as the Robinsons, who are our developer for this program.

We've incorporated them, if you will, into the circle to continue to move this program forward.

Talked about that.

So now here we are at the contracting phase, and this is two contracts we need to discuss today.

One is with the MacArthur Foundation.

They will provide us, partner Tulsa or TAO specifically, with up to $2 million as a loan.

We then will turn around and loan those funds to our developer to create housing for people that have been previously justice involved.

Now, this is an issue that is very challenging for people because certain funding sources will not allow people into housing that have a particular background.

So this is something that's very much needed.

And if you come out of incarceration, you don't have the family and the support that you need, oftentimes you're going to wind up right back where you were.

So very very important housing program that we're putting together here.

So as I mentioned, the loan from MacArthur to Teo for up to two million dollars.

The term on the loan is 10 years, the interest on that loan is 1% per annum, and that's paid quarterly.

As I also mentioned, Teo is going to loan the funding in two tranches to our developers to create housing.

The developer will pay us interest quarterly, and we have requested in our developer agreement that that interest be paid ahead of when we need to turn around and pay that to MacArthur.

So they will pay us interest quarterly.

They will also pay us an administration fee because this has been a lot of work to date.

So we are requesting a 1% admin fee, and and Nia's going to talk about that when she talks about the development agreement.

But ultimately, at the end of the 10-year term, that loan will be paid off to MacArthur, and we will have great housing in our community for this purpose.

So I'm going to turn it over to Nia at this point.

So the second part of this is a development agreement with a developer.

It's kind of a development agreement and a loan agreement, but we back when, again, I believe you all know that this project has changed hands a few times.

But Joan, who was the last one that kind of worked through this, he worked with the community partners that we that Vicky mentioned to try to move this project forward, and try to get this, you know.

Obviously, since 2021, we are at a point where it's like we need to get a project plan together and get this this ball rolling and get uh, you know, see the impact of the funds that have been granted to us.

So uh they looked for a kind of a community developer that um has experience with justice involved tenants, has kind of in-field, has a portfolio of in-field properties uh that they exclusively manage, they own and manage.

So uh the Robinsons were identified as kind of that perfect fit to partner with us to identify units or develop and construct units for these justice involved individuals.

Um part of their agreement uh that we've discussed would include one the sub loan to them of up to two million dollars.

It would come in two separate tranches, so one million up front that relate to yes, the two phases that are within the agreement as well.

But the first million will be for the refinance and rehabilitation of two separate properties, and that will get us eight units all together, or sorry, ten units uh for that first phase.

The second phase will be uh another disbursement of a million dollars that will be the rehab and refinance of a current property that they own, which is at 809 North Birmingham Avenue, uh, and that will deliver 13 units uh before they move on to phase two, they will be required to show significant uh progress towards the completion of phase one, uh, because not only would we have to say, okay, this is uh substantial substantially completed, but MacArthur also we have to show MacArthur that there has been progress made on this project before they release the second million dollars uh to us to sub loan to the Robinsons.

Uh the some of the uh mechanisms that are in place to kind of protect our investment is that we would be first have a first mortgage on uh all three of the homes that are included within this project plan.

Uh we have the declaration of restrictive covenants that uh require the long-term affordability, which is 10 years, so they are required to have uh these units affordable and for justice involved individuals for 10 years.

Uh the Robinsons have also agreed to uh sign a personal guarantee.

Uh if anything goes wrong with the payments towards that they owe to us and that we eventually owe to MacArthur.

Uh, we have a personal guarantee to fall back on.

Uh, and then we just have our standard default and floor foreclosure remedies throughout the contract uh that would allow us to take any action should they default on their loan or any performance obligations.

Um as Vicky mentioned, there is an administrative fee built in to the agreement where basically we are also collecting one percent um interest fee, well, sorry, is this it's an admin fee, but on the outstanding loan amount up to 25,000, and then after that, that admin fee is decreased to 0.5 uh percent, so half a percent uh going forward.

But we'll collect that over the nine years of the loan term that they have with us.

Uh again, we will be collecting their payment in advance of our payment that is due to MacArthur.

Uh the other, oh we did have a map, yeah.

I'll show of the three properties.

Uh as I mentioned, two 220 North Tacoma and 3954 East Admiral Court uh are the two properties that are within phase one that will be completed first, and they're looking about uh shouldn't exceed six months for the completion of those two properties, and then the second phase, yes, the second phase is 809 North Birmingham.

I can't tell you exactly which one is which, uh, but those are the location of the three properties within the project plan.

Uh following if this is approved at the Taylor Board, we will still have to go to city council to get approval of the loan agreement.

Uh we need city council approval to and cover uh any debt uh against the authority.

Um other than that, we will continue to work with the community partners and the evaluators to uh identify that pipeline of tenants to go that are coming from incarceration and need housing.

And I'll open it up to any questions.

Go ahead, cancer me.

Oh, sorry no please tell me what that means, and legalese.

What does a personal guarantee?

Oh, it means that the members of the LLC have guaranteed collection of the amount of the promissory note personally not just the LLC not just the LLC the LLC is the borrower right but the members of the LLC guarantee recovery of that principal okay in the event that the company does not okay if we confirm their network to be make their guarantee worth anything I I believe that we have financials okay and yeah that's what I was assuming that the mortgage that they have the assets to cover this should the LLC fight yeah and the mortgage is a little tight I think but uh but we will be in first position on the mortgage I'm sorry I was gonna ask at least uh the exit uh at the end of at the end of this term can you can you walk me through how the how the exit works here right now we have it structured where the Robinson's loan term is actually only nine years so that balloon payment will be due well in advance of what is due to MacArthur it's in our because our loan term with MacArthur is 10 years but they will uh owe that two million dollars uh balloon payment at the end of at the term of nine years at maturity having worked with a couple of uh projects that had balloon payments at the end of it um nine years from now personnel change people uh people's memories fade the documents fade probably a bunch of different people sitting around this table at that point um in my own experience the regular contact with them to remind them that a balloon payment is due so that we don't have a surprise in year nine that they're like oh two million bucks oh yeah right just I not that that anybody's gonna actually forget that obligation but it it does creep up on you where like that's a future problem and so present present tao trustees would be interested I'm sure in in how we arrive at knowing that that that um is being addressed over time.

I'll say historically um with either uh affordable housing trust fund agreements or some older uh TDA DDRF uh agreements where they were long term uh those that are long term we definitely start reminding up to two years in advance uh with some of the affordable housing trust fund agreements those are some have annual payments and we'll uh send out reminders up to four months in advance uh for that uh but I we definitely have uh obviously there'll also probably be turnover at Partner Tulsa uh within 10 years but uh I think what we plan to do is just have those uh kind of standards and and guidelines set up in advance to say okay these are the the points in which we need to make we have a regular touch point in that they do have fees and fees and interest correct right because we've got a check in and then annual compliance reports uh so I think them it's always at the top of their mind that we have a loan with with partner Tulsa that will be coming due in nine years but they do have uh annual reporting requirements and I think that would definitely be a good point too I noticed from the agreement so obviously you know it they're passing they're paying uh an administrative fee and they're paying an interest payment to us we're turning around and paying that interest payment back to the McArthur foundation that extra year of time between when that's due and when Tao is due to make a balloon payment back to the MacArthur Foundation.

I guess during that time it looked like there was no problem with prepayment anything like that that seemed to be acceptable to the that was a doomsday scenario yeah to allow a year to complete a foreclosure proceeding if that's necessary okay before we are in default to MacArthur.

Kind of what I thought, but I wanted to make sure that's one of the I wasn't gonna use the word doomsday.

I appreciate that you did.

Um so I'm I'm I'm also just interested in in as from a structural perspective.

It looks like uh upon closing the loan, we pull uh a million dollar draw.

Yes.

And then we're dispersing that million dollars all at once, or will the borrower be drawing from us?

It will be available all at once.

I will say, I know I need to speak with Eric about this, but as far as closing uh on the refines and purchases, I believe that will come directly from us as a lender to the title company and closing company versus giving it to directly to the property.

So that comes in tranches that are deal-based rather than just a blanket.

Right, so but we what we will give directly to them is the the funding for the balance of the funding for rehabilitation costs.

Okay, yes, but because there are reporting requirements within our agreement with MacArthur, we will then make sure those reporting requirements are made known to the developer, and so they are going to have to provide us with information about invoices and you know making sure that everything is above board.

That we document every as what the funding is used for.

We need we have documentation from them to show what those funds were used for.

I didn't look for this term, but it just occurred to me as we were saying this too.

Is this uh does MacArthur have expectations about the speed of deployment?

Do they have requirements around to a certain extent?

Yes, there.

So there is a date in which uh they can not they're not obligated to provide us with any further disbursements, which is August, no, September of 2027.

Okay.

Uh so that's kind of also mirrored into the Robinson's agreement.

Okay, yeah.

That makes sense.

So the first phase one of the development, that's going to be a home that they're turning into single room only, and they will be able to rent a room for like three hundred and fifty dollars a month.

So someone that's coming out of incarceration that doesn't have sport, doesn't have funding, um, that will be ideal for them.

They're also, and they've already got the home.

Uh so that should be a quick turnaround on that.

And the other part of that is the acquisition of an apartment building that will provide additional units.

So all that being said, phase one should go quickly, seven to eight months, and then they'll get into the heavy length from 809 from the stuff.

Are we funding in to the developer in advance of them incurring their construction costs?

The it is set up as an advanced disbursement.

Okay, so we don't have the opportunity to require lien waivers before we give them the money.

We no, we are not set up to be a construction lender.

We're not set up like the okay with inspectors and with all of that kind of follow-up.

So uh we will continue to monitor, we will continue to get that information, but yeah, it's entirely possible that there will be a mechanics loan filed uh that will be subordinate to our recorded mortgage.

Could we make a requirement that they provide a loan waiver to their contractors prior to uh moving forward?

It's it's just something that we used to do as a regular practice.

We would get a lien waiver from the contractor before they will pay.

Oh, before they receive their payment from the general contract, sure.

So that could potentially package for me.

That is not the way that we have set this up.

We've set this up, we fund the acquisition of the property, we record a first mortgage on the property, and then we fund the balance of that first tranche uh as a development uh expenditure as a as an advance for development costs.

We don't fund any more until we get all the reports until they're online and everything is in place.

Um as a matter of uh expedience, I guess.

Uh we just don't have the ability to act as a construction lender in that in that manner.

This is this is my probably biggest issue with this whole project.

Um I'm probably gonna vote yeah.

This is I mean, this is a great deal.

Two million dollars to get twenty-three units of affordable housing plus affordable and justice involved individuals.

This is a good deal.

Um I've I've looked through a bunch of reviews of Robinson properties in the first place.

I have heard nothing but good things.

My vote's probably gonna be a yes.

However, this is a construction loan.

This is a acquisition, this is a construction loan.

This is everything that I've seen about this is very much uh I obviously it's not it's not that thing, but this is walking and talking like that duck.

And especially if we're taking an administrative fee of one percent, I think having built-in inspections and draws not only protects us but also holds the developer accountable.

Um again, this is something that we've had in the works for years.

I'm walking into this new, um, and I agree that I think that we just need to get this across the finish line.

Um, but I also think that that doesn't mean that we should s shirk our responsibility of having a little bit more due diligence on what they're doing with the property.

That's one thing I'll say.

The other thing I'll say, we've we've talked about this a lot, but having um our authority is the Tulsa Authority for economic opportunity, and I think that in the process of finding a developer, though we're not required to go through RFP, I think that it would behoove us in the future to go through and have an RFP process.

We've talked about this, I know, but specifically because if community members look at this organization with distrust, because we have someone that we know that we can go to rather than allowing other people to have that opportunity to grow their business, uh, maybe to grow that specific aspect of their business as a commercial real estate developer, then I think that we need to we need to be doing a little bit more of that work to have a rubric that we're grading these things for people, developers or you know, whatever, that we can say, all right, we have an RFP, we give it to everybody, and these are the people that answer.

If it's a first come first serve, it's gonna be the same people that that know how to talk to us and and engage with government entities.

But I think that we could do um a little bit more in terms of reaching out with other people.

And I know this wasn't your project in the first place either.

So again, zero judgment whatsoever.

I'm just stating for the board, I think that there's a better diligence that we could do in this.

Um, but again, this this is very much like an FHA loan or a commercial construction loan that I think that I know it's not structured as such, but I would feel more comfortable if we had specific draws where we take some of our administrative fee, pay the fifteen hundred dollars for an inspector to do that job that they specialize in to make sure that the property is what it needs to be, not just for us and our asset, but for the people who are moving in.

And understand on your point on process.

Yeah, thank you.

And going forward.

Again, you guys are awesome.

I'm gonna vote yes, regardless of what.

And I mentioned that that is our typical process.

Uh we'll go through an RFP process.

Um, and so yeah, we've talked at length about how how we ended up here.

Um, but and then to speak to uh Craig's mention uh the lien waivers and yes, I think after that first million, before we go to the second, there one they do covenant within the agreement that there are no lien waivers or uh issues with the property.

So a part of their uh reporting requirements before we even get to phase two is that they have to uh you know satisfy any reporting requirements showing that lien waivers were received from any work completed at the properties.

I don't know if we can even do a title search just to ensure that uh you know there has been none of that completed or no lien waivers uh attached to the property.

Uh so I think before moving on to a second phase, we would ensure that those first two properties uh are free and clear for us to move on and there's no risk to our mortgage position.

Would I be correct to assume that the mortgage document is going to prohibit undischarged liens and that the guarantees will guarantee the performance of that agreement.

The guarantee guarantees everything, collection, no, not performance, collection of the promissory done.

Okay, it doesn't guarantee against undischarge liens.

No the mortgage protects against that.

But the mortgage is only the LLC.

Right.

Oh the property.

And the property yeah.

I just want to say quickly first of all when you think about the function role of Tao there's no better project than this project talked about how you create equal opportunity for people in the city of Tulsa.

So I applaud you guys for being persistent and getting this project over the finish line.

So kudos to you guys for doing exactly that.

I also want to echo my friend Tyler here.

On the other side of the opportunity I want to beat that dead horse please forgive me.

There are small medium size developers all over the city that can't bid on the bigger projects that we have out here in the city.

Every time we have an opportunity to give a small developer a chance to develop a property at this level we have to look very closely at doing exactly that.

I'm saying this position we couldn't in the future we'll do better.

I just have to note that there's a need for us to think about those small medium size developers for our community who can really benefit for being part of projects like this.

So but I we end with kudos to you for doing an excellent job and bringing this to our city because this is incredible thank you.

If if I might add because I've involved a lot of this conversation over the years and I really block what Tyler said we had a lengthy discussion about that uh yesterday sorry uh but it was good it was really good because I think as a first face coming in not familiar with all of this he raised those questions which just make it say well wait a minute let's go back and think about this.

Because we've been going on certain ways certain way and we might miss a key point that could help us futuristically so I think that's I applaud that discussion that I told me I said it's good.

I I would enjoy it because I think to have thought about something that Ann had mentioned uh date myself in terms of balloon payments.

Vision 2025 dynamic we had 10 13 million whatever it is we had several players in there and we had a challenge of one of the players in terms of balloon payment after 10 years it took us a minute to get it resolved.

But the other players was online and they they remitted their balloon payment at interest free by the way too which is an issue I had but that beside the point.

Those government funds forget the what he's saying is that that there are entities out there that are aware of the bucket of money that we have and they know how to work it to get the bucket so really we get to think how do we improve our process going forward is a great one.

But there's a bucket of money out there that the major players know how to work it.

And legally and they've done it.

But to the point now that we know how can we improve what we're doing going forward.

This train on this one's this train is on the track and we gotta bring this to the to close I don't want us to derail this train because we move we have a lot of things we got I like the checks and balances we need to have in here we talk about but I think we need to move this thing forward because since 2022 2021 we've been wrestling with this and so forth.

And now I think we're at we're at a point where the trains on a track and it's moving so we get it to the station.

So that was just my additional company.

And then we'll say big thanks to Eric and to the finance and budget committee they have been just exceptional to work with and to help us craft the way we needed to craft this both agreements so appreciate everybody's attention to this.

Trustees we have uh obviously discussed both eight and nine on our agenda as as part and parcel of the same conversation.

If you'll look back to your agenda, eight is the loan agreement between TAO and the MacArthur Foundation, and then nine is a development agreement between Robertson properties, Robinson Province properties and Tao.

So we'll take those questions up separately, but we've had the discussion about both things like we want to make sure you've had the opportunity to ask all the questions that you want.

If there are further questions, one more question, please.

That is on the interest.

Does that start accruing for us immediately upon our receipt of the funds?

Even if we haven't distributed them and it's not and the uh developer isn't liable yet for the info?

Correct.

So we would close, we kind of do a simultaneous close.

So we would close with Mc MacArthur and then also.

Okay, so maybe so yes.

Correct.

It's a good timing question, though.

I want to speak one last time, and I'm so sorry.

I know this is the last thing that I have to say about this.

Again, we have one person who was approached to come to the table and do this.

We don't know uh much about the financial operation of the business as in we have two million dollars that is going to a specific developer, one specific developer for 23 units, which again is awesome.

Um we don't know what their profit margins are for a project like this, but what we do know is that um two million dollars is a lot to go into the hands of one person, and to Aaron's point, if we can continue to spread this across more smaller developers to build them up to be able to do more things like this, um, then I think that we need to be able to speak to what those things are having having somebody to that we hire to do inspections for us again helps us to better understand what a developer's position is whenever they purchase things, install things, doors that cost five thousand dollars or whatever, we can better able we're better able to see the net profit that a developer is making on a grant that we've been given and entrusted to spread across our community.

I'm done.

Thank you, Tyler.

Thank you.

But I'll I will also add that we are still trying to like recapitalize the affordable housing trust fund, uh just and just find other avenues in which we can be able to go through that process of soliciting multiple developers across the city, uh, small and local emerging developers to get them in a game of developing uh throughout the community.

And I'd just add to that, this is um gonna be MacArthur's first move partnership um with us into Tulsa.

And so obviously this started years ago, but I think having um a successful project that we can show to them, then lead to the additional opportunities, whether with MacArthur themselves or another large foundation on how we can actually deliver on a social good project and in those and again we're taking a lot of learnings from this process and think big thanks to Vicky and Mia for getting it this far.

But I think there's going to be tremendous amount of learning that we've gone through through this process that for any future partnership with large foundations like MacArthur, you can point to this and then be like, hey, next time we're gonna do things in this way.

Learning opportunity.

So we can have our conversation.

Alright.

Trustees, are there other questions?

And if not, uh I would be happy to entertain a motion on item eight.

You know, I would just like to make a motion to approve item eight.

That's why we're doing it.

I was so scared of this idea.

So I almost sound like a politician.

I'll second.

Alright, so we've heard uh a motion and at least two seconds.

So we'll take a second and a third.

Uh Craig Abraham.

Thank you.

Craig?

Yes.

Councillor Bingle.

Yes.

Carl Brisley.

Yes, Tyler Duncan.

Yes.

Andy McMillan.

I mean, yes.

Ashley Phillipson.

Yes.

Aaron Parsley.

Yes.

Okay.

Item nine related to item eight, but separately considered, uh, is a development agreement between Robertson Properties and Tao for the Just Home project.

Is there a motion on item nine?

So move.

Second, and a second.

Would you call the roll on item nine?

Yeah, that's what you would motion.

Craig Abraham.

Yes.

Counselor Bingle.

Yes.

Carl Brycey.

Yes.

Tyler Duncan.

