Dear Tulsans,
Talk about going out like a lion!
As 2007 draws to a close, we have witnessed one of the most destructive ice storms in the state's history. More importantly, we have also witnessed one of the most cooperative group efforts that helped put our community back on its feet in time for the New Year.
I want again to say how proud I am of Tulsans -- City employees, local electrical contractors, volunteers who assisted with debris removal, and those who work for community service agencies. . . the list goes on and on. So many people came together to work long hours -- including city workers and private electricians, who kept right on working through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day -- to restore electrical power, repair damage to help our friends and neighbors enjoy the holidays.
PSO also deserves our thanks. Their local employees and the linemen and tree-removal crews they brought in from other states made the holidays brighter for thousands of Tulsans.
As we begin this new year, I know we can look forward to one of Tulsas best and most productive years.
The BOK Center is rising in downtown Tulsa and is on schedule to open this fall. This new arena will bring world-class entertainment, professional sporting events, collegiate tournaments and other events to town. Those events bring revenue to our community, new jobs and growth to local industries and businesses.
Tulsa's City Hall will also move into a new home in 2008. The One Technology Center move will bring employees together from several locations throughout the city and will improve efficiencies and internal communications. That, in turn, will allow us to deliver services to citizens more efficiently.
There is certainly a new kind of energy in Tulsa. And I'm not just talking about the electricity!
With warm regards and best wishes for the new year,
Kathy Taylor
Mayor
Tulsa E-News December 27, 2007
Operation POWER UP!
Powering Down
Operation Power Up! has restored power to more than 3,500 Tulsa homes and has issued work orders to electricians for repairs at 521 more with damage to meters and weatherheads.
The City of Tulsa is working with 96 electrical contractors to get power restored quickly to as many Tulsans as possible.
Operation Power Up! will continue until the end of the year and Tulsa residents can still call the Mayor’s Action Center at 596-2100 through 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 31, to request an electrician to make necessary repairs if power has not yet been restored.
The volume of calls for assistance has steadily declined over the past week. At the start of Operation Power Up! The Mayor’s Action Center took more than a thousand calls per day for electrical repairs during the first few days of Operation Power Up. Calls have now dwindled down to 40 or less per day.
“Our goal was clear: Bring power back to those in need,” said Mayor Kathy Taylor. “City crews, private electricians, and PSO have worked long hours and through the holidays to restore power back to our city.”
Debris Site Re-Opened; Park Site Closed
Crews of City workers continue to patrol Tulsa’s streets, collecting tree debris from Tulsa neighborhoods. Residents can drag debris to their curbs where it will be picked up, either by City crews or by contractor crews. Those who wish to haul their own tree debris away for disposal can take it to either of two sites. The open sites are:
- 10401 E. 56th St. North.
- 71st and South Elwood.
Last week the 71st and Elwood site was temporarily closed and debris loads were directed to Johnson Park. The Johnson Park site is now closed and the 71st Street site, on the west bank of the Arkansas River, is re-opened and accepting debris.
Both open sites will remain open from 8 to 5 p.m. daily, including weekends, except on New Years Day which is a City holiday.
To speed up removal of debris from streets and residential areas, the city is contracting with a certified vendor. Through an expedited process, bids were taken and a certified vendor will be selected for a contract with the city, with stipulation that crews will be on site within 48 hours after the contract has been signed. The contract will last for 60 days and the vendor will be responsible for clearing 800,000 cubic yards of debris in the City of Tulsa.
'Operation Hero Announcement' Begins
at Tulsa International Airport!
Mayor Kathy Taylor and her Veterans Advisory Council are launching Operation Hero Announcement at Tulsa International Airport.
The program recognizes returning service members or units through the airport public address system. It begins immediately and will continue indefinitely.
“Announcing these heroes’ names at the airport as they return to Tulsa is a small way to show our appreciation for their service to our country,” said Mayor Taylor. “Also at the airport, we invite them to enjoy the recently opened Military & Veterans Resource Lounge and the services provided there.”
To participate in Operation Hero Announcement, families and friends of service members or units returning from foreign duty, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, may call the airport at (918) 838-5333 to request that the service member’s name or unit name be announced upon arrival in Tulsa. Calls must be placed at least 24 hours in advance and include the service member’s or unit’s name, flight number and area of service.
On the day the service member or unit arrives at Tulsa International Airport, the family member or friend who made the request must check in with the Ambassador’s Desk in either Terminal A or B no later than one hour before the flight arrival to verify the announcement.
The announcement will read as follows: “Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pride that I am here to announce the return of one of (or ‘a group of’) our heroes who has (have) been fighting for us in the Global War on Terror. (Service Member or Unit Name) has just returned from (Iraq or Afghanistan, etc.) and if you see this service member (or ‘any members of this unit’), please say ‘thanks’ and welcome him or her (them) back to the City of Tulsa.”
Send us your stories
Tulsa is a city where people help one another.
The devastating December ice storm may have robbed of us of our power for a few days, but it didn’t rob us of our spirit.
Even as the freezing rain continued to fall, City workers and emergency responders and social service agencies sprang into action, rendering aid and comfort wherever possible.
And individual citizens stepped up as well. They checked on elderly or ailing neighbors. They delivered groceries and medicines. Many who had power invited neighbors and friends without power to spend a few nights with them.
Able-bodied Tulsans helped clear debris from around homes and cars of their less-able neighbors.
Tulsans gave blood when the call went out.
Even electricians participating in the City’s Operation Power Up! program worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, trying to get heat and lights back on for as many Tulsans as possible.
You may have heart-warming or inspiring stories of other random acts of kindness that occurred during or after the ice storm. If so, you can share those with other Tulsans. You can e-mail stories to: CommunicationDept@ci.tulsa.ok.us
Stories will be examined and some may be edited and displayed on the City’s website at www.cityoftulsa.org.
Find Services, Solve Problems
at www.cityoftulsa.org
Information about many services provided by City government, about topics as diverse as real-time airport arrivals and departures and where traffic accidents have happened, as well as links to cultural and recreational resources, are available on Internet web pages hosted by the City of Tulsa and its agencies and partners.
The City’s official website is
http://www.cityoftulsa.org
Read the Full Story: Find Services, Solve Problems