Plans to revitalize downtown Pauls Valley and develop an entertainment district took a small, but very visual, step forward Tuesday evening as the Pauls Valley City Council approved a branding proposal and logo design designating the area as the Brick & Rail District.
“Countless hours went into creating a name and brand that truly reflect the heart and spirit of our community,” Pauls Valley Tourism Director Tawni Huggans said. “Rooted in our railroad heritage and historic brick downtown, the Brick & Rail District honors where we’ve been while positioning downtown as a vibrant, modern destination for families, residents, and visitors. This clear identity will support local businesses, encourage new investment, strengthen tourism opportunities, and provide a cohesive framework for events, marketing and future growth.”
The downtown entertainment district is a zoning designation, established by the city council and tourism officials last summer, that encompasses a roughly four-block area that includes Santa Fe Street between West Grant Avenue and West Charles Avenue, the adjacent Santa Fe Depot Park and Depot Plaza area, Paul Avenue from Santa Fe Street to Willow Street and McClure Avenue from Santa Fe Street to Chickasaw Street.
According to the branding proposal presented to the council by Huggans during Tuesday’s regular meeting, plans for the district include developing the area to serve as a hub for live music and performance venues, art walks, galleries and public art, local restaurants, cafes and bars, festivals, markets and seasonal events and family-friendly activities and community gatherings.
Huggans added that tourism funding plays a critical role in that effort.
“Tourism funding is separate from the city’s general fund and is legally restricted to tourism-related purposes. These dollars cannot be diverted to non-tourism needs. While the city has many priorities, the tourism department’s responsibility is singular: investing in initiatives that drive visitation, economic growth and local revenue,” Huggans said.
The branding can also be used as an economic development tool, Huggans told council members, saying as the project moves into phase two, she will be presenting conceptual drawings of what the downtown area might look like with some revitalization.
“In branding it this way, we can go out to investors with this and say, ‘This is what we’re trying to achieve.’ It also opens us up to more grant opportunities, because now we have an established, branded district,” Huggans said.
“As we move into phase two, we’ll align this vision with the city’s strategic plan, introduce those revitalization renderings, pursue grant funding, and continue building momentum for a stronger, more connected downtown.”
Council members Bonnie Meisel, Amy Richey, Kahn Nirschl and Jonathan Grimmett voted in favor of approving the proposed branding. Mayor Jocelyn Rushing was not present for the meeting.
The council also heard an update from Huggans regarding planning for the 2026 Okie Noodling Tournament.
Previous planning conversations have centered around scaling back the cost of the event this year, with council members agreeing in December to move forward with a plan to jettison the competitive hand fishing tournament portion of the event as a cost-saving measure and instead focus on a festival celebrating the sport of noodling.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Huggans told council members after extended conversations with several of the tournament’s original participants, who reached out to her after hearing of the December decision, she had come up with a plan that would allow the tournament portion of the event to continue but still lower the cost.
“We have saved that portion of the event by cutting the cost of it and changing it in a way that makes sense for us,” Huggans said.
Those alterations will eliminate the multiple tournament divisions that have been added over the years, including categories for youth, female noodlers and natural or scuba fishing, as well as the significant prize money associated with each division.
The tournament will return to its original structure, awarding only three prizes, one for each of the top three fish by weight.
Huggans said the original competitors she spoke with told her when they won the tournament 25 years ago, they won a box of fishing lures and a gift certificate to eat at Bob’s Pig Shop, the local restaurant that hosted the tournament in its early years.
“The (prize) money was never what they were here for in the beginning of this,” Huggans said.
According to Huggans, the changes will cut the cost of the tournament portion of the event by over 75%.
This year the Okie Noodling Tournament is also planning to partner with Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which will host a “2026 Okie Noodling Phil Henderson Dog Jog and 5K Run” the morning of the tournament. The organization is also planning to host activities and information and vendor booths geared toward pets and animals in the Santa Fe Depot Park area in conjunction with Okie Noodling.
“I feel really good about where we’re at and where we’re moving with this,” Huggans said.
No action was taken in regard to the planning update from Huggans.
In other business, council members voted to approve a rezoning change from A-1 (agricultural) to C-5 (commercial) for a property at 601 N. Butler Road.
Assistant City Manager Mark Norman told council though several businesses have operated at the address over the years, most recently a medical marijuana dispensary, the zoning was never updated from the default agricultural designation. Norman said the current owner has expressed his intent to locate an equipment rental business at the location.
Council members noted when the property, on the west side of Interstate 35 and just north of Highway 19, was originally annexed into the city limits years ago it had been with the agreement that the previous owner of the property did not expect the city to provide city services to the location. Tuesday night’s motion for approving the rezoning change stipulated that the previous arrangement with regard to city services continue to be recognized.
Council members approved the purchase of 13 laptops and docking stations for use by the Pauls Valley Police Department. The laptops will cost $18,095 and will be funded entirely by a SAFE Grant through the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office.
Council also approved two ordinance amendments Tuesday. The first provides for the regulation of donation drop boxes and would require persons placing collection boxes to obtain an annual permit from the city, would establish placement standards and require owner-maintenance of the boxes, including cleaning up the area around the box. Norman said the amendment was drafted after city officials tried unsuccessfully to locate the owners of two unmarked donation collection boxes placed in large retail parking lots in town to address keeping the areas around the boxes clean and free of donations left on the ground outside the boxes. Upon further investigation, city officials discovered the businesses that owned the parking areas either did not know who had placed the boxes or did not know the donation boxes were even there.
City officials have said the ordinance amendment is not intended to impact blessing boxes containing food or hygiene supplies placed by local organizations for those in need in the community.
The second ordinance amendment will provide for regulation of where camping and travel trailers can be placed inside the city limits. Norman said the action is intended to provide the city with the means to address campers and trailers that are being used as additional living quarters on residential properties inside city limits.