Yes.

Andy McMillan.

Yes.

Ashley Phillipson.

Yes.

Aaron Parsley.

Yes.

I'll be reading it.

All right.

Items eight and nine are approved.

We are off and running on the Just Home project.

Uh staff team, I know this represent and legal team, I know this reference.

Thank you for your diligence in working through this over the course of several years.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Alright.

If we may, it sounds like we have the I'm going to hold you off on the budget to actuals for just a second.

I'm wary of our time.

And so we have an approval item that still needs to be addressed.

That is item back on item six, I believe, on our agenda.

Find the right spot.

Yep, that was the lease agreement that we held off on discussion on.

Uh the the agreement has been uploaded into the packet.

It is in it is available in front of you, and if you would like a paper copy, I'm happy to share mine.

And apologies about that.

But as you can see, this kind of goes this goes through us currently to remain on the seventh floor from 7.1 through 8 31 26, and then 9 1 would start on the 11th floor.

We have our renewal options through 6 30 of 29.

So per our earlier conversation, this this does speak uh clearly to what we were discussing.

Holdover concept, the um relocation build out, the rent rate for um the space that's the space that's contemplated now and then what happens after that.

So, all of that good uh all of that good detail that now we're looking at.

Yes, sorry about that.

Oh I miss a lot of it.

Um, the fray.

Yeah.

So this is the domain on seven floor.

Yeah, so here's what we're gonna do.

Oh, yeah.

Alright.

So trustees, uh, on item six.

Are there other questions that you have about that lease agreement?

Um willing to speak slowly and let the time breathe for a second.

Are there questions on item six as we round out the discussion there?

Do we have any uh idea the ballpark of the renovation cost is what we asked to debate?

We're not paying for it, right?

So we're gonna be so that's so yes, there is language just related to if there is any uh kind of build out above and beyond the staffing uh like cubicles and offices that we currently have that we would need to pay for that.

Uh right now I think it's only contemplated that one additional verwal office would be added, so that would be our expense.

Uh but as far as the moving, the installation of furniture, that is all on the city.

Yeah, so we're not seeing any large renovations.

What we've asked is just uh we just wholesale pick up what we have currently on the floor and just move it over to eleven beyond the one additional office with airwalls.

Craig, and in uh in item C in paragraph C.

Yeah, is that where you're where you're well I thought I was reading in when I was looking at my phone?

It was item B.

Renovation City needs approximately 60 days, 10 of the single release position for the movement.

Oh, on here, the one I just saw on here.

Maybe it's the old agreement.

Yeah, item sixes.

There's two items sixes named Fourth Amendment.

Yeah, I'm looking at uh the new one, and it's uh, I will just add that there are something about we would pay for any changes to the new space.

There are existing cubicles in the space as well, and we'll just make use of that.

Landlord shall at its sole cost expense perform or cost to be performed.

All work necessary to complete build out, 11 floor space, and according to the furniture and space configuration mutually approved.

Okay.

There isn't any.

Okay.

Landlord shall be responsible for all costs associated with tenants relocation from the 7th through the 11th.

Um any tenant costs shall be identified and finalized after landlord's assessment of feasibility and desired furniture and space configurations.

That last sentence that to me says essentially if you want to go above and beyond kind of the basic configuration.

Whereas tenant agrees to pay for additional floor operations, I believe.

I have to relocated space on the 11th.

Floor, you know, considered being on tenants' existing infrastructure capabilities on the EP.

We get building standard for the building standard paid for by the landlord if we want anything additional.

Okay.

If Renita wants an espresso machine up there, she's gonna have to add that.

I don't know.

It's 2026, you know.

So restrict.

Yes, I'll just go with the gladly.

So back on this particular topic.

Are we comfortable with moving forward more questions?

If not, uh is there a motion on item six, which is the um the lease agreement.

Fourth amended lease agreement.

Motion to approve.

Is it motion to approve?

Is there a second?

I have a motion and a second.

Would you please call the roll on the side?

Yes.

Craig Abraham.

Yes.

Counselor Bingle.

Yes.

Carl Brycey.

Yes.

Tyler Duncan.

Yes.

Andy McMillan.

Yes.

Ashley Phillipson.

Yes.

Aaron Carson.

Yes.

Thank you so much.

That's done.

Team, thanks for putting that together.

Uh that then would take us to back to you, Lynn, for item 10, which is our financial review.

It's actuals.

Yeah.

So I'll keep it short.

Um so our um revenues exceeded our expenses this month.

Revenues were 494,000, expenses were 337,000.

Um, on the only unusual thing on the revenues this month was uh you'll see 60,000 in um incentive application, another piece, and that all came from almost all of it came from the incentives in municipal relations department they sent out invoices for um applications.

So at $5,000 each that they sent out, I think about 10, maybe 11.

I don't know.

Um but really uh that's about the only thing to draw your attention to.

Um nothing on the expense side to draw your attention to, so uh we're still in good shape.

Um, I will say I didn't put any information in here about the parking because we put the whole parking report in to the informational packet.

So it seemed kind of redundant.

But any questions?

All of all my expenses are we already talking about.

A plus.

A plus, eh?

We in the green.

We share our.

We are all still appreciating the check mark the the visual indicator.

Thank you.

Alright, other questions for Lynn on this.

Let's go to item 11.

Our monthly staff report.

All right.

First of the first, where is Vicky?

I gotta call you up.

Okay.

Um very, very bitter sweet.

All right.

Well, while that comes up, yes.

This is Vicky's last board meeting.

What?

Yes.

Last.

Well, you're gonna miss us.

You're gonna miss this, aren't you?

Um yeah, I mean, yes, I am retiring officially.

Um, very much.

It's been the joy of my life to have the career that I've had.

Um to be able to develop affordable housing is just uh an incredible, incredible thing to do.

So um I've loved every second of it, and to have the opportunity to end up here is phenomenal.

I've Nia has heard this a million times, but uh without question, the folks that are that work at Partner Tulsa that help Partner Tulsa, hands down, the best I've ever worked with.

So to be able to end here is very special.

So thank you.

Thank you, thank you so much.

We're gonna miss you.

Oh, I'll be around.

There we go.

There we go.

Um yes, so Vicky's um retiring on June 30th, and so as of 7.1, Nia will be moving into the SVP role, and she will be the senior vice president of real estate and asset management.

I mean, you guys have seen the great work that she does, so it's not even a question, right?

Um, so as of 7 1, we will have 18 full-time staff.

Um we have, of course, our lovely NYU intern still with us, Sheena over here.

Um, and we have um two additional uh Booker T Washington drone club interns who are working with Jacob Garrison this summer.

We currently have uh no openings, and I think we're we're very happy with our new additions last month.

Um as far as initiatives go, um it was a great experience to get the opportunity zones across the finish line.

Um and I say that because it was very collaborative is between us, um INCOG.

Obviously, Aaron, you were part of those conversations as well to work on the opportunity zones, um, Creek Nation, and I just do have to shout out uh John Tankard, don't know if he's still here, on helping actually not an incognition.

There we go, the guy works on making sure we get that across the finish line.

We did our recommendations collectively and submitted them to the governor.

And so I do think that um it's a with the choices that we made, the recommendations that we made, I do feel that um as long as they are invested in and we're able to move forward with um opportunity zones, I think we can make a difference with that tool.

Um next, just on other kind of internal operations.

I have created a new um TAO policy handbook.

That draft is currently with Thrive.

As I mentioned to the admin and ops team, um I've used the IEDC um accredited economic development organization um parameters around the policy handbook, so not including what we currently have, but also making sure that we meet the international standard for economic development organizations for those policies.

Um Thrive is reviewing them and we'll be sending them back.

Um I also want to highlight that for one of our core strategies or um in our strategic plan is creating is cultivating a collaborative ecosystem, and so we are currently working with um City of Tulsa, the regional chamber as well as GKF to create a streamlined um strategy.

It's gonna be presented as a deck, two partners of how the four of our organizations actually work together.

Who does what, who do you call for what, and that in the end, no matter who you call, we all join hands and we work on it together as team Tulsa.

So I think that's really gonna allow for us to work together better, to communicate better, and so that we have more of a unified team as we represent Tulsa internally and externally.

Um we're also working on our annual report.

It's that time of year that will be submitted to the city clerk in July, and I'm also working with 180 on doing an update to our website.

That's all I got.

Questions?

Here we go.

What's the opportunity zone again?

What as a tool?

What is the what is it what does it do?

So what it does is allows for investment into areas that meet us meet a specific criteria.

Um and they like to see areas that aren't just where there's a lot.

They like to see areas that already have a certain level of projects working on them or investment on them.

Yeah, it allows for external investors to invest their money that goes into these opportunity zones to um is it a like a lower interest or tax deferment?

Tax toxic.

Yeah.

So that they in yeah, so they're able to invest their money into it that then goes into these areas that need investment, right?

And then capitalize on that.

Cool.

Basically encourages private investors to invest in certain areas.

She's also from capital gates.

Uh I'll see.

Um, one question.

Well, of course, something to um Tyler mentioned earlier, terms of communication so forth, visibility.

How much information do we have on a website that is average as properly down website for people to access?

Not enough.

And that's why I'm trying to do the website revamp.

Definitely, definitely not enough.

Right now, so our current website is held with an organization called DCI, they're not local, um, and it takes not only additional money, but um it's not the easiest process to go and make website updates.

So we there's some people on our team that can do it themselves, but what we're trying to do with the website revamp is move it to a company locally to host our website, um, and so that we're able to make those kind of updates easier and better.

But we're not not, I'll tell you right now, it's it's a weakness we have.

I want to drive as many folks as we can to our website to see what we do.

Yeah, me too.

And I think to that point, you know, the or the website as it stands right now, um, versus what the organization's doing, it's not it's not meeting the need.

So the organization as a whole is also you know, started in a new chapter, and so that's what um we're trying to work on so that we are more reflective of our current work.

And I spoke with 180 yesterday about like, well, when there are smaller updates, not smaller, but like there are more continuous updates.

What are different platforms we can use so that the public are aware, right?

Because I mean we found that like new are we're probably gonna do away with our newsletter because no one's really, we're not getting enough of an open rate, but people are putting energy into putting it together, so can we rework that into something else?

I was saying I was going to say, I don't know at what point I need to talk about this, but next month at a meeting we'll have Shay Stanville from uh Cherokee Nation coming in to speak about the state small business credit initiative, the work that Cherokee Nation has done with tribal members and non-tribal members alike to partner their funds uh basically it's a one-to-one loan program that if you are operating in a Cherokee Nation opportunity zone, the interest is four percent primarily for like manufacturing and stuff like that too.

So uh as far as getting low interest rates funding, it's a huge deal, and they've got a lot of a lot of capital to be able to administer.

So she'll be here to talk about that next month.

But I just when you mentioned Muscogee Nation coming in as well with in-com COT, uh Cherokee Nation's also doing a lot with that.

Yeah, great.

Thank you for that.

I don't know enough about that program actually.

It's red.

Yeah.

All good.

All right, thank you.

Sorry, my Mike went home with the migraine, so I text up there, Carrie.

Mm-hmm.

You you see you see their weekly update.

Yes.

Um, so Faroaks, this is one we've been working on.

It's it's we will move it to LDARC um when when we're when the project's ready to go.

When it's it's on pause a little bit.

There's been some changes uh in Wagner County um with their commissioner, and so I think we're gonna wait until the new commissioner is seated because he'll be the one running that, and that's at several months away.

Downtown redevelopment, uh Phil Cade, lots of stuff going on with them always.

Um, we have all of the comments back.

We are just reviewing the final plan, and that one is we'll get that scheduled into our schedule for to move forward through the city process.

Here, Audrey has done a great job setting up all of our projects, so we have a schedule from now through the end of July for a number of other things.

So we anticipate Crutchfield starting towards the end of July through that city process.

Future projects, these are two that will be happening.

They will be submitted for the mayor's agenda for the resolution to convene um tomorrow, I believe.

And uh these are both in district seven.

There's there and they're both kind of in the same area.

So we have one that's at 71st and 169 area, and also has a component at uh between 81st and 91st on Mingo, and then one at the 61st and memorial kind of juncture.

Um we are excited to move both of those forward.

They're great projects.

Peak on the parkway.

We're very excited about this one.

We are ready to go.

We are I'm sending out invitations to our LDARC meeting for next week.

So next week we'll be meeting convening the first LDAC meeting for that one.

And then we're we'd already mentioned him.

John, we're so happy he's here.

He's great.

He's already just doing wondrous things uh with GIS and maps and exhibits, and um has helped at least one of our counselors so far with a project that had come forward, and it was a little bit confusing for her on where how it actually fit in her district.

So he helped us put together a map, an interactive map, so she could zoom in and out on where it was and actually spatially visit visualize so she was much more comfortable when she had that.

So we are just trucking along, staying super busy.

But any questions, anything we can.

It's always Karen and Mike is absence, kudos to you for the great work and all the work that you do.

I know how much it's on your plate, so thank you very much.

A shop to John, he also was big on the opportunity zone work as well.

He carried a lot of weight on that project.

So it'll be a new guy coming in, getting the ground running.

He's done an excellent job on that.

Just also want to mention that uh for the Phil Cade project as of a week or two weeks ago.

They don't own the Philcade building, so that's a big hurdle that uh they have.

And so just once again, kudos for all the great work you guys do.

Thank you.

Trying to be brief.

Um, some of the things that we are working on, notably at Civic Center Park.

We are at the point where we are transitioning the operator uh from American Party to OBG.

Uh we've had weekly calls with them, and I think we are ready to go for July 1.

Uh we'll do a handoff on the 30th.

Uh, but we're um hoping that you know we there are no kinks as we transition, but uh we're excited about that.

Uh we did have some intern interviews uh this past week uh just to look at some of the different projects that have come up uh and see how we can kind of get some interns who can look at research and analytics related to some of the projects that we're working on.

Uh attended a ribbon cutting, uh the round table session with the developers uh and for just home.

I know we've talked extensively about this, so uh we are on the next path towards uh getting city council approval related to the loan agreement uh to move this forward.

Any questions?

Thank you, yeah.

Oh, it's just uh good morning, trustees.

Um 44.

Just a quick update on community development activities uh as you guys are well aware, we're working on, of course, working on our uh innovative finance and asset concession grant, and working closely with uh city staff and our consultants on uh future um uh development plans.

Uh and so uh just a heads up uh if you're available.

Uh our first uh grant funded community development uh or excuse me, community engagement event is scheduled for this Saturday at uh 10 a.m.

at uh um the location is at Emerson uh elementary school, and Gretchen has been working uh to get uh with the consultants and the GLC Legacy Corporation on uh getting that stood up for this Saturday and um kind of working on the last uh bit of uh event planning for that, and so uh that's a a great really a milestone in the project.

Um and so the other other kind of pieces on that uh of course the the three consultant teams are working on uh they're the their deliverables under the contract and uh a uh core uh deliverable under our um uh capacity building consultant uh is a needs assessment, and so the draft of that has been uh completed and forwarded to Gretchen and I for review, and we'll be meeting with them actually tomorrow to talk through to talk through that.

It's very comprehensive.

Uh it covers a a lot of areas uh within the community and um analyzing the needs in within the community and and also identifying strategies uh um to advance uh elements of the um Kirkpatrick Heights Greenwood Master Plan really as it relates to cultural uh history, the culture, and then opportunities to advance that uh portion of the plan.

And so that's kind of really the next again that uh first community engagement meeting on Saturday, really a first uh milestone there on the community engagement aspects of the uh of the grant.

Uh there the next major event is in August.

Uh there will be a development simulation uh led by the Urban Land Institute here, the local chapter of the Urban Lands Institute.

It's really like a developers um uh workshop uh that's a simulation that brings community members in and puts them through, gives them all hats, like you're you know, uh a development hat, uh, you know, a city hat, and they each play a role in this development process so they can help the community can understand like the various um aspects of a development project.

So that's that is the tentatively planned for August 29th.

So that'll be really the next big community engagement event.

Um, actually, Inez is actively working on the community impact initiative and making great strides there.

Uh she uh held our uh the first cohort meeting uh last week uh and um is uh had two of our previous uh cohort members from the from the first cohort come in and talk to the new cohort of four about uh developing their project, their project plan, their community engagement plan, the budgeting process, uh and so that uh was a success, and Inez did a great job with that.

She's already has the next two uh meetings for July and August already planned, and she's lining up speakers for that.

Uh we will be using a uh instructor that we uh worked with in the past from uh neighbor um neighborworks, which is a national nationwide community development advocate advocacy and uh training group, and so we're uh likely going to bring her in that we used her last time to do uh some uh a work a workshop on community engagement.

Uh and that's really uh that's it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Carrie.

I just want to add two things.

The Greenwood Legacy Corporation has nominated nominations out for their elders council and applications are live for the board.

Um I would strongly suggest if you have not shared it on social media if you are on social media to do so, and then also spread the word so that we have um you know uh robust interest in this process because the sooner they can get their elders council launch, the sooner they can get their board launch their work uh advances.

So just plugging that if you have not, you are aware.

Thank you.

Thanks, Kerry.

Okay, thanks.

We'll wrap this up.

Um, just want to highlight Maria and again joined us the same day as John did and both are these new hires.

Uh you guys are doing a great, great job.

Uh Maria, we did uh a workshop yesterday, day before yesterday.

Whatever, it's it's all ran together.

Um, with Alvinzando juntos with one of our microgrant programs, and made awards there to about 20 different businesses, um, and we did a training in Spanish uh was provided on legacy planning and uh in business transition planning.

So that was a really important part of that.

Um but we have a lot more going on and certainly coordinating with the mayor's office in Brenton on how that small business footprint can expand and what the city wants to be doing in that space.

And um attraction and site readiness.

We did conduct the Rose Rock Bridge Accelerator this last week or two.

Um we voted there were 15 uh small business innovators who came in around energy tech and made their presentations as far as the showcase, and then four were selected to move forward into funding opportunities and also um demonstration projects with companies including Devon, One Oak, and others.

And so we're really excited to move that forward.

You guys voted today on renewing um for another year our partnership there where they act as an extension of partner Tulsa staff to conduct this type of outreach for energy and innovation.

Um I'll also note here we're uh notified this week of a $500,000 grant award from EPA for assessment funds.

Uh the city's assessment fund grant ran out uh uh end of September last year, and so we had applied for additional funding.

This one actually sits with TAO.

Uh one of the nice things about this beyond being able to provide that those additional services for real estate reuse and redevelopment is we have incorporated funding, about 150,000 of that is for master planning to master planning studies and market studies uh to help move specific corridors forward.

So it was a really nice add to that.

And then also planning for our Taiwan uh regional trade office will be visiting in July and doing some planning around the three days that they will be here visiting and so um in workforce development, uh Jacob and his team have been very active already in conducting lots of camps, lots of kids and outreach, uh, but also looking at how we can continue to expand that into the fall and the programs that we'll be bringing in, especially around teachers, and then taking the events like the national drone racing competition and leveraging that into workforce recruitment for our businesses who are here locally.

Uh in special projects, I'll just note here.

Um, Demari continue to do a great job with the common good on recruitment of that grocery operator.

We've talked about that for a while, uh, but then also just the ongoing coordination with our major projects and helping them navigate city permitting processes and then in real estate attraction.

Uh I'll note we the board had asked for uh real retail strategies after the renewal of the contract uh to be able to speak to the board.

So we have asked them to come in.

They will be available in person for the EWD committee meeting in August.

Um the board also asks on note for something from Rose Rock Bridge, and we have them available for the board meeting in July.

