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Members of the Pauls Valley City Council, including Vice Mayor Bill Riddle, center, Jocelyn Rushing and Hal Blevins, are handed gold shovels by City Manager James Frizell, left, and Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Samford, right, as they and several others took part in the groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday for a recreation center in Wacker Park. (PVDD photo)
Dirt turned for future rec center
Five years worth of work by many Pauls Valley residents was rewarded in the bright early afternoon sun Tuesday as the official groundbreaking ceremony was held for a long-anticipated recreation center.
With ceremonial gold shovels in hand, a solid contingent of local residents and construction officials gathered in Wacker Park to signify the official start of the project that when finished will give the community the Donald W. Reynolds Community Recreation Center.
An $8 million grant from the Reynolds foundation is paying for the 36,000-square foot facility that will offer a variety of recreation and athletic activities.
“This is the culmination of five years of hard work,” City Manager James Frizell said during some brief comments made at the ceremony.
Frizell, who worked with the recreation committee which began meeting in 2004 to plan this project, said it all started when someone saw brochure information about the foundation grant that was eventually awarded to the Pauls Valley project.
“We recognize that we have a facility that will serve the community for years to come,” he said.
Frizell and committee member Allen Eubanks gave the proposed local project a final pitch to Reynolds Foundation board members during a presentation in Las Vegas.
Eubanks told the gathered group Tuesday the possibility of a rec center was nowhere on the radar when the committee first met five years ago.
“When we started meeting we were talking about an outdoor swimming pool,” Eubanks said. “Then it evolved into this. We stuck together and continued to work hard for this.”
“This will be a world-class facility, head and shoulders above anything this community has. I look forward to about a year from now when we cut the ribbon to this facility.”
Representing the Pauls Valley City Council, Vice Mayor Bill Riddle focused his comments on the work of committee members.
“These are the ones who put in the time over the years,” he said. “They kept the council informed. They put in the extra time and work.”
Unrelated to the seven-figure grant is an effort to raise the private funds needed to add a large outdoor swimming pool to the center.
The pool was originally included in the project but was later cut because of increasing construction costs, which resulted in the private effort to raise money.
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- Obituaries
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Joseph Floyd Bell
Joseph Floyd Bell, 90, of Lindsay passed away Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 at Norman Veteran's Center in Norman.
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Bill Burgess
Bill Burgess, 66, of Pauls Valley was born Jan. 30, 1944 in Tuckerman, Ark., to John T. and Virginia (Hamilton) Burgess and passed away Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010.
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Janice Karen Fisher
Janice Karen Fisher, 59, was born Oct. 2, 1950 in Tecumseh, Okla., and entered into eternal life on Aug. 29, 2010.
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Sondra Shumate Copeland
Sondra Shumate Copeland of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma was born to Carl A. and Juel (Harkreader) Shumate, Jr. on February 11, 1934 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma and passed from this life on August 28, 2010 in Pauls Valley at the age of 76 years.
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Tommie Wayne Estes Sr.
Tommie Wayne Estes Sr., a resident of Wynnewood, was born January 15, 1938 in Lula, Oklahoma to Hazel Lucille (Treas) and Joel Estes. He passed away August 28, 2010 at Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at the age of 72 years, 7 months and 13 days.
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TODAY'S FRONT PAGE
Now you can view and download the Daily Democrat right to your desktop on the day the paper is published. Click here to view today's front page and get more information on the Daily Democrat's E-Edition.
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- Letters to the Editor
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In Broadband agreement
To the Editor:
As a business owner and legislator, I’ve learned that the best government is the kind that doesn’t get in the way when private companies choose to invest in our state to make our lives better and more productive. - Questions about HB 2780 and HB 2656
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In Broadband agreement
