Admission will cost a little more at Pauls Valley’s Water Park this summer after the Pauls Valley City Council approved a small rate-increase for the city’s aquatic facilities and the Donald W. Reynolds Recreation Center during their regular meeting May 10.
Daily admission fees for the Water Park will be $1 higher than last year for all age groups, and season passes will cost $10 more than last year. Under the new rates, daily admission will be $5 for children under 48 inches tall, $8 for adults and children over 48 inches, and $6 for senior adults 62 and older. Children under 3 are still free. Season passes will range from $60-$90.
The measure also raised day-pass rates at the Bosa Aquatic Center by $3 to $5 across age groups and daypass rates at the Rec Center by $1 to $2.
Monthly membership rates for the Bosa Aquatic Center and Rec Center will remain the same.
Rental rates for private events at the Water Park and Bosa Aquatic Center will increase by $50 to $100, and rental rates for the Rec Center’s multipurpose room and gym will increase by $20 to $25 per hour.
Council members also approved a bid for the taxiway and hangar project at the Pauls Valley Municipal Airport. Joe Sober, engineer on the project, told council members the hangar project is for a 100-foot-by-100-foot hangar and comes in at a cost of just under $1.2 million. The project is primarily being funded through grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, with a small portion paid by the City of Pauls Valley, according to Sober. Just shy of $500,000 in OAC funds have already been spent on the taxiway project Sober said.
Council member Bonnie Meisel commented on the number of small jets she has heard landing at the Pauls Valley Airport lately.
“The taxiway that the OAC funded is just going to keep increasing traffic out there,” Sober said. “We now actually have places we can build hangars, so we’re going to see an increase of traffic, which is actually a good thing for economic development.”
Council members approved tourism funding requests as recommended by the tourism board from the Toy and Action Figure Museum in the amount of $14,574 for annual billboard renewals; the Pauls Valley Opry in the amount of $9,000 for advertising; and the Okie Noodling Tournament for $34,500.
The council’s discussion then turned to the possibility for a new medical facility to be built in Pauls Valley.
City Manager Lee Litterell told council members the city has been approached by a medical facility through a developer regarding the project, and that council member Meisel has also been approached.
“My conversation has been very vague, but Mercy has approached me, and they would like to discuss opening some type of facility here,” Meisel said. “They don’t want to do that until we are all in agreement that we would like to visit with them.”
Council member Jonathan Grimmett voiced his strong opposition to allowing any type of Mercy facility to open in Pauls Valley, based on previous experience with the company as the city struggled to save Pauls Valley General Hospital.
“They systematically closed our hospital down on purpose, deceptively and maliciously,” Grimmett said.
Mayor Jocelyn Rushing said she is also reticent to work with Mercy, though she did express a willingness to hear them out.
“I’m willing to hear what they are talking about, but we have nothing – I mean, as far as I’m concerned – the City of Pauls Valley owes Mercy nothing. So, unless they are bringing their finances and saying ‘We want to enhance your city,’ they can’t say anything to me, because they did it twice and it was a no-go. It was hard,” Rushing said. “I’ll listen, but I need everybody to know, what I went through, I don’t want to go through again.”
Meisel and council member Eric Smith both said they are in favor of hearing what Mercy officials are proposing.
“I just don’t think we can not have a discussion with someone who’s willing to come here and we don’t really even know what they want yet. I don’t think we can turn that down without having an informed discussion about ‘What exactly do you want to do, and what are your expectations about what we’re going to do?’” Meisel said. “Because, we’re turning something away without knowing what we’re turning away, and it’s something that might benefit our citizens.”
Smith made a recommendation the council hear the proposal out.
“I think anything that could come here that could benefit our people of this community and this county is worth listening to. I think we would be foolish not to hear what they have to say,” Smith said. “That doesn’t mean we’re agreeing to anything, but for us to just brush them off because of the past…we can’t live in the past, we need to focus on Pauls Valley’s future.”
Smith said he would prefer that discussion to happen in an open public forum.
“I want everybody who wants to hear what they have to say to be here to hear that conversation, because whatever decision is made affects everyone,” Smith said.
The council agreed to invite Mercy officials to make a presentation to the council as an agenda item during a future regular council meeting.