So a couple of follow-up items there.

Thank you.

Thanks, Michelle.

Good job.

All right, that brings us to trustee requests for future agenda items relevant to trust business.

Sounds like we already have some things lined up for future meetings that we can be ready for discussion.

Uh I'm not aware of any new business before the board, and so without objection, we are adjourned.

I don't know.

Oh no, I don't know.

I don't know.

Um, I don't know what we don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know what we want to know.

I don't know.

I don't know about it.

I don't know how to make it on the back of that one back then.

And on our own order, we're all the way.

Well, I think it's a lot.

So when they're not on a run, when they're not providing medical coverage, they're out there making sure people are as healthy as they possibly can be.

They provide blood pressure checks, they check pulse rates.

Whether you're housed or homeless, doesn't really matter.

Do you have the medications that you need to manage your health conditions?

They provide water on hot days, they make sure you're warm on cold days.

And art two coordinates very well with our community partners, making sure that we're coordinating our efforts with everyone else.

The impact they've had has been significant.

And I believe the reason is they take the extra time to spend with individuals.

As soon as they're done with that call, they're gonna go over there and have conversations with people and say, hey, are you working with somebody right now?

Do you have a plan?

If not, we can help you coordinate that effort.

We can get you help you get housing, we can help you get food.

What we love about the Tulsa Fire Department and what this program's been able to do is we work with everybody within the community.

So we're utilizing every resource that we have within the city of Tulsa to get the best outcomes for these individuals.

It does have that follow-up mechanism very much like Art One and CRT, where the buck doesn't stop at the call.

Someone's staying with them, someone who has been unhoused for five years, had some history with alcohol, and they stayed with this individual, built rapport, and it started with just outreach, just having conversations and sticking with them, walked through the steps, filled out housing applications with him, made sure the gaps were filled in service delivery.

After five years, this person's house now, they've actually got a dog living in their apartment.

I mean, the best that we've ever seen them and living their best life, and that's really our hope through these programs is we can help facilitate that.

Whenever I pull up a heat map, we continue to see some of our greatest responses in the downtown area.

And when we begin to dive into what that looks like and why so, we do see unhouse population in the downtown area, and we see a great response to there.

We've been able to determine a lot of information that we didn't know before, busy times of the day, demographics that we're responding to, and really focus our approach to helping those individuals and really meeting those needs where they're at.

We want to provide what we call a community health needs assessment with art too and really determine, hey, when this unit's gonna go, they're gonna ask more questions than maybe you would traditionally see on a fire trucker and angelist response.

They're gonna get into depth of what's going on with that individual.

You know, that call came in as a chest pain, but what was it really?

I do talk to a lot of different departments across the U.S.

And so we're seeing cities want to adopt this.

There is models that are similar, but they've not had the impact.

And I think that the difference you see is R2 is able to respond to real-time 911 calls in place of other apparatus, but they also provide those other social services that are really critical to getting out of the community.

All these units, whether it's CRT, Art 1 or Art 2, they're able to let law enforcement, ambulances, fire trucks go back in service to be ready to rush those situations.

You want to fires, critical emergencies, and let these units spend the extra time.

I believe very strongly that R2 is a model for the future.

Right now, it's just in mental health crisis or unhouse populations and not rush that you could really implement citywide.

You don't see this anywhere else in America.

So I'm excited because I love what we are able to push the bar forward and really set an example on a national stage, and that's exactly what we're doing with R2.

Hi, I'm Sherry Carrier, Director of Tulsa Animal Services.

I want to take a moment to share a little bit about the incredible work happening behind these doors.

Every single day, our team is here, taking in lost, abandoned, and injured animals, giving them the care that they need, and working hard to find safe and loving homes.

It's easy to think that this is just a city service, but behind the scene are real people.

People who love animals and pour their hearts into this work.

Even on our toughest days.

We're proud to say it's making a difference.

Our save rate has jumped from 67% in 2018 to nearly 80% today.

Thanks to adoptions, foster homes, and the incredible support of our community.

One of the biggest life savers, span neuter.

Preventing unwanted litters means fewer animals entering our shelters and more resources for every pet who needs us.

Thank you for standing with us.

Together, we're creating a safer, more compassionate Tulsa for animals.

Recycling red is easy, but do you know what happens when you don't think before you throw and contaminate your blue recycling cart?

The city of Tulsa produces 450 tons of contaminated waste per month.

That's almost 5,500 tons per year that will now be going straight to the landfill.

To put into perspective how much waste that is, it's equivalent to 250 golden driller statues.

Think before you throw and keep recycling clean and waste-free.

For more information about the correct way to recycle, please visit Tulsa Recycles.com.

The Tulsa Professional Connector Program will help you build a professional network and get in touch with highly networked individuals and professionals in your field of expertise.

To learn more, visit our webpage and contact us.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore river views, the grand homes that overlook the Arkansas River and reflect Tulsa's lasting connection to its natural landscape.

For more than a century, the river has shaped the city's layout, its neighborhoods, and its sense of beauty.

These historic properties near its banks are more than homes, they're places where art, industry, and civic life converged.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most iconic riverside estates.

First, Harweldon Mansion, Tulsa's storybook manor, overlooking the Arkansas River, built in 1923 by Oilman Earl Harwell.

This English tutor-style estate blends gothic arches and hand-carved detailing.

The exterior facade consists of brick, stone window surrounds, balustrade and stone coins at the corners leading up to the slate roof.

Inside, the home featured custom furnishings, a music room, and one of the city's earliest residential elevators.

Today, Harweldon operates as a cultural and event center, welcoming guests from around the world for weddings, concerts, and arts programming all with a river view.

Next, the Lee Clinton House, an understated gem tucked into the curves of Riverside Drive.

Constructed in 1919, this elegant colonial revival home belonged to civic leader and businessman Lee Clinton, founder of Union National Bank, and co-founder of the Tulsa stockyards, along with oil man William G.

Skelly.

With its classical detailing and perfectly manicured grounds, the home reflects quiet confidence and refined taste.

Privately owned and beautifully preserved.

It's one of the few original homes in the area that still retains its historic charm along Tulsa's most scenic stretch.

And finally, the dresser mansion, where Italian Renaissance flair meets Tulsa's oil era opulence.

Built in 1919 for oil executive Carl Dresser.

This mansion draws on Mediterranean design with arched logias, ornate ironwork, and a red tile roof.

Designed for entertaining, the home once hosted lavish parties with views stretching across the river valley, now restored and used as a venue.

Dresser Mansion continues to host celebrations, echoing its original purpose as a home made for gathering.

The Arkansas River shaved Tulsa's growth and offered a scenic corridor for some of the city's most remarkable residences.

These iconic properties remind us that Tulsa's past wasn't just built, it was carefully placed with beauty, nature, and legacy in mind.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

The trail system at Bell Park opened in the fall of 2022 after a hundred and ninety thousand dollar donation.

You know that for decades the West Side has geographically been cut off from many amenities and services.

But this new trail system is a part of a grassroots effort to improve the quality of life for Tulsons right here on the West Side, especially near Bell's Park.

This trail also served the wider Tulsa community by providing beginner-level trails for those who are new to mountain biking, as well as a downhill bike-only section for intermediate riders.

And Turkey Mountain is right next door where riders are ready to take on if they have sports.

Our Bale's park trails are amazing.

People come, park your car, get out, enjoy the trails.

There's not much traffic.

So I should come out and enjoy the park geared bales.

It's building confident cyclists and great Tulsas through community engagement.

We do a third grade bike PE program where we're there for four days doing a condensed bike club curriculum where we're teaching them safety practices and skill building.

The after school program generally operates for fourth and fifth graders and in middle school.

Fundraising and the kind people that give us dollars to operate allows us to offer all these programs free to the district and free to the kids.

We'll have storage for all our surplus inventory, a bike workshop.

We'll have offices, a classroom for training, workshops, team building, and then we'll also be able to host our volunteers here.

We really see a secondary use as a community spot.

Other community partners can come out here, do some training, team buildings, we know that being outside is really, really healthy for us mentally and physically.

So spaces like this that do this kind of programming should be available to everyone in our city, and we want to make sure that every Tulson has the opportunity to get outside and enjoy.

We love Bell's Park, and the best is yet to come.

Every year around the 4th of July, our shelter fills up with pets who ran off during fireworks.

Most of them live just a few houses away from where they're found.

That's why Tulsa Animal Services partnered with Tulsa Fire to bring microchip scanners to every fire station in our city.

If you find a lost pet, you can now stop by any Tulsa fire station and ask a firefighter to scan for a microchip.

No shelter visit required.

The scanner will show a chip number that can help you contact the owner directly through an online lookup system.

Most pets aren't truly lost.

They just need a little help getting home.

This partnership helps us keep animals in their neighborhoods where they belong.

Our fire stations are already part of the community.

This is one more way we're stepping up to keep Tulsa families two-legged and four-legged safe and together.

Because the best place for a pet is home.

TFD CARES stands for Community Assistance Referrals and Educational Services.

Really seeks to connect 911 high utilizers and vulnerable populations to those critical community resources to help improve the lives of individuals within our community.

And the University of Tulsa did a study on CARES back in 2017, and from January to March, we had about a 70% reduction in 9-1-1 usage by connecting vulnerable populations in our community to social determinants of health.

And our scope and scale has grown.

We are now working with local community partners, whether it's hospitals, behavioral health partners, or other vital community resources to really connect individuals to those services.

We get referrals in from all different kinds of partners, whether it's hospitals, the fire department, sometimes the police department, or the ambulance service in town.

And I think what makes TFD CARES really strong and really a great program is we're connected and integrated with all the community support structures in place.

We have two very good case managers that really navigate these community resources.

Ascension St.

John and the Czech Foundation is who supports our case managers and helps to integrate those within the Tulsa Fire Department.

We go all over Tulsa.

We are connecting with individuals when that referral comes in, we'll send a case manager to someone's house and identify, hey, what's going on today?

We'll address those social determinants of health.

We'll create goals off of that, and we utilize a system called gelated to communicate and connect with all those community partners, and it helps us to kind of capture our workflow and the work that's being completed.

But our case managers, they stay with those clients until those needs are met.

They're working with them, they're navigating things like hand bars, wheelchair ramps, food insecurity, medication adherence.

They also help with individuals who are not currently housed.

We also send a firefighter paramedic or a community paramedic to the home, and they'll try to make that home safer and they'll work with those residents or those community members to make sure that their home is a safer place to live, that the reducing falls or reducing injuries, and ultimately having better health outcomes.

We thought was very important moving forward in the growth of this program, being an extension of the hospitals and helping firefighters reduce those 911 calls.

One thing we're really proud of with TFD CARES is their impact that they're making and the results because that's what matters to us.

How are we improving that individual's life?

And so TFT CARES has been able to reduce 911 utilization by 80%.

We've been tracking this data through Gelata since 2023.

We're getting help to those individuals that need about 52% of the time we're able to take care of those needs within two weeks.

We're trying to use this information in different parts of Tulsa to be more proactive in helping our citizens and our community members.

Social services has got to be a part of public safety.

The benefit is incredible, and as we continue to try to address root cause issues, why is that individual calling 911?

Programs like TFD cares answer that call and they get to those root cause issues and help improve that person's life.

The overdose response team was created to address a prevalent community need in Tulsa, and that's overdoses.

We've seen opiates causing a lot of havoc within our community, not just in Tulsa or Oklahoma, but really nationally.

Public safety, whether it's fire and police, are responding to right around eight to ten overdose calls a day.

We created a specialized team that has a community paramedic along with a peer recovery support specialist or someone with lived experience to respond to real-time overdose calls and provide follow-up to individuals who have overdose within our community.

So the lived experienced individual, that's someone who has used some sort of substance in the past and recovered.

I've always had a passion for addiction recovery, things like that because I'm in recovery myself from drugs and alcohol.

So when the opportunity came up, I snagged it up.

I was very excited to be a part of it.

And I still am.

I love it.

It's probably my favorite day out of the week because it's a chance for me to give back to the community that I came from.

I've been in recovery for five years from drugs, and I haven't drank in like 10 years.

I came from a pretty tough background, lots of trauma growing up, got in trouble a lot as a kid, been homeless, I've been part of domestic violence and everything from alcohol to prescription opiates to methamphetamine.

So when I first got clean, I decided I wanted to be a part of the movement for recovery.

And I got into working at a drug and alcohol treatment center for several years, and I really loved it.

And what that gives us is the ability for someone to really connect on a personal level and say, hey, I've been in a similar situation before, but I've recovered.

So the overdose response team is meant to complement the current infrastructure we have in place that will go identify individuals who have overdosed, build rapport, connect to services, and stay with them until they've gotten the help they need.

Are you on a housing list?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Good.

How long have you been on it?

With the interactions that we've made, we're slowly building relationships with people through outreach.

I think there's a trust there that some programs don't get.

Thank you.

This is a model that has worked in other cities.

We went and looked in specifically San Antonio.

Oklahoma City implemented this program in August 2023 to address these needs.

And what these previous communities have found is they're able to get people help earlier in the substance addiction than they were previously.

We do emphasize the harm reduction supplies and the hands-on CPR and some of that education because we're very passionate about giving someone another chance to get it right.

And so the harm reduction boxes complement our overdose response team.

We put those boxes in areas of our community where we see the most overdoses.

And so we have these at a couple fire stations, easy access to NARCAN, leave behind kids, as well as fentanyl test strips and education pamphlets.

We want to prevent someone from losing their life.

I think in some areas we've seen a significant drop in overdoses, and our hope is that we're playing a role in that by giving out Narcan and test strips and things that people might need so they uh have a chance to stay alive.

You don't gain recovery by force.

You've got to want it for it to be successful.

So we're just there to help guide that situation and keep people safe for as long as we can.

I think another part of it is people seeing us out and about all the time in these areas.

They know that if they wave us down, we'll stop.

We'll give them whatever it is that they need, even if it's just somebody to listen to them.

And so I think that can build a bridge with certain members in our community to sit there and say, hey, you know, we're just here to lend a helping hand.

It helps to humanize the situation, I think.

You got this?

All right.

That's something we're very passionate about is continuing to move that ball forward with these individuals and making sure they know this is the things available to help you, and we can help walk alongside you during that process.

But we'll also do follow-ups with them with their family, see if we can connect them to resources or get them to treatment or get them harm reduction supplies, whatever it is that they need, is what we're there to do.

And whenever anybody's asked us for help, we've been there and we'll help them.

I would say we're continuing to address this issue within our community and really make sure we're providing resources, whether that's response, somewhere to go.

We want to make sure that we have the best system in America here in Tulsa.

The NCI Pilot Program is all about empowering neighborhoods.

We're giving communities tools, resources, and the confidence they need to take charge and create real meaningful change.

Neighborhood associations, local leaders, and neighbors come together with city departments to identify their top needs and then build a plan to tackle them.

We started by looking at the NCI reports and identifying the neighborhoods with the highest priority needs.

It established a cross-departmental task force, got together with them and looked at the resources we could provide the neighborhoods.

These departments that we worked with were police department, animal services, code enforcement, and public works.

Suburban Hills was a perfect fit for this program.

Their participation shows just how much this community values growth and togetherness.

The city has helped a lot.

It's full of resources and guidance, and they're still there for me if I need them.

The Sequoia neighborhood shine through this program.

They set ambitious goals, work together, and they achieved every single one of them.

Now they have the skills and momentum to keep pushing their community forward.

They're building the kind of community they want to live in.

The neutering and spay program, that was a huge success.

The neighborhood cleanup was a huge success.

I'm so grateful that we still have them as we move forward.

Once you build the partnerships with the city, they're going to continue with us.

The city departments involved worked hard, the neighborhoods worked hard.

We couldn't have done it without their support and their involvement.

Together, we're creating neighborhoods where every voice matters, and every block has a strong story worth telling.

The application will go to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, the City Board of Adjustments, or the County Board of Adjustments, depending on the type and location of the request.

TMAPC handles zoning changes, subdivisions, and comprehensive plan amendments.

After filling out the proper application, Tulsa Planning Office staff will check to make sure everything is in order.

They then assign the application a case number and pass it to the planning commission with a recommendation on what to do.

Any rezoning application requires notice to the public in the form of posted signs, a newspaper section, and mailed notice to the property owners within 300 feet of the lot.

The application fee covers these costs and the planning office sends the notifications out.

The notices must be mailed, posted, and published at least 20 days before its appearance before the planning commission.

TMAPC then holds a public hearing.

Applicants may be called to the podium to speak, and the interested parties are allowed to give public comments for or against the request.

The commissioners then deliberate.

If recommended for approval, the application moves on to the city council.

The application appears on council agendas three times.

The first appearance is at the council's committee meetings.

The planning commission staff gives and explains a recommendation based on the application's consistency with policy and intent of the comprehensive plan.

This appearance is only a discussion, not a vote.

Counselors and planning office staff are the only ones permitted to participate in discussion, but the public is permitted to view and attend the meeting.

The next appearance is at the City Council's 5 p.m.

council meeting.

Another public hearing is held to give an opportunity for citizen input before the council vote.

The applicant is again allowed to make a presentation.

The city council then votes to either approve the application, approve it with modifications, or deny it.

In most cases, the application needs a simple majority to pass.

If the application passes, it then appears that the following city council meeting is an ordinance reflecting the council vote to implement the decision.

This is a huge point of pride for us in Tulsa to be home to an Olympic sport.

Uh to have USA BMX locating their headquarters here in Tulsa.

It puts us on the national and international map when it comes to athletics in this space.

Excited about I think what it means for our community today, but also very excited about the next generation of BMX athletes that I think this facility is going to inspire right here in our city.

Nice.

It's super sick to have the racetrack here.

And then whatever, you know, potential opportunities that come with it of them putting their HQ here, it's awesome.

Awesome to see.

All of a sudden it kind of puts it in perspective of the whole the whole project.

We have pump tracks, we have STEM education, so there'll be science experiments going on with BMX bikes, if you can believe that.

At the same time, too, they could look into that track, and we could have either the U.S.

national team or a foreign Olympic team in their training during the day.

Uh at night and after school, it switches.

So we'll have private coaching uh training for so for your parents who want to get their kids into BMX but have never done it before.

We teach them how.

Uh, but then you're also going to have the competitive racers that have been doing it for a while, their families practicing once a week, racing here.

Always empty your bottles before recycling.

Score big by recycling your plastic bottles and jugs.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.com.

The Canis Latrans, also known as the Coyote, Coyote, or Prairie Wolf, has been spotted in all areas of Tulsa.

Coyotes migrated to the Tulsa area beginning in the early 20th century, when forest fragmentation and the extermination of larger predators like red and gray wolves led to their spread eastward.

Many strategies have been tried to rid urban areas of coyotes.

But the effort is often costly and ineffective.

Coyotes are notoriously hard to catch and don't survive relocation.

Any area cleared of coyotes will quickly be repopulated.

Coyotes do provide an essential role in the ecosystem by helping to control the rodent population.

They are predators of geese, squirrels, mice, moles, gophers, possums, and other small animals.

While rodents make up a majority of their diet, coyotes also feed on fish, insects, blueberries, apples, prickly pears, persimmons, peanuts, and carrots.

Although their diet includes a variety of foods, coyotes have been known to kill small pets.

The best way to protect pets is to avoid attracting coyotes near your home by following these four best practices.

Best practice number one, supervise pets.

While coyotes don't usually attack humans, your pets can be a target.

Coyotes may see large dogs as rivals and small dogs and cats as prey.

Always walk your dog on a leash.

Keep cats indoors.

Letting cats roam free is also a violation of City of Tulsa ordinances.

And the best way to protect your pets is to not leave them outside unattended.

Especially at dusk through dawn when coyotes are more active.

In some cases, coyotes can climb fences.

Best practice number two.

Remove food attractance.

Remove bowls of pet food.

Keep trash cans securely closed.

Pick up any fruit or nuts from your yard.

Best practice number three.

Remove possible shelters.

Eliminate places for a coyote to make a den.

Like access under a deck or large bushes.

Cut down any tall grass or brush that could provide shelter for coyotes.

Best practice number four.

Respond appropriately during encounters.

If you do encounter a coyote, stand your ground.

Don't turn your back or run away.

The coyote can reach speeds of 40 miles an hour.

Top speed of a human is 28 miles an hour.

Stay away from injured, cornered, or nursing coyotes.

Slowly back away.

Most importantly, use hazing techniques to discourage coyotes you come across.

Act large, yell, clap your hands, use a noisemaker, throw sticks at the coyote's feet, hit hands, etc.

Hazing helps keep wild animals wild as coyotes can become a nuisance or aggressive when they lose their fear of people.

If you see a coyote that seems aggressive, or if you have more questions, call a Tulsa County Game Warden with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

They can connect you with a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator.

Do not contact the Tulsa Animal Shelter as it does not handle wildlife issues.

By following best practices, you can help limit negative interactions between people, pets, and the urban wildlife we live alongside.

More than 27 million dollars has been distributed and rent utility payments to more than 6,000 homes and 3,000 landlords by the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, and Restore Home.

2021 proved to be another challenging year for many Tulsans, especially those living under the area median income.

Many tenants facing eviction and others behind on rent and utility payments.

But it also showed the strength of local partnerships.

Over the past year, several application stations have been held with several community organizations providing community resources and one-on-one help for tenants applying to the program.

The City of Tulsa is receiving a second round of emergency rental assistance funds from the U.S.

Department of Treasury, and work is expected to start in 2022.

The goal is to continue providing housing stability for Tulsans and prevent eviction.

For more information and to see whether you qualify for the emergency rental assistance program, visit City of Tulsa.org/slash ERAP.

Hey Tulsa, welcome back to the top recycling play of the day.

Team Johnson is looking to defend their title against aluminum and steel cans.

Bob, most people think of the kitchen for this opponent, but aluminum and steel cans like empty shaving cream cans also play extremely well in bathrooms all over Tulsa.

That is nothing but bin, Bob.

Wow!

Right into the bin.

Team Johnson has buttoned up another win.

Score big by recycling your aluminum and steel cans.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.com.

Do you know what happens to all of the waste we leave behind in our yards, driveways, and streets?

Runoff water carries all of the trash, chemicals, and other pollutants straight into our storm drains, which lead to miles and miles of pipes and drains right below our feet that drain directly into our rivers and streams.

Along the way, all of the trash, chemicals, and pollutants add up until even something small, like one cigarette butt, one oil spill, or one pile of leaves accumulates inside our drains and pipes and becomes a big problem, causing blockages in the system and pollution in our rivers and streams.

The waters we fish and play in.

The water that sustains our wildlife.

By protecting what goes into our drains, we can save our streams.

You and I can do our part together.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore the opulent homes of Tulsa's early oil titans.

These men shaped the future, the Barons.

Situated south of downtown is one of Tulsa's most prestigious historic neighborhoods, Maple Ridge, adjacent to the iconic Woodward Park, grand twentieth century homes, front tree-lined boulevards, timeless architectural styles and details tell the story of a city built on oil.

Let's take a closer look at three of Tulsa's most iconic homes.

One of Tulsa's most notable homes, this Georgian revival style mansion, built in 1923, was home to William G.

Skelly, a prominent figure in Tulsa's oil and radio industries.

Skelly purchased this neoclassical house not long after it was constructed in 1924.

The three-story mansion is approximately 10,000 square feet, seated on a spacious wooded corner lot.

Exterior walls are composed of red brick masonry, and the home features a striking green tile roof.

The main feature of the ground floor is the long 40-foot dining room.

A large second floor veranda with iron rail and iron staircase offered access to the yard to entertain Skelly's elite guests.

The home remained in the Skelly family until 1968 and remains one of Tulsa's premier historical homes.

Nestled within the neighborhood stands a captivating model of early 20th century architecture.

Constructed in 1915, this two-story mission revival home was designed by esteemed architect Noble B.

Fleming, whose work significantly shaped Tulsa's architectural landscape during the oil boom era.

The home showcases hallmark features of the mission revival style.

The all-brick exterior, red tile roofing, and arched entryways are its defining characteristics.

Inside, the residence boasts original quarter sawn oak mill work, intricate ceiling structures, and drawn glass windows that frame views of downtown Tulsa.

This residence not only embodies the elegance of its era, but also serves as a testament to the visionaries who propelled Tulsa into its golden age.

Another early land developer targeting oil producers and business elite was real estate developer Grant Stebbins.

A lucrative land offer attracted former Congressman Bird McGuire.

Mr.

and Mrs.

McGuire built their home in 1916.

With native red sandstone, a notable Tulsa builder, John Blair designed the house using a Frank Lloyd Wright theory.

Mrs.

McGuire handpicked each stone.

The stately McGuire home was one of the first built in the new subdivision, and Tulsa's golden age of oil production and real estate development was off to the races.

The homes of Tulsa's barons remind us of a time when ambition and architecture rose together as living monuments to the city's bold beginnings.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shaped Tulsa, one historic property at a time.

Hey Tulsa, we have a crushing recycle play of the day for you.

Team Johnson versus paper and cardboard.

They're starting off slow today.

Probably try to figure out what to do with those styrofoam plates, since they're not recyclable.

There's the big play we were waiting for.

Boom!

Completely empty cardboard boxes dunked in the cart.

Score big by recycling your cardboard and paper.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.com.

With every raindrop.

And every stream.

Water impacts the world around us every day.

We may not know it or even see it.

But all the little things we do can build up in a big, big way.

Together, we can make a difference.

A difference in our streams.

A difference in our water.

In our city.

Every yard, every street, every neighborhood is an opportunity to help protect our water, our wildlife, and our community.

You and I can do our part together.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we visit one of Tulsa's most charming and distinctive neighborhoods, Swan Lake.

Nestled just east of downtown, the Swan Lake Historic District offers a peaceful oasis of early 20th century homes and elegant apartment buildings.

Centered around a tranquil pond that gives the neighborhood its name.

This area was once a streetcar suburb.

A place where Tulsa's growing middle and upper middle class found escape from the hustle of the city.

Let's take a closer look at some of the district's most iconic properties.

These homes represent a time when thoughtful planning and picturesque design gave shape to a neighborhood unlike any other in the city.

At the heart of the Swan Lake neighborhood lies its namesake lake, a peaceful pond today, but once the centerpiece of a bustling amusement park in the early 1900s.

It quickly became a popular weekend destination for Tulsa families during the oil boom.

This man-made body of water was part of a private recreation area, complete with boat rides, a dance pavilion, and even a small zoo.

Though the amusements are long gone, the lake remains a serene reminder of a bygone era.

As Tulsa expanded, the demand for multi-unit housing grew.

In 1918, Samuel Augustus Orcutt responded to that need by constructing the first apartment building in what would become the Swan Lake Historic District.

This marked the beginning of Orcut's development enterprise, which would shape the neighborhood for decades.

Thanks to his efforts, Swan Lake now boasts more apartment buildings from Tulsa's boom era, spanning the 1920s through the late 1930s than any other neighborhood in the city.

The Orcette apartments remain a cornerstone of Tulsa's shift toward urban living.

As Tulsa's oil industry boomed and oil fortune soared, areas like Swan Lake became havens for industry leaders, managers, and visionaries.

Standing proudly at the edge of the lake is 1583 Swan Drive, the first home built along Swan Lake, completed in 1919.

This stately Italian Renaissance residence was designed by Noble B.

Fleming, an architect from Kansas City, whose work also includes Tulsa's beloved garden center at Woodward Park.

The home was commissioned by J.

M.

Hayner, president of the Monarch Royalty Company, a firm heavily involved in oil leasing and mineral rights during Tulsa's boom years.

As one of the first to settle on the lake, Hayner helped set the tone for a neighborhood that blended natural beauty with architectural grace.

From craftsman bungalows to classical revival and tutor revival.

Swan Lake is a showcase of architectural grace, each street a reflection of Tulsa's early 1900s aspirations.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa, one historic property at a time.

Score big by recycling your glass bottles and jars.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.

In the rich fabric of Tulsa's history, where transit has woven itself into the daily lives of residents since nineteen sixty-eight, we take pride in serving the transportation needs of this vibrant community.

Today, as Tulsa Transit continues to evolve, we're excited to share a significant chapter in our journey.

Celebrate with us as we mark a significant milestone, two million riders in 2023.

The community echoes with the voices of riders, employees, and partners, each contributing to the vibrant life that is Tulsa Transit.

Anticipation builds as we proudly unveil our new names.

Say hello to Metrolink Tulsa, your main bus service, along with MicroLink and Link Assist.

As Metrolink Tulsa evolves and finds new ways to serve residents, witness the joy of riders boarding Metrolink Tulsa, realizing our mission to safely link people, places, and communities in Oklahoma.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we journey east of downtown to explore two of Tulsa's most charming early 20th century neighborhoods, Yorktown and Gillette.

Developed during Tulsa's rapid post-oil boom growth, these districts were shaped by a rising middle class, oil workers, business owners, and civic leaders, who brought with them pride, ambition, and a love for craftsmanship.

Let's take a look at a few of the standout homes.

Our first stop is the illustrious Gillette Mansion.

Constructed in 1921, this three-story gothic tutor masterpiece was the residence of J.

M.

Gillette, an important merchant, real estate entrepreneur, an oil man, and the namesake of the surrounding Gillette Historic District.

Gillette cited his home outside the city limits.

The mansion grounds included a natural stone goldfish pond, handcrafted concrete tables and benches, and a clay tennis court.

Crafted with brick, stucco, and heavy timber.

The mansion boasts rock accents, multi-paned leaded glass windows set within cutstone gothic arches, and a slate roof.

Its grandeur stands as a testament to Tulsa's oil boom era and the architectural ambition it inspired.

Next, we visit 1731 South Yorktown Avenue, a charming Tudor-style duplex built in 1940.

This 1200 square foot residence reflects the architectural trends of the time.

With its brick facade and characteristic design elements, duplexes like this were often home to middle-class professionals, bank clerks, and laborers, drawn to the neighborhood's quiet streets and proximity to downtown.

It exemplifies the city's mid-century residential expansion.

And the move towards more modest yet stylish multi-family middle-class dwellings.

Constructed in 1923.

Houses like this typically sheltered young families and skilled tradespeople, offering an affordable yet stylish entry into homeownership.

Two classic neighborhoods from Tulsa's golden age, still alive today.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

One thing to keep in mind: if you're lucky enough to find this, find yourself a button.

Push your button, these sides will illuminate, allowing you to then cross the street.

Secondly, pedestrians must walk along this sidewalk and not in the street.

If you're walking adjacent to the street and no sidewalk has been provided for you, you need to walk as close to the curb as possible while facing oncoming traffic.

Finally, blind pedestrians always have the right of way over all other pedestrians and vehicles.

Blind pedestrians must indicate this right of weight by holding out horizontally a white cane in the direction they wish to travel.

The Tulsa Police Department takes this issue very seriously.

We are here to protect all citizens of Tulsa.

Any violation, particularly by motorists putting other Tulsons' lives at risk, you're gonna get a ticket.

Help us keep you from getting a ticket and help keep Tulson safe.

We all have a responsibility to share the road.

Together, we can be kind and make streets a safer place for everyone.

The bazaar is a micro-neighborhood grocery.

So my good grocery store has a very small footprint and it's specified for smaller communities.

It's membership based.

Those in the Dawson community will have a free membership.

For community members who are outside of Dawson, they can purchase a membership for a very nominal fee.

It is a cashless grocery, so that means that there will be no cash that transfers on site.

You can use your bank card, you can use your snap card, or you can upload cash onto your bizarre card, much like you would at the laundromat.

We're hoping to connect with our Oklahoma producers, so our farmers here in Oklahoma to be able to provide a market for them.

Started in 2012 trip to Indonesia and living with the farmers overseas.

And so I wanted to kind of connect those two bubbles together to create something that would be more in the farmers' favor and the community itself.

It's to provide healthy food at a non-profit cost in an area that is considered to be a food desert.

On top of that, we have a mission to make sure our children do not go without food.

So the bazaar is prepared to feed one free meal per child for all 450 students that go to school in the Dawson neighborhood, K-312.

It's just going to be a much needed connection point for the community.

This is phase one currently in this project, and phase one is the grocery store and the food trucks.

We are trying to decrease our carbon footprint.

So our store we ran completely on solar energy.

Our packaging will be biodegradable packaging.

Our bags will be cloth bags that will be reusable.

They have applied and received ARPA funding.

I chose to use 500,000 of the district three funds to help with infrastructure.

The main goal of this initiative is to restore humanity and since it gives life to these communities.

I think it will be life-changing.

Having good, healthy access to food at a reasonable price in this community will be a game changer.

So it really provides a sense of ownership of belonging, that this is the Dawson neighborhood market.

The project is Flat Rock Creek, and that is a partnership with the Tulsa Housing Authority's 36 North.

And so it will be as some would like to call it the Turkey Mountain of North Tulsa.

This project will provide biking and walking trails, connection with nature, very excited about the possibility of having a fishing pond, having access to all of these amenities in this area is going to be viewed for the entire area.

The need is great.

Excited not only for the community as a whole, but particularly for the students.

There are several schools in the immediate area, and this could be an outdoor learning experience.

It just will be enhanced with these outdoor amenities for the community splendid.

We have held community meetings, my town hall meetings concerning this project, and it received overwhelming support.

The future is very bright for this project.

When you consider the housing that is returning to the area, not only the apartments that are owned by the Tulsa Housing Authority, but also several hundred homes will be built in that immediate area as well.

And so having this amenity in the houses all in the same area is very broad for this community.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we head downtown to explore the boom.

An era when Tulsa soared upward on steel and ambition.

Fueled by oil money and optimism, the city's skyline became a canvas for architects, artisans, and entrepreneurs who believed there was no limit to what Tulsa could be.

From grand hotels to gleaming towers, the art deco designs of the 1920s and 30s reflect a city at the height of its confidence.

Let's take a closer look at four iconic landmarks from Tulsa's golden age.

First, the Philcade and the Phil Tower, two masterpieces born of oil and vision, commissioned by oil magnate Wade Phillips.

These buildings were designed to complement one another inside and out.

The Phil Tower, completed in 1928, blends gothic revival with art deco, rising 24 stories with ornate terracotta detailing and a signature green tile roof.

Just across the street, the Philcade opened in 1931, flaunting pure Art Deco glamour from its gilded lobby to its geometric flourishes.

Together, they form a striking architectural dialogue, capturing both the romance and the reality of the oil boom.

Next, the Minx Adams Hotel, once the social centerpiece of downtown Tulsa, built in 1927, the hotel was a symbol of prosperity and polish with Italian Renaissance styling, intricate terracotta, and a two-story grand ballroom.

During the oil boom, it welcomed dignitaries, deal makers, and dreamers from all over the world.

It blends historic elegance with modern energy.

An enduring tribute to Tulsa's roaring twenties.

Rising above fourth in Boston is one of downtown Tulsa's most striking silhouettes, the Cosden Building, now known as the Mid-Continent Tower.

The original 16-story structure was a symbol of oil boom ambition.

Commissioned by Oilman Joshua Cosden, a man often called the Prince of Petroleum.

Originally completed in 1918, its most eye-catching chapter came decades later, when in 1984, an extraordinary engineering feat nearly doubled its height.

Rather than demolish the original structure, architects and engineers built a 20-story tower directly above it, cantilevered over the historic building with a hidden steel frame.

The result is a seamless blend of past and present.

A modern high rise perched atop a century-old skyscraper.

Mirroring its style so perfectly, it's often mistaken as a single, unified design.

Today, the mid-continent tower stands as a testament, not just to Tulsa's architectural legacy, but to its visionary spirit where preservation and progress rise side by side.

These iconic buildings remind us of a time when Tulsa was growing fast, thinking big, and laying the foundation for the city we know today.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

Now we're going to go in and fix those storm inlets.

We're going to bring those storm inlets up and completely take those dips out.

So it'll be a smooth ride on the outside lanes going northbound and southbound.

So we identified some funding resources.

$75,000 from Vision Allocated Funds for District 8, which I get to represent.

And then I with a map out of the district seven community development funds for $150,000 total.

And then $100,000 from the city's general fund, which will be used to repair the inlets to bring those inlets up to grade and to smooth out the ride for all of us on Memorial.

Thank you for everyone's patience as we identified this new funding source to now elevate the drainage for our stormwater drains and to smooth out the road.

I think you'll find a smoother ride as you head north or south on South Memorial Drive in South Tulsa.

After a very short time frame for construction, we'll have smooth lanes just as I think the vast majority of our constituents want.

This summer, I think we'll finally get to a place where it's smooth sailing, no more dips in the road, and no potholes.

I'd like to say thank you.

We cannot have the equipment that we have without the support of Tulsa's tax uh payers.

All of the trucks that the Tulsa Fire Department uh buy, we keep them consistent with one manufacturer.

That allows us to ensure that our fleet mechanics know exactly what they're working on.

Daily checks and maintenance and keeping these vehicles in tip top shape really provides effective response, but it also ensures that everyone, it's public, firefighters, and the community as a whole are safe when we're operating in the areas.

Some of the important things to look for are how body panels are fit, how the paint is, is it durable?

You want to make sure it's gonna last because this is the city's investment for 10 plus years.

We want to get as much out of this truck as we can.

Right behind our people, this is the most expensive thing that we purchase.

From the time we've design and purchase uh an engine is 36 months.

We want consistency to buy a certain number each year to replace um a certain number of engines, certain number of ladders and specialty units every year.

These trucks are kind of a final evolution in probably three versions that we've built over the last four or five years.

We like a little bit shorter length.

Um, it's a little bit easier to move within apartment complexes and and some of our two-lane South Tulsa roads.

This is a point of pride for the fire department, and the firefighters that are assigned to this vehicle will take care of it, inspect it and ensure it's working.

They're passionate about that that work.

Investment up front equals quality and safety over time.

Ensures that uh we have readiness and readiness is the most important part for us is having the ability to receive the alarm quickly and get out the door, having confidence in that equipment, making sure it's ready to go, and that it performs effectively is key to saving lives and property.

Starting in 2024 and continuing over the next four years, the city of Tulsa will start installing new automated water meters at more than 145,000 residential locations across the city.

The program is known as True Reads.

While the city of Tulsa has had reliable process for reading and changing out water meters for many years, automated meter reading technology has improved to the point that it now makes financial and operational sense to make the switch.

These new meters will minimize property access needs, control meter reading costs, cause fewer employee injuries, eliminate estimated bills, and deploy more environmentally friendly technology.

While there isn't much you need to do, we do want you to be aware that work will happen in your yard sooner or later.

Before contractors even touch that meter in your yard, you will have advanced notification and day of notification.

First, the city will maintain a regularly updated online map showing neighborhoods where meters are currently being installed.

That map can be found online at city of Tulsa.org forward slash true reads.

Second, one to two weeks before your meters installed, a door hanger with more information will be left on your door.

And finally, the day of your meter installation, you will be personally contacted by the contractor with a knock on your door.

While your meters being changed, you will be briefly without water for a maximum of 30 minutes.

And once crews are finished, all we ask is that you run your water for a few minutes to build pressure back up in your lines.

And that's because any time water is turned off, there is a chance your system will lose some pressure, and you could see cloudy water until it's restored.

Lastly, while contractors work to swap your meter out, they'll also perform what's known as a lead service line inspection.

Lead, which is a toxic metal that was used in plumbing materials in the past, can cause adverse health effects.

While we don't think there are many, if any lead service lines remaining in our system, we do want to find, document, and remove any lead that may be left in our system.

As part of the automated meter reading installation process, crews will do a quick check of the service line material and results of that lead inspection will be made available on the online map.

For more information and to see a detailed list of frequently asked questions about the process, along with the map that we mentioned earlier, visit cityoftulsa.org forward slash true reads.

I was raised on a farm growing up.

I was raised to respect animals and care for them.

My heart is really just to care for these animals when when they don't have anyone else to care for them.

We have a ton of strays in the city limits of Tulsa, and a lot of people just see them as strays that you know they might just be on the streets forever.

They still deserve every chance that a dog has that is owned or cared for.

That's really my heart is to care for those animals that don't have an owner, to bring them here, give them a soft bed to lay on, give them food and water to where they can go out and get a loving home to continue their life into.

Good girl.

The most important part to me for this job is to, you know, build a relationship with the community.

If your dog doesn't have a dog house or it needs a tie out to where it can't get loose, I want them to feel comfortable enough to come to us to where we can give them those resources.

We're not here to just write you tickets or you know, take your dog.

We're here to give you the resources that the community needs to be able to let you keep your dog.

Because a lot of times the dog can be a big part of your family and for your kids and everything.

We're not here to just take those animals.

We're here to give you those resources, give you dog food, cat food, anything that you need to let you keep your dog in the best way that you can.

Come on, Tweedy.

I think a lot of people don't realize if there's a stray baby goat, if there's a pig, we have to go get those animals, and sometimes it can get a little hairy, you know.

If you're trying to wrangle a pig and you're chasing it, sometimes it gets a little crazy, but it definitely makes it fun.

Good girl.

We're here, you know, 24-7 to help the community.

Those are the relationships that I want to build with the community, to know that we're here for them.

We're here to care for them and their animals.

Being an animal welfare is not just for the animals, it's for the people just as much as the animals.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore the church.

A story written not in brick alone, but in belief, community, and truthfully bold design.

In Tulsa's cathedral district, rising spires and stained glass tell the story of a city shaped by faith and architecture.

These houses of worship reflect both spiritual devotion and the ambition of a growing city.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most iconic sacred spaces.

First, the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, a national landmark of art deco architecture.

Completed in 1929, this church broke from tradition with its vertical lines, abstract ornamentation, an innovative design by architect Bruce Goff and artist Ado Robinson.

From its soaring central tower to its streamlined detailing, the building blends modernism with reverence.

It's not just one of Tulsa's greatest architectural achievements, it's one of the most important art deco churches in the country.

Next, the Holy Family Cathedral, the spiritual heart of Tulsa's Catholic community, built in 1914 in the neoclassical style.

The cathedral's masonry walls and steel-framed spires are faced with stone and brick.

The 251-feet tall main spire is faced with four large clocks, and its design evokes the great European cathedrals as one of the oldest churches in Tulsa.

Holy family is more than a place of worship.

It's a foundation stone in the city's story.

And finally, at the corner of 11th and Boulder stands First Methodist Church, the third home for a congregation, whose story stretches back to Tulsa's earliest days.

Founded in 1886, the church built a modest white chapel, and as the city expanded, so did the congregation, first into a red brick church at 9th and Boulder.

Then in 1921, into the grand structure that still welcomes worshippers today.

Built in the perpendicular Tudor Gothic style.

The church's design draws the eye heavenward with pointed arches and vaulted ceilings, an architectural expression of reverence.

Its cruciform layout, a cross shape, anchors the building in Christian tradition.

A symbol that this church, like its people, is grounded in faith.

These churches remind us that Tulsa's past wasn't just built with industry and ambition, but with faith, artistry, and community at its core.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa, one historic property at a time.

One hundred years ago, the Spavanaugh Water Project transformed the future of Tulsa.

In 1924, Tulsa embarked on one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the country with a goal of getting clean, reliable water to the city.

In the early 1900s, Tulsons used water from springs, wells, and the Arkansas River, which was full of gypsum, salt, and silt.

People used to say that after you took a bath, you dried off, and then you dusted off.

In 1908, during a hunting trip, a group of influential Tulsons came upon Spavanaugh Creek, a crystal clear, spring-fed stream.

In the summer of 1921, the City Water Commission hired 28-year-old civil engineer W.

R.

Hallway to conduct surveys to determine if Spavanock Creek water could be brought to Tulsa by gravity flow.

In his report on October 24th, Hallway confirmed this was possible.

And a month later, the citizens of Tulsa passed a $6,800,000 bond issue by an overwhelming margin to fund the Spavanaugh Water Supply Project.

Hallway was hired to design and build what was one of the largest water projects in the nation.

Construction took two years to complete at a cost of seven and a half million dollars.

Spavanaugh Dam is two-thirds of a mile long, five stories high, and in pounds eight and a half billion gallons of water in Spavanal Lake.

When first built, the reservoir became the largest lake in the state of Oklahoma.

Water from Spavanall Lake flows by gravity to the city of Tulsa, 54 miles away.

This original flow line was the longest raw water line in the United States at the time of construction.

Over its length, the pipeline drops by an elevation of only 90 feet.

Crosses under two rivers, over eight creeks, and tunnels through a 200-foot-tall ridge.

On November 17th, 1924, Tulson'sons lifted glasses of clean and clear water to toast the completion of the Spavanaugh water system.

After construction was complete, Hallway allowed the Tulsa mayor to put his final $15,000 paycheck in a bottle to float through the flow line where he caught it as it came out at Mohawk.

Today, the city of Tulsa provides an average of 105 million gallons of refreshing award-winning water to over 650,000 customers in and around the Tulsa metropolitan area every day in 1924.

The Tulsa World wrote oil may have built Tulsa in the past, but Spavanaugh water will be the product by which the future will be built.

Because this is a sparsely populated area, there was no development that was occurring out here.

It was important that we try and figure out how to activate this corridor for future development.

And I think by doing this, we've created a place where small developers or even larger developers can look at this and it be an attractive place to spur growth and development.

I think it's important that when we invest in ourselves, investors will invest in us.

When we first brought this issue to the attention of our district, everyone was a little bit overwhelmed by the fact that we had citizens that didn't have the basic necessity.

Most of us, when we turn on our water, we expect that clean clear water is going to come out of our faucet.

Everybody got behind this initiative.

So thank you for going down this journey with us and making sure that we invest in our district and its future potential.

We knew that we needed to address mental and behavioral health in a larger scale.

One is a co-response model, and it is a team that is staffed with two individuals, a firefighter paramedic who is trained in crisis intervention, and a COPS clinician from Family and Children's Services.

Art One is able to respond to any age individual in crisis.

And we do see a big need in the 18 to 45 range.

We also know that about 20% of Art 1's responses are to unhoused individuals.

There's a lot of work being done, not just locally but nationally with addressing mental health.

We were out ahead of the game in regards to a lot of the other cities in America in trying to address our needs within our community.

How can we better serve it?

What we found was early on, we were seeing some of these people called 911 who just needed this assistance.

And so these programs were invented very early on to meet that need.

And it's proven to be so valuable when we look at the resource that Art One provides to the community with the ability to have a paramedic and provide a medical evaluation of someone who's in crisis to rule out any physical health needs along with that clinician to address the psychological needs of that individual who's in crisis.

Another big thing that Art One does is they've responded to what we call high utilizers or people who are calling 911 a lot, looking for help.

So Art One can also respond to those individuals and start social services.

So we're very big on addressing social determinants, which is education, employment, health care, social and community context.

We want to address those items to improve somebody's life situation.

The benefit of having family and children's services along with us is that we have that clinician there.

They can schedule an appointment for that individual to go in and get checked.

When we're not able to accomplish that, we take that individual to what we call sometimes an alternate destination.

So they may go to a crisis care center or an urgent recovery center or somewhere where it's going to best benefit that individual in that moment who's in crisis.

9-1-1 in public safety have done an incredible job of responding to an emergency incident, intervening and taking care of that situation.

But moving forward, we've got to find ways to continue that relationship with those individuals to make sure those needs are met.

And that's really where the follow-up piece comes in.

If a unit responds to an individual on Monday, a case manager is going to follow up with him on Tuesday or Wednesday that week and make sure their needs are being met.

This is so important when you're talking about providing a continuum of care, meaning a care that just doesn't stop on that response, but it follows what that individual stays with them.

We can connect people very quickly to those resources, and we have that institutional knowledge to know what's the best resource for that person.

We can really begin to move the ball forward in helping our most vulnerable populations in Tulsa to be in better situations.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore cultural destinations.

The spaces where Tulsa came together to be entertained, inspired, and connected, whether through music, film, or storytelling.

These iconic venues have helped define Tulsa's cultural identity.

They reflect not only the city's love of the arts, but also its enduring commitment to preservation, creativity, and community.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most beloved cultural landmarks.

First, Canes Ballroom, where Western Swing was born and legends still take the stage.

Built in 1924 as a garage, Canes was converted into a dance hall academy and soon became home to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

With its spring loaded maple dance floor, Neon Glow, an intimate stage.

Keynes has hosted everyone from country pioneers to punk icons.

Known as the Carnegie Hall of Western Swing, it remains a living piece of Tulsa's musical legacy.

Today, it continues to operate as one of the region's premier music venues, drawing national touring acts and loyal local crowds.

Next, Circle Cinema.

Tulsa's oldest operating movie theater and a hub for independent film opened in 1928 as a silent movie theater.

The circle has survived fires, closures, and shifting trends, but its mission remains the same to bring meaningful, thought-provoking cinema to the community.

Restored with care, the theater blends historic charm with modern programming.

It's more than a place to see a film.

It's where Tulsa comes to think, discuss, and dream.

It regularly hosts screenings, film festivals, and community events, keeping its screens and conversations alive.

And finally, the Museum of Tulsa History, nestled in the heart of Woodward Park, located in a 1919 Italian Renaissance Revival Mansion.

That was originally the home of oilmen and philanthropist Sam Travis.

The museum preserves Tulsa's collective memory through exhibits, archives, and artifacts.

One of the first grand residences in what became known as Tulsa's Millionaire Row.

The venue is surrounded by the blooming landscapes of Woodward Park.

This property is as much about reflection as celebration.

A place where the stories of Tulsa's neighborhoods, industries, and people are honored and shared.

The museum hosts rotating exhibits, lectures, and public programs that invite the community to engage directly with Tulsa's past.

These venues remind us that history isn't only built in stone or steel, it's also written in cheers, laughter, and applause, and the stories we pass on.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

Alternate Response Team 2 is a very innovative program.

So Art 2 is staffed with two sworn firefighter paramedics who are community paramedicine trained, which means they have extra training in mental health, they have extra training in taking care of wound management.

We have basically stuck a hypothetical fire station right in the center of downtown Tulsa and said any medical call that comes in within the IDL or downtown Tulsa, ART 2 will respond to.

They will also respond and provide outreach services and wellness checks for unhoused population within the IDL.

So when they're not on a run, when they're not providing medical coverage, they're out there making sure people are as healthy as they possibly can be.

They provide blood pressure checks, they check pulse rates.

Whether you're housed or homeless, doesn't really matter.

Do you have the medications that you need to manage your health conditions?

They provide water on hot days, they make sure you're warm on cold days.

And R2 coordinates very well with our community partners, making sure that we're coordinating our efforts with everyone else.

The impact they've had has been significant.

And I believe the reason is they take the extra time to spend with individuals.

As soon as they're done with that call, they're going to go over there and have conversations with people and say, hey, are you working with somebody right now?

Do you have a plan?

If not, we can help you coordinate that effort.

We can get you helping you get housing.

We can help you get food.

What we love about the Tulsa Fire Department and what this program has been able to do is we work with everybody within the community.

So we're utilizing every resource that we have within the city of Tulsa to get the best outcomes for these individuals.

It does have that follow-up mechanism very much like Art 1 and CRT, where the buck doesn't stop at the call.

Someone's staying with them, someone who has been unhoused for five years, had some history with alcohol, and they've stayed with this individual, built rapport, and it started with just outreach, just having conversations and sticking with him, walked them through the steps, filled out housing applications with him, made sure the gaps were filled in service delivery.

After five years, this person's house now, they've actually got a dog living in their apartment.

I mean, the best that we've ever seen them and living their best life, and that's really our hope through these programs is we can help facilitate that.

Whenever I pull up a heat map, we continue to see some of our greatest responses in the downtown area.

And when we begin to dive into what that looks like and why so, we do see unhoused population in the downtown area, and we see a great response to there.

We've been able to determine a lot of information that we didn't know before.

Busy times of the day, demographics that we're responding to, and really focus our approach to helping those individuals and really meeting those needs where they're at.

We want to provide what we call a community health needs assessment with R2 and really determine hey, when this unit's going to go, they're going to ask more questions than maybe you would traditionally see on a fire tracker and an ambulance response.

They're going to get into depth of what's going on with that individual.

You know, that call came in as a chest pain, but what was it really?

I do talk to a lot of different departments across the U.S., and so we're seeing cities want to adopt this.

There is models that are similar, but they've not had the impact.

And I think that the difference you see is R2 is able to respond to real-time 911 calls in place of other apparatus, but they also provide those other social services that are really critical to getting the outcomes you need.

All these units, whether it's CRT, ART1, or ART2, they're able to let law enforcement, ambulances, fire trucks go back in service to be ready to respond to fires, critical emergencies, and let these units spend the extra time with people in mental health crisis or unhoused populations and not rush that.

You don't want to rush those situations.

You want to spend the extra time.

I believe very strongly that R2 is a model for the future.

Right now it's just in downtown Tulsa.

I see this as something that you could really implement citywide.

You don't see this anywhere else in America.

So I'm excited because I love when we are able to push the bar forward and really set an example on a national stage, and that's exactly what we're doing with Art 2.

Hi, I'm Sherry Carrier, Director of Tulsa Animal Services.

I want to take a moment to share a little bit about the incredible work happening behind these doors.

Every single day, our team is here, taking in lost, abandoned, and injured animals, giving them the care that they need, and working hard to find safe and loving homes.

It's easy to think that this is just a city service.

But behind the scene are real people.

People who love animals and pour their hearts into this work.

Even on our toughest days.

We're proud to say it's making a difference.

Our save rate has jumped from 67% in 2018 to nearly 80% today.

Thanks to adoptions, foster homes, and the incredible support of our community.

One of the biggest lifesavers, Span Newton.

Preventing unwanted litters means fewer animals entering our shelters and more resources for every pet who needs us.

Thank you for standing with us.

Together, we're creating a safer, more compassionate Tulsa for animals.

Recycling rent is easy, but do you know what happens when you don't think before you throw and contaminate your blue recycling cart?

The city of Tulsa produces 450 tons of contaminated waste per month.

That's almost 5,500 tons per year that will now be going straight to the land zone.

To put into perspective how much waste that is, it's equivalent to 250 golden driller statues.

Think before you throw and keep recycling clean and waste free.

For more information about the correct way to recycle, please visit Tulsa Recycles.com.

The Tulsa Professional Connector Program will help you build a professional network and get in touch with highly networked individuals and professionals in your field of expertise.

El programma tiene dos roles.

Los conectores, que son los líderes empresariales y comunitarios, y los conectados, que son immigrantes, refugiados or graduados universitarios internacionales.

He programming him nahi letna, sem nading, nasce na field, il na Dingle, Tosako Songa, Akisam Ben Ben Nase Banghyam Ti, Del Nading Hihi, Connacta de Kangpan, Nasip Zondan Lee and Acept Maila Ma Ding Feedback Don Tom Zongkin Adinghi.

To learn more, visit our webpage and contact us.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore river views, the grand homes that overlook the Arkansas River and reflect Tulsa's lasting connection to its natural landscape.

For more than a century, the river has shaped the city's layout, its neighborhoods, and its sense of beauty.

These historic properties near its banks are more than homes.

They're places where art, industry, and civic life converged.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most iconic riverside estates.

First, Harweldon Mansion, Tulsa's storybook manor, overlooking the Arkansas River, built in 1923 by Oilman Earl Harwell.

This English Tudor style estate blends gothic arches and hand-carved detailing.

The exterior facade consists of brick, stone window surrounds, balustrade and stone coins at the corners leading up to the slate roof.

Inside, the home featured custom furnishings, a music room, and one of the city's earliest residential elevators.

Today, Harweldon operates as a cultural and event center, welcoming guests from around the world for weddings, concerts, and arts programming all with the river view.

Next, the Lee Clinton House, an understated gem tucked into the curves of Riverside Drive.

Constructed in 1919, this elegant colonial revival home belonged to civic leader and businessman Lee Clinton, founder of Union National Bank, and co-founder of the Tulsa stockyards, along with oil man William G.

Skelly.

With its classical detailing and perfectly manicured grounds, the home reflects quiet confidence and refined taste.

Privately owned and beautifully preserved.

It's one of the few original homes in the area that still retains its historic charm along Tulsa's most scenic stretch.

And finally, the dresser mansion, where Italian Renaissance flair meets Tulsa's oil era opulence.

Built in 1919 for oil executive Carl Dresser.

This mansion draws on Mediterranean design with arched logias, ornate ironwork, and a red tile roof.

Designed for entertaining, the home once hosted lavish parties with views stretching across the river valley, now restored and used as a venue.

Dresser Mansion continues to host celebrations, echoing its original purpose as a home made for gathering.

The Arkansas River shaped Tulsa's growth and offered a scenic corridor for some of the city's most remarkable residences.

These iconic properties remind us that Tulsa's past wasn't just built, it was carefully placed with beauty, nature, and legacy in mind.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

This trail also serves the wider Tulsa community by providing beginner-level trails for those who are new to mountain biking, as well as a downhill bike only section for intermediate riders.

And Turkey Mountain is right next door.

The riders are ready to take on if they have sports.

Our Bales Park trails are amazing.

People come, park your car, get out, enjoy the trails.

There's not much traffic.

So we should come out and enjoy the park here at Bales.

Doing a condensed bike club curriculum where we're teaching them safety practices and skill building.

The after school program generally operates for fourth and fifth graders and in middle school.

Fundraising and the kind people that give us dollars to operate allows us to offer all these programs free to the district and free to the kids.

We'll have storage for all our surplus inventory, a bike workshop, we'll have offices, a classroom for training, workshops, team building, and then we'll also be able to host our volunteers here.

We really see a secondary use as a community spot.

Other community partners can come out here, do some training, team buildings.

Spaces like this that do this kind of programming should be available to everyone in our city.

And we want to make sure that every Tulsa has the opportunity to get outside and enjoy.

We love Bell's Park, and the best is yet to come.

Every year around the 4th of July, our shelter fills up with pets who ran off during fireworks.

Most of them live just a few houses away from where they're found.

That's why Tulsa Animal Services partnered with Tulsa Fire to bring microchip scanners to every fire station in our city.

If you find a lost pet, you can now stop by any Tulsa Fire Station and ask a firefighter to scan for a microchip.

No shelter visit required.

The scanner will show a chip number that can help you contact the owner directly through an online lookup system.

Most pets aren't truly lost.

They just need a little help getting home.

This partnership helps us keep animals in their neighborhoods where they belong.

Our fire stations are already part of the community.

This is one more way we're stepping up to keep Tulsa families two-legged and four-legged safe and together.

Because the best place for a pet is home.

TFD CARES stands for Community Assistance Referrals and Educational Services.

It really seeks to connect 911 high utilizers and vulnerable populations to those critical community resources to help improve the lives of individuals within our community.

And the University of Tulsa did a study on CARES back in 2017, and from January to March, we had about a 70% reduction in 9-1-1 usage by connecting vulnerable populations in our community to social determinants of health.

And our scope and scale has grown.

We are now working with local community partners, whether it's hospitals, behavioral health partners, or other vital community resources to really connect individuals to those services.

We get referrals in from all different kinds of partners, whether it's hospitals, the fire department, sometimes the police department, or the aimless service in town.

And I think what makes TFD Care's really strong and really a great program is we're connected and integrated with all the community support structures in place.

We have two very good case managers that really navigate these community resources.

Ascension St.

John and the Czech Foundation is who supports our case managers and helps to integrate those within the Tulsa Fire Department.

We go all over Tulsa.

We are connecting with individuals.

When that referral comes in, we'll send a case manager to someone's house and identify, hey, what's going on today?

We'll address those social determinants of health.

We'll create goals off of that.

And we utilize a system called gelata to communicate and connect with all those community partners, and it helps us to kind of capture our workflow and the work that's being completed.

But our case managers they stay with those clients until those needs are met.

They're working with them, they're navigating things like hand bars, wheelchair ramps, food insecurity, medication adherence.

They also help with individuals who are not currently housed.

We also send a firefighter paramedic or a community paramedic to the home and they'll try to make that home safer, and they'll work with those residents or those community members to make sure that their home is a safer place to live, that they're reducing falls, reducing injuries, and ultimately having better health outcomes.

We thought was very important moving forward in the growth of this program, being an extension of the hospitals and helping firefighters reduce those 911 calls.

One thing we're really proud of with TFD CARES is their impact that they're making and the results because that's what matters to us.

How are we improving that individual's life?

And so TFD CARES has been able to reduce 911 utilization by 80%.

We've been tracking this data through Gelata since 2023.

We're getting help to those individuals that need about 52% of the time we're able to take care of those needs within two weeks.

We're trying to use this information in different parts of Tulsa to be more proactive in helping our citizens and our community members, social services has got to be a part of public safety.

The benefit is incredible, and as we continue to try to address root cause issues, why is that individual calling 911?

Programs like TFD CARES answer that call and they get to those root cause issues and help improve that person's life.

The overdose response team was created to address a prevalent community need in Tulsa, and that's overdoses.

We've seen opiates causing a lot of havoc within our community, not just in Tulsa or Oklahoma, but really nationally.

Public safety, whether it's fire and police are responding to right around eight to ten overdose calls a day.

We created a specialized team that has a community paramedic along with a peer recovery support specialist or someone with lived experience to respond to real-time overdose calls and provide follow-up to individuals who have overdose within our community.

So the lived experienced individual, that's someone who has used some sort of substance in the past and recovered.

I've always had a passion for addiction recovery, things like that because I'm in recovery myself from drugs and alcohol.

So when the opportunity came up, I snagged it up.

I was very excited to be a part of it.

And I still am.

I love it.

It's probably my favorite day out of the week because it's a chance for me to give back to the community that I came from.

I've been in recovery for five years from drugs, and I haven't drank in like 10 years.

I came from a pretty tough background, lots of trauma growing up, gotten in trouble a lot as a kid, been homeless, I've been part of domestic violence and everything from alcohol to prescription opiates to methamphetamine.

So when I first got clean, I decided I wanted to be a part of the movement for recovery.

And I got into working at a drug and alcohol treatment center for several years, and I really loved it.

And what that gives us is the ability for someone to really connect on a personal level and say, hey, I've been in a similar situation before, but I've recovered.

So the overdose response team is meant to complement the current infrastructure we have in place that will go identify individuals who have overdosed, build rapport, connect to services, and stay with them until they've gotten the help they need.

Are you on a housing list?

Yeah.

Yeah?

Good.

How long have you been on it?

With the interactions that we've made, we're slowly building relationships with people through outreach.

I think there's a trust there that some programs don't get.

Thank you.

This is a model that has worked in other cities.

We went and looked in, specifically San Antonio.

Oklahoma City implemented this program in August 2023 to address these needs.

And what these previous communities have found is they're able to get people help earlier in the substance addiction than they were previously.

We do emphasize the harm reduction supplies and the hands-on CPR and some of that education because we're very passionate about giving someone another chance to get it right.

And so the harm reduction boxes complement our overdose response team.

We put those boxes in areas of our community where we see the most overdoses.

And so we have these at a couple fire stations, easy access to Narcan, leave behind kids, as well as fentanyl test strips and education pamphlets.

We want to prevent someone from losing their life.

I think in some areas we've seen a significant drop in overdoses, and our hope is that we're playing a role in that by giving out Narcan and test strips and things that people might need so they uh have a chance to stay alive.

You don't gain recovery by force.

You've got to want it for it to be successful.

So we're just there to help guide that situation and keep people safe for as long as we can.

I think another part of it is people seeing us out and about all the time in these areas.

They know that if they wave us down, we'll stop.

We'll give them whatever it is that they need, even if it's just somebody to listen to them.

And so I think that can build a bridge with certain members in our community to sit there and say, hey, you know, we're just here to lend a helping hand.

It helps to humanize the situation, I think.

You got this?

All right.

And that's something we're very passionate about is continuing to move that ball forward with these individuals and making sure they know this is the things available to help you and we can help walk alongside you during that process.

But we'll also do follow-ups with them with their family, see if we can connect them to resources or get them to treatment or get them harm reduction supplies, whatever it is that they need is what we're there to do.

And whenever anybody's asked us for help, we've been there and we'll help them.

I would say we're continuing to address this issue within our community and really make sure we're providing resources, whether that's response, somewhere to go.

We want to make sure that we have the best system in America here in Tulsa.

The NCI pilot program is all about empowering neighborhoods.

We're giving communities tools, resources, and the confidence they need to take charge and create real meaningful change.

Neighborhood associations, local leaders, and neighbors come together with city departments to identify their top needs and then build a plan to tackle them.

We started by looking at the NCI reports and identifying the neighborhoods with the highest priority needs.

It established a cross-departmental task force.

Got together with them and looked at the resources we could provide the neighborhoods.

These departments that we worked with were police department, animal services, code enforcement, and public works.

Suburban Hills was a perfect fit for this program.

Their participation shows just how much this community values growth and togetherness.

The city has helped a lot.

It's full of resources and guidance, and they're still there for me if I need them.

The Sequoia neighborhood shine through this program.

They set ambitious goals, work together, and they achieved every single one of them.

Now they have the skills and momentum to keep pushing their community forward.

Just seeing some neighbors and residents really engage in the process.

They were the ones that championed going out into the neighborhood, passing out information, doing door hangers, knocking on doors, and that allowed us to have a little bit more sense of what was really going on in the broader community.

The Charles Page neighborhood has been an inspiring part of this pilot.

They're building the kind of community they want to live in.

The neutering and spay program, that was a huge success.

The neighborhood cleanup was a huge success.

I'm so grateful that we still have them as we made it forwards.

Once you build the partnerships with the city, they're going to continue with us.

The city departments involved worked hard, the neighborhoods worked hard.

We couldn't have done it without their support and their involvement.

Together, we're creating neighborhoods where every voice matters and every block has a strong story worth telling.

Zoning requirements state how people can use land in certain areas.

In order to use the land in a different way, the owner needs to get permission from the city.

The application will go to the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, the City Board of Adjustments, or the County Board of Adjustments, depending on the type and location of the request.

TMAPC handles zoning changes, subdivisions, and comprehensive plan amendments.

After filling out the proper application, Tulsa planning office staff will check to make sure everything is in order.

They then assign the application a case number and pass it to the planning commission with a recommendation on what to do.

Any rezoning application requires notice to the public in the form of posted signs, a newspaper section, and mailed notice to the property owners within 300 feet of the lot.

The application fee covers these costs, and the planning office sends the notifications out.

The notices must be mailed, posted, and published at least 20 days before its appearance before the planning commission.

TMAPC then holds a public hearing.

Applicants may be called to the podium to speak, and the interested parties are allowed to give public comments for or against the request.

The commissioners then deliberate.

If recommended for approval, the application moves on to the city council.

The application appears on council agendas three times.

The first appearance is at the council's committee meetings.

The planning commission staff gives and explains a recommendation based on the application's consistency with policy and intent of the comprehensive plan.

This appearance is only a discussion, not a vote.

Counselors and planning office staff are the only ones permitted to participate in discussion, but the public is permitted to view and attend the meeting.

Council meeting.

Another public hearing is held to give an opportunity for citizen input before the council vote.

The applicant is again allowed to make a presentation.

The city council then votes to either approve the application, approve it with modifications, or deny it.

In most cases, the application needs a simple majority to pass.

If the application passes, it then appears at the following city council meeting as an ordinance reflecting the council vote to implement the decision.

This is a huge point of pride for us in Tulsa to be home to an Olympic sport, to have USA BMX locating their headquarters here in Tulsa.

It puts us on the national and international map when it comes to athletics in this space.

Excited about I think what it means for our community today, but also very excited about the next generation of BMX athletes that I think this facility is going to inspire right here in our city.

Sick to have this here because then, you know, now we got a place to call home right here in Tulsa, right here in our hometown, man.

It's nice.

It's super sick to have the racetrack here.

And then whatever, you know, potential opportunities that come with it of them putting their HQ here.

It's awesome, awesome to see.

When I talk about the impact not only for STEM education, but then what we're we're trying to grow and build in Greenwood and North Tulsa, plus the races, plus foreign and national Olympians coming here.

All of a sudden, it kind of puts it in perspective of the whole, the whole project.

We have pump tracks, we have STEM education, so there'll be science experiments going on with BMX bikes, if you can believe that.

At the same time, too, they could look into that track, and we could have either the U.S.

national team or a foreign Olympic team in their training during the day.

Uh, at night and after school at switches.

So we'll have private coaching uh training for so for your parents who want to get their kids into BMX but have never done it before.

We teach them how.

Uh, but then you're also going to have the competitive racers that have been doing it for a while, their families practicing once a week, racing here.

I know that this community is going to rally around USA BMX for decades to come because of this facility.

Hey Tulsa, welcome back to the top recycling play of the day.

Team Johnson is facing off against a tough competitor.

Plastic.

Don't trust those numbers on the bottom.

You have to stick to what you know.

Only bottles and jugs found in the kitchen, bath, or laundry.

They're quick to pick up and empty those bottles before sinking that shot.

Always empty your bottles before recycling.

Score big by recycling your plastic bottles and jugs.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.com.

The Canis Latrans, also known as the coyote, coyote or prairie wolf, has been spotted in all areas of Tulsa.

Coyotes migrated to the Tulsa area beginning in the early 20th century when forest fragmentation and the extermination of larger predators like red and gray wolves led to their spread eastward.

Many strategies have been tried to rid urban areas of coyotes, but the effort is often costly and ineffective.

Coyotes are notoriously hard to catch and don't survive relocation.

Any area cleared of coyotes will quickly be repopulated.

Coyotes do provide an essential role in the ecosystem by helping to control the rodent population.

They are predators of geese, squirrels, mice, moles, gophers, possums, and other small animals.

While rodents make up a majority of their diet, coyotes also feed on fish, insects, blueberries, apples, prickly pears, persimmons, peanuts, and carrots.

Although their diet includes a variety of foods, coyotes have been known to kill small pets.

The best way to protect pets is to avoid attracting coyotes near your home by following these four best practices.

Best practice number one, supervise pets.

While coyotes don't usually attack humans, your pets can be a target.

Coyotes may see large dogs as rivals and small dogs and cats as prey.

Always walk your dog on a leash.

Keep cats indoors.

Letting cats roam free is also a violation of City of Tulsa ordinances.

And the best way to protect your pets is to not leave them outside unattended, especially at dusk through dawn when coyotes are more active.

In some cases, coyotes can climb fences.

Best practice number two.

Remove food attractive.

Remove bowls of pet food.

Keep trash cans securely closed.

Pick up any fruit or nuts from your yard.

Best practice number three.

Remove possible shelters.

Eliminate places for a coyote to make a den, like access under a deck or large bushes.

Cut down any tall grass or brush that could provide shelter for coyotes.

Best practice number four.

Respond appropriately during encounters.

If you do encounter a coyote, stand your ground.

Don't turn your back or run away.

The coyote can reach speeds of 40 miles an hour.

Top speed of a human is 28 miles an hour.

Stay away from injured, cornered, or nursing coyotes.

Slowly back away.

Most importantly, use hazing techniques to discourage coyotes you come across.

Act large, yell, clap your hands, use a noisemaker, throw sticks at the coyote's feet.

Hit hands, etc.

Hazing helps keep wild animals wild as coyotes can become a nuisance or aggressive when they lose their fear of people.

If you see a coyote that seems aggressive, or if you have more questions, call a Tulsa County game warden with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

They can connect you with a licensed nuisance wildlife control operator.

Do not contact the Tulsa Animal Shelter as it does not handle wildlife issues.

By following best practices, you can help limit negative interactions between people, pets, and the urban wildlife we live alongside.

More than $27 million has been distributed in rent utility payments to more than 6,000 homes and 3,000 landlords by the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County in Restore Hope.

2021 proved to be another challenging year for many Tulsans, especially those living under the area median income.

Many tenants facing eviction and others behind on rent and utility payments.

But it also showed the strength of local partnerships.

Over the past year, several application stations have been held with several community organizations providing community resources and one-on-one help for tenants applying to the program.

The City of Tulsa is receiving a second round of emergency rental assistance funds from the U.S.

Department of Treasury, and work is expected to start in 2022.

The goal is to continue providing housing stability for Tolsans and prevent eviction.

For more information to see whether you qualify for the emergency rental assistance program, visit cityoftulsa.org slash ERAP.

Hey Tulsa, welcome back to the top recycling play of the day.

Team Johnson is looking to defend their title against aluminum and steel cans.

Bob, most people think of the kitchen for this opponent, but aluminum and steel cans like empty shaving cream cans also play extremely well in bathrooms all over Tulsa.

That is nothing but bin Bob.

Wow, right into the bin.

Score big by recycling your aluminum and steel cans.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.com.

Do you know what happens to all of the waste we leave behind in our yards, driveways, and streets?

Runoff water carries all of the trash, chemicals, and other pollutants straight into our storm drains, which lead to miles and miles of pipes and drains right below our feet that drain directly into our rivers and streams.

Along the way, all of the trash, chemicals, and pollutants add up until even something small, like one cigarette butt, one oil spill, or one pile of leaves accumulates inside our drains and pipes and becomes a big problem, causing blockages in the system and pollution in our rivers and streams.

The waters we fish and play in, the water that sustains our wildlife.

By protecting what goes into our drains, we can save our streams.

You and I can do our part together.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore the opulent homes of Tulsa's early oil titans.

These men shaped the future, the barons.

Situated south of downtown is one of Tulsa's most prestigious historic neighborhoods, Maple Ridge, adjacent to the iconic Woodward Park, Grand 20th century homes, front tree lined boulevards, timeless architectural styles and details tell the story of a city built on oil.

Let's take a closer look at three of Tulsa's most iconic homes.

One of Tulsa's most notable homes, this Georgian revival style mansion, built in 1923, was home to William G.

Skelly, a prominent figure in Tulsa's oil and radio industries.

Skelly purchased this neoclassical house not long after it was constructed in 1924.

The three-story mansion is approximately 10,000 square feet, seated on a spacious wooded corner lot.

Exterior walls are composed of red brick masonry, and the home features a striking green tile roof.

The main feature of the ground floor is the long 40-foot dining room.

A large second floor veranda with iron rail and iron staircase offered access to the yard to entertain Skelly's elite guests.

The home remained in the Skelly family until 1968 and remains one of Tulsa's premier historical homes.

Nestled within the neighborhood stands a captivating model of early 20th-century architecture.

Constructed in 1915, this two-story mission revival home was designed by esteemed architect Noble B.

Fleming, whose work significantly shaped Tulsa's architectural landscape during the oil boom era.

The home showcases hallmark features of the mission revival style.

The all-brick exterior, red tile roofing, and arched entryways are its defining characteristics.

Inside, the residence boasts original quarter sawn oak mill work, intricate ceiling structures, and drawn glass windows that frame views of downtown Tulsa.

This residence not only embodies the elegance of its era, but also serves as a testament to the visionaries who propelled Tulsa into its golden age.

Another early land developer targeting oil producers and business elite was real estate developer Grant Stebbins.

A lucrative land offer attracted former congressman Bird McGuire.

Mr.

and Mrs.

McGuire built their home in 1916 with native red sandstone.

A notable Tulsa builder, John Blair designed the house using a Frank Lloyd Wright theory.

Mrs.

McGuire handpicked each stone.

The homes of Tulsa's barons remind us of a time when ambition and architecture rose together as living monuments to the city's bold beginnings.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shaped Tulsa, one historic property at a time.

Completely empty cardboard boxes dumped in the cart.

Score big by recycling your cardboard and paper.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.com.

With every raindrop, and every stream.

Water impacts the world around us every day.

We may not know it or even see it.

But all the little things we do can build up in a big, big way.

Together, we can make a difference.

A difference in our streams.

A difference in our water.

In our city, every yard, every street, every neighborhood is an opportunity to help protect our water, our wildlife, and our community.

You and I can do our part together.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we visit one of Tulsa's most charming and distinctive neighborhoods, Swan Lake.

Nestled just east of downtown, the Swan Lake Historic District offers a peaceful oasis of early 20th century homes and elegant apartment buildings.

Centered around a tranquil pond that gives the neighborhood its name.

This area was once a streetcar suburb, a place where Tulsa's growing middle and upper middle class found escape from the hustle of the city.

Let's take a closer look at some of the district's most iconic properties.

These homes represent a time when thoughtful planning and picturesque design gave shape to a neighborhood unlike any other in the city.

At the heart of the Swan Lake neighborhood lies its namesake lake, a peaceful pond today, but once the centerpiece of a bustling amusement park in the early 1900s, it quickly became a popular weekend destination for Tulsa families during the oil boom.

This man-made body of water was part of a private recreation area, complete with boat rides, a dance pavilion, and even a small zoo.

Though the amusements are long gone, the lake remains a serene reminder of a bygone era.

As Tulsa expanded, the demand for multi-unit housing grew.

In 1918, Samuel Augustus Orcutt responded to that need by constructing the first apartment building in what would become the Swan Lake Historic District.

This marked the beginning of Orcutt's development enterprise, which would shape the neighborhood for decades.

Thanks to his efforts, Swan Lake now boasts more apartment buildings from Tulsa's boom era, spanning the 1920s through the late 1930s than any other neighborhood in the city.

The Orcett apartments remain a cornerstone of Tulsa's shift toward urban living.

As Tulsa's oil industry boomed and oil fortune soared, areas like Swan Lake became havens for industry leaders, managers, and visionaries.

Standing proudly at the edge of the lake is 1583 Swan Drive, the first home built along Swan Lake, completed in 1919.

This stately Italian Renaissance residence was designed by Noble B.

Fleming, an architect from Kansas City, whose work also includes Tulsa's beloved garden center at Woodward Park.

The home was commissioned by J.

M.

Hayner, president of the Monarch Royalty Company, a firm heavily involved in oil leasing and mineral rights during Tulsa's boom years.

As one of the first to settle on the lake, Hayner helped set the tone for a neighborhood that blended natural beauty with architectural grace.

From craftsman bungalows to classical revival and tutor revival, Swan Lake is a showcase of architectural grace, each street a reflection of Tulsa's early 1900s aspirations.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

Hey, Tulsa, welcome back to the top recycling play of the day.

Team Johnson is facing off against one tough competitor.

That's right.

Only glass bottles and jars are recyclable.

Don't even think about sick and drinking glass or mirror.

Always good to empty your glass bottles and jars before recycling, these two get it emptying both bottles from far out.

And they remove the lids.

Learn more at Tulsa Recycles.

The Peoria Aero BRT transformative force has doubled ridership connecting Tolson's to progress and prosperity.

Look ahead to the planned Route 66 BRT line, set to redefine our city's transit network, reducing travel time and enhancing the way Tolsans navigate their city.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we journey east of downtown to explore two of Tulsa's most charming early 20th century neighborhoods Yorktown and Gillette.

Developed during Tulsa's rapid post-oil boom growth.

These districts were shaped by a rising middle class, oil workers, business owners, and civic leaders, who brought with them pride, ambition, and a love for craftsmanship.

Let's take a look at a few of the standout homes.

Our first stop is the illustrious Gillette Mansion.

Constructed in 1921, this three-story Gothic Tudor masterpiece was the residence of J.

M.

Gillette, an important merchant, real estate entrepreneur, an oil man, and the namesake of the surrounding Gillette Historic District.

Gillette sighted his home outside the city limits.

The mansion grounds included a natural stone goldfish pond, handcrafted concrete tables and benches, and a clay tennis court.

Crafted with brick, stucco, and heavy timber.

The mansion boasts rock accents, multi-paned leaded glass windows set within cutstone gothic arches, and a slate roof.

Its grandeur stands as a testament to Tulsa's oil boom era and the architectural ambition it inspired.

Next, we visit 1731 South Yorktown Avenue, a charming tutor-style duplex built in 1940.

This 1200 square foot residence reflects the architectural trends of the time.

With its brick facade and characteristic design elements, duplexes like this were often home to middle-class professionals, bank clerks, and laborers, drawn to the neighborhood's quiet streets and proximity to downtown.

It exemplifies the city's mid-century residential expansion.

And the move towards more modest yet stylish multi-family middle class dwellings.

Our final feature is the Craftsman Bungalow, constructed in 1923.

This 1700 square foot residence embodies the craftsman ethos with its emphasis on handcrafted woodwork and a welcoming front porch.

It offers a glimpse into the architectural preferences of Tulsa's residents, favoring functionality blended with aesthetic appeal.

The classic craftsman bungalow, the home features broad eaves, exposed rafters, and a welcoming front porch that speaks to the American arts and crafts movement.

Houses like this typically sheltered young families and skilled tradespeople, offering an affordable yet stylish entry into homeownership.

Two classic neighborhoods from Tulsa's Golden Age.

Still alive today.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

On average, we have 200 collisions between an automobile and a pedestrian every single year.

Of those, a very high number results in injury or death.

This is a serious problem that impacts all of us.

And we can do our part in taking precautions and minimizing risks by using crosswalks and sharing the road with pedestrians.

When you're in this crosswalk, pedestrians have the right of way.

One thing to keep in mind, if you're lucky enough to find this, find yourself a button.

Secondly, pedestrians must walk along this sidewalk and not in the streets.

If you're walking adjacent to the street and no sidewalk has been provided for you, you need to walk as close to the curb as possible while facing oncoming traffic.

Finally, blind pedestrians always have the right of way over all other pedestrians and vehicles.

Blind pedestrians must indicate this right of way by holding out horizontally a white cane in the direction they wish to travel.

The Tulsa Police Department takes this issue very seriously.

We are here to protect all citizens of Tulsa.

Any violation, particularly by motorists putting other Tulsa'sons' lives at risk, you're gonna get a ticket.

Help us keep you from getting a ticket and help keep Tulson safe.

We all have a responsibility to share the road.

Together, we can be kind and make streets a safer place for everyone.

So my God grocery store has a very small footprint and it's specified for its smaller communities.

It's membership based.

Those in the Dawson community will have a free membership.

For community members who are outside of Dawson, they can purchase a membership for a very nominal fee.

It is a cashless grocery, so that means that there will be no cash that transfers on site.

You can use your bank card, you can use your snap card, or you can upload cash onto your bazaar card, much like you would at the laundromat.

We're hoping to connect with our Oklahoma producers, so our farmers here in Oklahoma to be able to provide a market for them.

Started in 2012 trip to Indonesia and living with the farmers overseas.

And so I want to kind of connect those two bubbles together to create something that would be more in the farmers' favor and the community itself.

It's to provide healthy food at a nonprofit cost in an area that is considered to be a food desert.

On top of that, we have a mission to make sure our children do not go without food.

So the bazaar is prepared to feed one free meal per child for all 450 students that go to school in the Dawson neighborhood, K-312.

It's just going to be a much-needed connection point for the community.

This is phase one currently in this project, and phase one is the grocery store and the food trucks.

We are trying to decrease our carbon footprint.

So our store we ran completely on solar energy.

Our packaging will be biodegradable packaging.

Our bags will be cloth bags that will be reusable.

They have applied and received ARPA funding.

I chose to use 500,000 of the district three funds to help with infrastructure.

I think it will be life-changing.

Having good healthy access to food at a reasonable price in this community will be a game changer.

So it really provides a sense of ownership of belonging that this is the Dawson neighborhood market.

The project is Flet Rock Creek, and that is a partnership with the Tulsa Housing Authorities 36 North.

And so it will be as some would like to call it the Turkey Mountain of North Tulsa.

This project will provide biking and walking trails, connection with nature, very excited about the possibility of having a fishing pond.

Having access to all of these amenities in this area is going to be huge for the entire area of North Tulsa.

The need is great.

It always has been when it comes to being able to safely exercise, walking by, and learn about nature.

I'm excited not only for the community as a whole, but particularly for the students.

There are several schools in the immediate area, and this could be an outdoor learning experience.

It just will be enhanced with these outdoor amenities for the community of Columbia.

We have held community meetings, my town hall meetings concerning this project, and it received overwhelming support.

The future is very bright for this project.

When you consider the housing that is returning to the area, not only the apartments that are owned by the Tulsa Housing Authority, but also several hundred homes will be built in that immediate area as well.

And so having this immunity in the house in all in the same immediate area is very broad for this community.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we head downtown to explore the boom, an era when Tulsa soared upward on steel and ambition.

Fueled by oil money and optimism, the city's skyline became a canvas for architects, artisans, and entrepreneurs who believed there was no limit to what Tulsa could be.

From grand hotels to gleaming towers, the art deco designs of the 1920s and 30s reflect a city at the height of its confidence.

Let's take a closer look at four iconic landmarks from Tulsa's golden age.

First, the Filcade and the Phil Tower, two masterpieces born of oil and vision, commissioned by oil magnate Wade Phillips.

These buildings were designed to complement one another inside and out.

The Phil Tower, completed in 1928, blends Gothic revival with art deco, rising 24 stories with ornate terracotta detailing and a signature green tile roof.

Just across the street, the Philcade opened in 1931, flaunting pure Art Deco glamour from its gilded lobby to its geometric flourishes.

Together, they form a striking architectural dialogue, capturing both the romance and the reality of the oil boom.

Next, the Minx Adams Hotel, once the social centerpiece of downtown Tulsa, built in 1927, the hotel was a symbol of prosperity and polish, with Italian Renaissance styling, intricate terracotta, and a two-story grand ballroom.

During the oil boom, it welcomed dignitaries, deal makers, and dreamers from all over the world.

It blends historic elegance with modern energy.

An enduring tribute to Tulsa's roaring 20s.

Rising above fourth and Boston is one of downtown Tulsa's most striking silhouettes, the Cosden Building, now known as the Mid Continent Tower.

The original 16-story structure was a symbol of oil boom ambition, commissioned by oilman Joshua Cosden, a man often called the Prince of Petroleum.

Originally completed in 1918, its most eye-catching chapter came decades later, when in 1984, an extraordinary engineering feat nearly doubled its height.

Rather than demolish the original structure, architects and engineers built a 20-story tower directly above it, cantilevered over the historic building with a hidden steel frame.

The result is a seamless blend of past and present.

A modern high rise perched atop a century-old skyscraper, mirroring its style so perfectly, it's often mistaken as a single, unified design.

Today, the mid-continent tower stands as a testament, not just to Tulsa's architectural legacy, but to its visionary spirit, where preservation and progress rise side by side.

These iconic buildings remind us of a time when Tulsa was growing fast, thinking big, and laying the foundation for the city we know today.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

If you've driven down South Memorial Drive between East 71st Street and East 81st Street, you have been treated to somewhat of a roller coaster ride over the last couple of years.

We only had a certain amount of money, and we didn't have enough money to raise the storm inlets three inches to match the three inches of asphalt that was added on top of the concrete.

Now we're going to go in and fix those storm inlets.

We're going to bring those storm inlets up and completely take those dips out.

So it'll be a smooth ride on the outside lanes going northbound up and southbound.

So we identified some funding resources.

$75,000 from Vision allocated funds for District 8, which I get to represent.

And then I with a map out of the District 7 community development funds for $150,000 total.

And then $100,000 from the city's general fund, which will be used to repair the inlets to bring those inlets up to grade and to smooth out the ride for all of us on the Morio.

Thank you for everyone's patience as we identify this new funding source to now elevate the drainage for our stormwater drains and to smooth out the road.

I think you'll find a smoother ride as you head north or south on South Memorial Drive in South Tulsa.

After a very short time frame for construction, we'll have smooth lanes just as I think the vast majority of our constituents want.

This summer, I think we will finally get to a place where it's smooth sailing, no more dips in the road, and no potholes.

I'd like to say thank you.

We cannot have the equipment that we have without the support of Tulsa's taxpayers, all of the trucks that the Tulsa Fire Department uh buy.

We keep them consistent with one manufacturer.

That allows us to ensure that our fleet mechanics know exactly what they're working on.

Daily checks and maintenance and keeping these vehicles in tip top shape, really provides effective response, but it also ensures that everyone, it's public, firefighters, and the community as a whole are safe when we're operating in the areas.

Some of the important things to look for are how body panels are fit, how the paint is, is it durable?

You want to make sure it's gonna last because this is the city's investment for 10 plus years.

We want to get as much out of this truck as we can.

Right behind our people, this is the most expensive thing that we purchase.

From the time we design and purchase uh an engine is 36 months.

We want consistency to buy a certain number each year to replace um a certain number of engines, certain number of ladders and specialty units every year.

These trucks are kind of a final evolution in probably three versions that we've built over the last four or five years.

We like a little bit shorter length.

Um it's a little bit easier to move within apartment complexes and and some of our two-lane South Tulsa roads.

This is a point of pride for the fire department, and the firefighters that are assigned to this vehicle will take care of it, inspect it and ensure it's working.

They're passionate about that that work.

Investment up front equals quality and safety over time.

Ensures that uh we have readiness and readiness is the most important part for us is having the ability to receive the alarm quickly, get out the door, having confidence in that equipment, making sure it's ready to go, and that it performs effectively is key to saving lives and property.

Starting in 2024 and continuing over the next four years, the City of Tulsa will start installing new automated water meters at more than 145,000 residential locations across the city.

The program is known as True Reads.

While the city of Tulsa has had reliable process for reading and changing out water meters for many years, automated meter reading technology has improved to the point that it now makes financial and operational sense to make the switch.

These new meters will minimize property access needs, control meter reading costs, cause fewer employee injuries, eliminate estimated bills, and deploy more environmentally friendly technology.

While there isn't much you need to do, we do want you to be aware that work will happen in your yard sooner or later.

Before contractors even touch that meter in your yard, you will have advanced notification and day of notification.

First, the city will maintain a regularly updated online map showing neighborhoods where meters are currently being installed.

That map can be found online at city of Tulsa.org forward slash true reads.

Second, one to two weeks before your meters installed, a door hanger with more information will be left on your door.

And finally, the day of your meter installation, you will be personally contacted by the contractor with a knock on your door.

While your meter's being changed, you will be briefly without water for a maximum of 30 minutes.

And once crews are finished, all we ask is that you run your water for a few minutes to build pressure back up in your lines.

And that's because any time water is turned off, there is a chance your system will lose some pressure, and you could see cloudy water until it's restored.

Lastly, while contractors work to swap your meter out, they'll also perform what's known as a lead service line inspection.

Lead, which is a toxic metal that was used in plumbing materials in the past, can cause adverse health effects.

While we don't think there are many, if any, lead service lines remaining in our system, we do want to find, document, and remove any lead that may be left in our system.

As part of the automated meter reading installation process, crews will do a quick check of the service line material and results of that lead inspection will be made available on the online map.

For more information and to see a detailed list of frequently asked questions about the process, along with the map that we mentioned earlier.

Visit cityoftulsa.org forward slash true reads.

Can you show me 97 on my A12 on a second?

Place, please.

I was raised on a farm growing up.

I was raised to respect animals and care for them.

My heart is really just to care for these animals when when they don't have anyone else to care for them.

We have a ton of strays in the city limits of Tulsa, and a lot of people just see them as strays that, you know, they might just be on the streets forever.

They still deserve every chance that a dog has that is owned or cared for.

That's really my heart is to care for those animals that don't have an owner, to bring them here, give them a soft bed to lay on, give them food and water to where they can go out and get a loving home to continue their life into.

Good girl.

The most important part to me for this job is to, you know, build a relationship with the community.

If your dog doesn't have a doghouse or it needs a tie out to where it can't get loose, I want them to feel comfortable enough to come to us to where we can give them those resources.

We're not here to just write you tickets or you know, take your dog.

We're here to give you the resources that the community needs to be able to let you keep your dog.

Because a lot of times the dog can be a big part of your family and for your kids and everything.

We're not here to just take those animals.

We're here to give you those resources, give you dog food, cat food, anything that you need to let you keep your dog in the best way that you can.

Come on, Tweedy.

I think a lot of people don't realize if there's a stray baby goat, if there's a pig, we have to go get those animals.

And sometimes it can get a little hairy, you know.

If you're trying to wrangle a pig and you're chasing it, sometimes it gets a little crazy, but it definitely makes it fun.

Good girl.

We're here, you know, 24-7 to help the community.

Those are the relationships that I want to build with the community to know that we're here for them.

We're here to care for them and their animals.

Being an animal welfare is not just for the animals, it's for the people just as much as the animals.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore the church.

A story written not in brick alone, but in belief, community, and truthfully bold design.

In Tulsa's Cathedral District, rising spires and stained glass tell the story of a city shaped by faith and architecture.

These houses of worship reflect both spiritual devotion and the ambition of a growing city.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most iconic sacred spaces.

First, the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, a national landmark of Art Deco architecture.

Completed in 1929, this church broke from tradition with its vertical lines, abstract ornamentation, and innovative design by architect Bruce Goff and artist Ado Robinson.

From its soaring central tower to its streamlined detailing, the building blends modernism with reverence.

It's not just one of Tulsa's greatest architectural achievements, it's one of the most important art deco churches in the country.

Next, the Holy Family Cathedral, the spiritual heart of Tulsa's Catholic community, built in 1914 in the neoclassical style.

The cathedral's masonry walls and steel-framed spires are faced with stone and brick.

The 251 feet tall main spire is faced with four large clocks, and its design evokes the great European cathedrals as one of the oldest churches in Tulsa.

Holy Family is more than a place of worship.

It's a foundation stone in the city's story.

And finally, at the corner of 11th and Boulder stands First Methodist Church.

The third home for a congregation, whose story stretches back to Tulsa's earliest days.

Founded in 1886, the church built a modest white chapel.

And as the city expanded, so did the congregation.

First into a red brick church at 9th and Boulder, then in 1921 into this grand structure that still welcomes worshippers today.

Built in the perpendicular Tudor Gothic style.

The church's design draws the eye heavenward with pointed arches and vaulted ceilings, an architectural expression of reverence.

Its cruciform layout, a cross shape anchors the building in Christian tradition.

A symbol that this church, like its people, is grounded in faith.

These churches remind us that Tulsa's past wasn't just built with industry and ambition, but with faith, artistry, and community at its core.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa, one historic property at a time.

One hundred years ago, the Spavanaugh Water Project transformed the future of Tulsa.

In 1924, Tulsa embarked on one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the country with a goal of getting clean, reliable water to the city.

In the early 1900s, Tulsons used water from springs, wells, and the Arkansas River, which was full of gypsum, salt, and silt.

People used to say that after you took a bath, you dried off, and then you dusted off.

In 1908, during a hunting trip, a group of influential Tulsons came upon Spavanaugh Creek, a crystal clear, spring-fed stream.

In the summer of 1921, the City Water Commission hired 28-year-old civil engineer W.

R.

Hallway to conduct surveys to determine if Spavanaugh Creek water could be brought to Tulsa by gravity flow.

In his report on October 24th, Hallway confirmed this was possible.

And a month later, the citizens of Tulsa passed a $6,800,000 bond issue by an overwhelming margin to fund the Spavanaugh Water Supply Project.

Hallway was hired to design and build what was one of the largest water projects in the nation.

Construction took two years to complete at a cost of seven and a half million dollars.

Spavanaugh Dam is two-thirds of a mile long, five stories high, and impounds eight and a half billion gallons of water in Spavanaugh Lake.

When first built, the reservoir became the largest lake in the state of Oklahoma.

Water from Spavanall Lake flows by gravity to the city of Tulsa, 54 miles away.

This original flow line was the longest raw water line in the United States at the time of construction.

Over its length, the pipeline drops by an elevation of only 90 feet, crosses under two rivers, over eight creeks, and tunnels through a 200-foot tall ridge.

On November 17, 1924, Tulsons lifted glasses of clean and clear water to toast the completion of the Spavanaugh water system.

After construction was complete, Hallway allowed the Tulsa mayor to put his final $15,000 paycheck in a bottle to float through the flow line, where he caught it as it came out at Mohawk.

Today, the city of Tulsa provides an average of 105 million gallons of refreshing award-winning water to over 650,000 customers in and around the Tulsa metropolitan area every day.

In 1924, the Tulsa World wrote, oil may have built Tulsa in the past, but Spavanaugh Water will be the product by which the future will be built.

Because this is a sparsely populated area, there was no development that was occurring out here.

It was important that we try and figure out how to activate this corridor for future development.

And I think by doing this, we've created a place where small developers or even larger developers can look at this and it be an attractive place to spur growth and development.

I think it's important that when we invest in ourselves, investors will invest in us.

When we first brought this issue to the attention of our district, everyone was a little bit overwhelmed by the fact that we had citizens that didn't have the basic necessity.

Most of us, when we turn on our water, we expect that clean, clear water is going to come out of our faucet.

Everybody got behind this initiative.

So thank you for going down this journey with us and making sure that we invest in our district and its future potential.

We knew that we needed to address mental and behavioral health in a larger scale.

Art One or Alternate Response Team One is a co-response model, and it is a team that is staffed with two individuals: a firefighter paramedic who is trained in crisis intervention and a COPS clinician from Family and Children's Services.

And so the COPS clinician is a licensed professional counselor, and the TFD paramedic is someone who has had extra training in mental health and de-escalation techniques.

And this unit responds to mental or behavioral health crisis calls throughout the city of Tulsa.

Art One is able to respond to any age individual in crisis.

And we do see a big need in the 18 to 45 range.

We also know that about 20% of Art One's responses are to unhoused individuals.

There's a lot of work being done, not just locally but nationally with addressing mental health.

We were out ahead of the game in regards to a lot of the other cities in America in trying to address our needs within our community.

How can we better serve it?

What we found was early on, we were seeing some of these people called 911 who just needed this assistance.

And so these programs were invented very early on to meet that need.

And it's proven to be so valuable when we look at the resource that Art One provides to the community with the ability to have a paramedic and provide a medical evaluation of someone who's in crisis to rule out any physical health needs along with that clinician to address the psychological needs of that individual who's in crisis.

Another big thing that Art One does is they've responded what we call high utilizers or people who are calling 911 a lot looking for help.

So Art One can also respond to those individuals and start social services.

So we're very big on addressing social determinants, which is education, employment, health care, social and community context.

We want to address those items to improve somebody's life situation.

The benefit of having family and children's services along with us is that we have that clinician there.

They can schedule an appointment for that individual to go in and get checked.

When we're not able to accomplish that, we take that individual to what we call sometimes an alternate destination.

So they may go to a crisis care center or an urgent recovery center or somewhere where it's going to best benefit that individual in that moment who's in crisis.

911 in public safety have done an incredible job of responding to an emergency incident, intervening and taking care of that situation.

But moving forward, we've got to find ways to continue that relationship with those individuals to make sure those needs are bad.

And that's really where the follow-up piece comes in.

If a unit responds to an individual on Monday, a case manager is going to follow up with them on Tuesday or Wednesday that week and make sure their needs are being met.

This is so important when you're talking about providing a continuum of care, meaning a care that just doesn't stop on that response, but it follows what that individual stays with them.

We can connect people very quickly to those resources, and we have that institutional knowledge to know what's the best resource for that person.

We can really begin to move the ball forward in helping our most vulnerable populations in Tulsa to be in better situations.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore cultural destinations.

The spaces where Tulsa came together to be entertained, inspired, and connected, whether through music, film, or storytelling.

These iconic venues have helped define Tulsa's cultural identity.

They reflect not only the city's love of the arts, but also its enduring commitment to preservation, creativity, and community.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most beloved cultural landmarks.

First, Canes Ballroom, where Western Swing was born and legends still take the stage.

Built in 1924, as a garage, Canes was converted into a dance hall academy and soon became home to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

With its spring loaded Naple dance floor, Neon Glow, an intimate stage.

Keynes has hosted everyone from country pioneers to punk icons.

Known as the Carnegie Hall of Western Swing, it remains a living piece of Tulsa's musical legacy.

Today, it continues to operate as one of the region's premier music venues, drawing national touring acts and loyal local crowds.

Next, Circle Cinema.

Tulsa's oldest operating movie theater and a hub for independent film.

Opened in 1928 as a silent movie theater, the circle has survived fires, closures, and shifting trends, but its mission remains the same: to bring meaningful, thought-provoking cinema to the community.

Restored with care, the theater blends historic charm with modern programming.

It's more than a place to see a film.

It's where Tulsa comes to think, discuss, and dream.

It regularly hosts screenings, film festivals, and community events, keeping its screens and conversations alive.

And finally, the Museum of Tulsa History, nestled in the heart of Woodward Park, located in a 1919 Italian Renaissance Revival Mansion.

That was originally the home of oilmen and philanthropist Sam Travis.

The museum preserves Tulsa's collective memory through exhibits, archives, and artifacts.

One of the first grand residences in what became known as Tulsa's Millionaire Row.

The venue is surrounded by the blooming landscapes of Woodward Park.

This property is as much about reflection as celebration.

A place where the stories of Tulsa's neighborhoods, industries, and people are honored and shared.

The museum hosts rotating exhibits, lectures, and public programs that invite the community to engage directly with Tulsa's past.

These venues remind us that history isn't only built in stone or steel, it's also written in cheers, laughter, and applause and the stories we pass on.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

Alternate Response Team 2 is a very innovative program.

So R2 is staffed with two sworn firefighter paramedics who are community paramedicine trained, which means they have extra training in mental health, they have extra training in taking care of wound management.

We have basically stuck a hypothetical fire station right in the center of downtown Tulsa and said any medical call that comes in within the IDL or downtown Tulsa, R2 will respond to.

They will also respond and provide outreach services and wellness checks for un-house population within the IDL.

So when they're not on a run, when they're not providing medical coverage, they're out there making sure people are as healthy as they possibly can be.

They provide blood pressure checks, they check pulse rates.

Whether you're a house or homeless, doesn't really matter.

Do you have the medications that you need to manage your health conditions?

They provide water on hot days, they make sure you're warm on cold days.

And R2 coordinates very well with our community partners, making sure that we're coordinating our efforts with everyone else.

The impact they've had has been significant.

And I believe the reason is they take the extra time to spend with individuals.

As soon as they're done with that call, they're going to go over there and have conversations with people and say, hey, are you working with somebody right now?

Do you have a plan?

If not, we can help you coordinate that effort.

We can get you help you get housing.

We can help you get food.

What we love about the Tulsa Fire Department and what this program's been able to do is we work with everybody within the community.

So we're utilizing every resource that we have within the city of Tulsa to get the best outcomes for these individuals.

It does have that follow-up mechanism very much like Art 1 and CRT, where the buck doesn't stop at the call.

Someone's staying with them, someone who has been unhoused for five years, had some history with alcohol, and they stayed with this individual, built rapport and started with just outreach, just having conversations and sticking with them, walked through the steps, filled out housing applications with them, made sure the gaps were filled in service delivery.

After five years, this person's house now.

They've actually got a dog living in their apartment.

I mean, the best that we've ever seen them and living their best life, and that's really our hope through these programs is we can help facilitate that.

Whenever I pull up a heat map, we continue to see some of our greatest responses in the downtown area.

And when we begin to dive into what that looks like and why so, we do see unhoused population in the downtown area, and we see a great response to there.

We've been able to determine a lot of information that we didn't know before.

Busy times of the day, demographics that we're responding to, and really focus our approach to helping those individuals and really meeting those needs where they're at.

We want to provide what we call a community health needs assessment with R2 and really determine hey, when this unit's gonna go, they're gonna ask more questions than maybe you would traditionally see on a fire tracker and angelist response.

They're gonna get into depth of what's going on with that individual.

You know, that call came in as a chest pain, but what was it really?

I do talk to a lot of different departments across the U.S., and so we're seeing cities want to adopt this.

There is models that are similar, but they've not had the impact.

And I think the difference you see is R2 is able to respond to real-time 911 calls in place of other apparatus, but they also provide those other social services that are really critical to getting the outcomes you need.

All these units, whether it's CRT, Art 1 or ART 2, they're able to let law enforcement, ambulances, fire trucks go back in service to be ready to respond to fires, critical emergencies, and let these units spend the extra time with people in mental health crisis or unhoused populations and not rush that.

You don't want to rush those situations.

You want to spend the extra time.

I believe very strongly that R2 is a model for the future.

Right now, it's just in downtown Tulsa.

I see this as something that you can really implement citywide.

You don't see this anywhere else in America.

So I'm excited because I love when we are able to push the bar forward and really set an example on a national stage, and that's exactly what we're doing with R2.

Hi, I'm Sherry Carrier, director of Tulsa Animal Services.

I want to take a moment to share a little bit about the incredible work happening behind these doors.

Every single day, our team is here, taking in lost, abandoned, and injured animals, giving them the care that they need, and working hard to find safe and loving homes.

It's easy to think that this is just a city service.

But behind the scene are real people.

People who love animals and pour their hearts into this work, even on our toughest days.

We're proud to say it's making a difference.

Our save rate has jumped from 67% in 2018 to nearly 80% today.

Thanks to adoptions, foster homes, and the incredible support of our community.

One of the biggest lifesavers, span neuter.

Preventing unwanted litters means fewer animals entering our shelters and more resources for every pet who needs us.

Thank you for standing with us.

Together, we're creating a safer, more compassionate Tulsa for animals.

Recycling red is easy, but do you know what happens when you don't think before you throw and contaminate your blue recycling cart?

The city of Tulsa produces 450 tons of contaminated waste per month.

That's almost 5,500 tons per year that will now be going straight to the land zone.

To put into perspective how much waste that is, it's equivalent to 250 Golden Driller statues.

Think before you throw and keep recycling clean and waste-free.

For more information about the correct way to recycle, please visit Tulsa Recycles.com.

The Tulsa Professional Connector Program will help you build a professional network and get in touch with highly networked individuals and professionals in your field of expertise.

El programma tiene dos roles: Los connectores que son los líderes empresariales y comunitarios.

In Barnoma, Shahse Wasl Shawandaro Kodar Mesos, Todarte Semar Haley Sola Izal Shabakaya Tobotia Hesroy Jodna Matcashomale, Barcaroria Ertabo Baine Shahse Wasal Shalandawaya Cinete, Am Robo Sharse Wasal Kunandawaya Connector, Wasal Namudana on Hoba Hotaro Staniagn Lokote Huzuri, Waro Jinamudana or Basoya, Frother Shomal Shabakea to Botia Shahse Wasal Kunandawa Mebosha.

He programming him nahi le sepkiz upna tang day sem nading, nasibna filtute, tulsa Kosongha, a kasamben ben nas bangiam tsi, del nading hihi, connactatekangpan na sepzondan le set mailama ding feedback don Tom Zong King Aringhi.

To learn more, visit our webpage and contact us.

Welcome to Tulsa, the oil capital of the world.

In this episode of our historic preservation series, we explore river views, the grand homes that overlook the Arkansas River and reflect Tulsa's lasting connection to its natural landscape.

For more than a century, the river has shaped the city's layout, its neighborhoods, and its sense of beauty.

These historic properties near its banks are more than homes.

They're places where art, industry, and civic life converged.

Let's take a look at three of Tulsa's most iconic riverside estates.

First, Harweldon Mansion.

Tulsa's storybook manor, overlooking the Arkansas River, built in 1923 by Oilman Earl Harwell.

This English Tudor style estate blends Gothic arches and hand-carved detailing.

The exterior facade consists of brick, stone window surrounds, balustrade and stone coins at the corners leading up to the slate roof.

Inside, the home featured custom furnishings, a music room, and one of the city's earliest residential elevators.

Today, Harweldon operates as a cultural and event center, welcoming guests from around the world for weddings, concerts, and arts programming all with a river view.

Next, the Lee Clinton House, an understated gem tucked into the curves of Riverside Drive.

Constructed in 1919, this elegant colonial revival home belonged to Civic Leader and Businessman Lee Clinton, founder of Union National Bank, and co-founder of the Tulsa stockyards, along with oil man William G.

Skelly.

With its classical detailing and perfectly manicured grounds, the home reflects quiet confidence and refined taste.

Privately owned and beautifully preserved.

It's one of the few original homes in the area that still retains its historic charm along Tulsa's most scenic stretch.

And finally, the Dresser Mansion, where Italian Renaissance Flair meets Tulsa's oil era opulence.

Built in 1919 for oil executive Carl Dresser.

This mansion draws on Mediterranean design with arched logias, ornate ironwork, and a red tile roof.

Designed for entertaining, the home once hosted lavish parties with views stretching across the river valley, now restored and used as a venue.

Dresser Mansion continues to host celebrations, echoing its original purpose as a home made for gathering.

The Arkansas River shaped Tulsa's growth and offered a scenic corridor for some of the city's most remarkable residences.

These iconic properties remind us that Tulsa's past wasn't just built, it was carefully placed with beauty, nature, and legacy in mind.

Watch more and learn with us as we uncover the places that shape Tulsa.

One historic property at a time.

The trail system at Bail Park opened in the fall of 2022 after a hundred and ninety thousand dollar donation.

You know that for decades, the West Side has geographically been cut off from many amenities and services.

But this new trail system is a part of a grassroots effort to improve the quality of life for Tulsons right here on the West Side, especially near Belch Park.

This trail also served the wider Tulsa community by providing beginner-level trails for those who are new to mountain biking, as well as a downhill bike-only section for intermediate riders.

And Turkey Mountain is right next door where riders are ready to take on if they have sports.

Our Bale's Park Trails are amazing.

People come, park your car, get out, enjoy the trails.

There's not much traffic.

Colours to come out and enjoy the park here at Bales.

It's building confident cyclists in great Tulsans through community engagement.

We do a third grade bike PE program where we're there for four days doing a condensed bike club curriculum where we're teaching them safety practices and skill building.

The after school program generally operates for fourth and fifth graders and in middle school.

Fundraising and the kind people that give us dollars to operate allows us to offer all these programs free to the district and free to the kids.

We'll have storage for all our surplus inventory, a bike workshop, we'll have offices, a classroom for training, workshops, team building, and then we'll also be able to host our volunteers here.

We really see a secondary use as a community spot.

Other community partners can come out here, do some training, team buildings.

We know that being outside is really, really healthy for us mentally and physically.

So spaces like this that do this kind of programming should be available to everyone in our city.

And we want to make sure that every Tulsa has the opportunity to get outside and enjoy.

We love Bell's Park, and the best is yet to come.

Every year around the 4th of July, our shelter fills up with pets who ran off during fireworks.

Most of them live just a few houses away from where they're found.

That's why Tulsa Animal Services partnered with Tulsa Fire to bring microchip scanners to every fire station in our city.

If you find a lost pet, you can now stop by any Tulsa fire station and ask a firefighter to scan for a microchip.

No shelter visit required.

The scanner will show a chip number that can help you contact the owner directly through an online lookup system.

Most pets aren't truly lost.

They just need a little help getting home.

This partnership helps us keep animals in their neighborhoods where they belong.

Our fire stations are already part of the community.

This is one more way we're stepping up to keep Tulsa families two-legged and four-legged safe and together.

Because the best place for a pet is home.

TFD CARES stands for Community Assistance Referrals and Educational Services.

Really seeks to connect 911 high utilizers and vulnerable populations to those critical community resources to help improve the lives of individuals within our community.

And the University of Tulsa did a study on CARES back in 2017.

And from January to March, we had about a 70% reduction in 9-1-1 usage by connecting vulnerable populations in our community to social determinants of health.

And our scope and scale has grown.

We are now working with local community partners, whether it's hospitals, behavioral health partners, or other vital community resources to really connect individuals to those services.

We get referrals in from all different kinds of partners, whether it's hospitals, the fire department, sometimes the police department or the aimless service in town.

And I think what makes TFD Cares really strong and really a great program is we're connected and integrated with all the community support structures in place.

We have two very good case managers that really navigate these community resources.

Ascension St.

John and the Czech Foundation is who supports our case managers and helps to integrate those within the Tulsa Fire Department.

We go all over Tulsa.

We are connecting with individuals.

When that referral comes in, we'll send a case manager to someone's house and identify hey, what's going on today?

We'll address those social determinants of health, we'll create goals off of that, and we utilize a system called gelatin to communicate and connect with all those community partners, and it helps us to kind of capture our workflow and the work that's being completed.

But our case managers, they stay with those clients until those needs are met.

They're working with them, they're navigating things like hand bars, wheelchair ramps, food insecurity, medication adherence.

They also help with individuals who are not currently housed.

We also send a firefighter paramedic or a community paramedic to the home, and they'll try to make that home safer and they'll work with those residents or those community members to make sure that their home is a safer place to live, that they're reducing falls or reducing injuries, and ultimately having better health outcomes.

We thought was very important moving forward and the growth of this program, being an extension of the hospitals and helping firefighters reduce those 911 calls.

One thing we're really proud of with TFD CARES is their impact that they're making and the results because that's what matters to us.

How are we improving that individuals' life?

And so TFT CARES has been able to reduce 911 utilization by 80%.

We've been tracking this data through Gelata since 2023.

We're getting help to those individuals in need.

About 52% of the time, we're able to take care of those needs within two weeks.

We're trying to use this information in different parts of Tulsa to be more proactive and helping our citizens and our community members, social services has got to be a part of public safety.

The benefit is incredible, and as we continue to try to address root cause issues, why is that individual calling 911?

Programs like TFD CARES answer that call and they get to those root cause issues and help improve that person's life.

The overdose response team was created to address a prevalent community need in Tulsa, and that's overdoses.

We've seen opiates causing a lot of havoc within our community, not just in Tulsa or Oklahoma, but really nationally.

Public safety, whether it's fire and police, are responding to right around eight to ten overdose calls a day.

We created a specialized team that has a community paramedic along with a peer recovery support specialist or someone with lived experience to respond to real-time overdose calls and provide follow-up to individuals who have overdose within our community.

So the lived experienced individual, that's someone who has used some sort of substance in the past and recovered.

I've always had a passion for addiction recovery, things like that because I'm in recovery myself from drugs and alcohol.

So when the opportunity came up, I snagged it up.

I was very excited to be a part of it.

And I still am, I love it.

It's probably my favorite day out of the week because it's a chance for me to give back to the community that I came from.

I've been in recovery for five years from drugs and I haven't drank in like 10 years.

I came from a pretty tough background, lots of trauma growing up.

Gotten in trouble a lot as a kid.

I decided I wanted to be a part of the movement for recovery.

And I got into working at a drug and alcohol treatment center for several years, and I really loved it.

And what that gives us is the ability for someone to really connect on a personal level and say, hey, I've been in a similar situation before, but I've recovered.

So the overdose response team is meant to complement the current infrastructure we have in place that will go identify individuals who have overdosed, build rapport, connect to services, and stay with them until they've gotten the help they need.

Are you on a housing list?

Yeah.

Yeah?

Good.

How long have you been on it?

With the interactions that we've made, we're slowly building relationships with people through outreach.

I think there's a trust there that some programs don't get.

Thank you.

This is a model that has worked in other cities.

We went and looked in, specifically San Antonio.

Oklahoma City implemented this program in August 2023 to address these needs.

And what these previous communities have found is they're able to get people help earlier in the substance addiction than they were previously.

We do emphasize the harm reduction supplies and the hands-on CPR and some of that education because we're very passionate about giving someone another chance to get it right.

And so the harm reduction boxes complement our overdose response team.

We put those boxes in areas of our community where we see the most overdoses.

And so we have these at a couple fire stations, easy access to Narcan, leave behind kids, as well as fentanyl test strips and education pamphlets.

We want to prevent someone from losing their life.

And our hope is that we're playing a role in that by giving out Narcan and test strips and things that people might need so they uh have a chance to stay alive.

You don't gain recovery by force.

You've got to want it for it to be successful.

So we're just there to help guide that situation and keep people safe for as long as we can.

I think another part of it is people seeing us out and about all the time in these areas.

They know that if they wave us down, we'll stop.

We'll give them whatever it is that they need, even if it's just somebody to listen to them.

And so I think that can build a bridge with certain members in our community to sit there and say, hey, you know, we're just here to lend a helping hand.

It helps to humanize the situation, I think.

You got this?

All right.

And that's something we're very passionate about is continuing to move that ball forward with these individuals and making sure they know this is the things available to help you, and we can help walk alongside you during that process.

But we'll also do follow-ups with them, with their family, see if we can connect them to resources or get them to treatment or get them harm reduction supplies, whatever it is that they need is what we're there to do.

And whenever anybody's asked us for help, we've been there and we'll help them.

I would say we're continuing to address this issue within our community and really make sure we're providing resources, whether that's response, somewhere to go.