The Norman Convention & Visitors Bureau 2005 Calendar of Events

Dates & events are subject to change without notice. Please call the number listed for the event for confirmation and additional information. Due to occasional rescheduling of events, we recommend that you dispose of last quarter’s mailing.

All telephone numbers are area code 405, unless otherwise indicated.

For additional craft fair information, you may call the Sooner Mall at 405-360-0360 or local community churches.

Channel 20 Programming for January

City Council Agenda for December 28

Increased Fines to Become Effective

Almost a month ago, the Norman City Council approved increasing the penalty on parking fines. The increased fines become effective on Thursday, December 23rd.

One parking violation that received much discussion was parking on sidewalks. Imagine being in a wheelchair, elderly, or young and walking to school; and trying to get around on the sidewalks in Norman. It seems like a pretty easy thing to do with our extensive sidewalk system. Unfortunately for many it is not. Parked cars when blocking a sidewalk make it difficult, if not impossible, to continue down the sidewalk. The new fine for parking on a sidewalk is $50 initially. If it is not paid in 5 days, the fine goes up to $75, with a maximum penalty of $200.

Other parking fine increases are as follows:

Fine Amount

Violation Fine Amount After 5 Days
Expired Meter $10 $25
Excess of Time $10 $25
Private Property $50 $75
Fire Lane $100 $150
Handicapped Parking $100 $150
All Other Violations $20 $30

In addition to these increases, people can expect to pay $25 in court costs in certain instances. The vehicle registration fine did not change and remains at $50.

A majority of criminal fines in Municipal Court that had a maximum of $200 were raised to $500. Also, the state assessment on traffic and non-traffic violations increased by $2. If you would like to report a violation, please notify the Norman Police Department at 321-1600.

Holiday Sanitation Schedule

This year, with Christmas and New Year’s being on Saturdays, there will be no change in sanitation service. The Sanitation Division will run regular service schedules during the holidays.

In response to many concerns about the capacity of the poly carts for extra holiday trash, Norman Sanitation crews will be picking up extra trash that is placed next to the poly cart. This extra pick-up will occur for two weeks from December 27, 2004, to January 7, 2005, on normal service days. Trash must be placed in bags. Only normal waste items will be picked-up, not hazardous waste or bulky items that would normally be picked up during spring and fall clean up. Citizens are encouraged to use one of Norman’s three recycling centers to dispose of their corrugated cardboard. They are:

Pratt Foods – Lindsey & 12th Avenue Southeast
Target Store – 24th Avenue & West Main
Hollywood Shopping Center – Lindsey & McGee

Christmas trees will be collected on regular yardwaste collection days. The city asks that all ornaments, tree stands and other plastic items be removed from the tree prior to placement at the curb. Also, trees more than six feet in height should be cut in half prior to being placed at the curb for collection.

Norman Finance Department Receives National Award

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) is pleased to announce that the City of Norman has received the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

· A policy document
· A financial plan
· An operations guide
· A communications device

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories to receive the award.

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual or department designated as being primarily responsible for its having achieved the award. This has been presented to Anthony Francisco, Finance Director.

"Not only is this an award for our department, it is an award for all City employees who work very hard on our budget. We are very proud to receive this national award and recognition for our efforts. There are very few cities in the State of Oklahoma who receive this award, so we are exceptionally honored," said Suzanne Krohmer, Budget Analyst.

Since the inception of the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program in 1984, approximately 900 entities have received the Award. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a nonprofit professional association serving 14,000 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

City Council Agenda for December 12

The Search is Over

At their Tuesday night Executive Session, Norman City Council choice to remove the Interim part from Brad Gambill’s title and make him Norman’s new City Manager. Mr. Gambill has been serving in the capacity of Interim City Manager since Andy Anderson left to take a job in Bend, Oregon in July.

“I look forward to working with the city council and city staff as we tackle the many critical issues facing our city. The City of Norman has an exceptional workforce and this is a wonderful community to call home,” said Brad Gambill, Interim City Manager.

Norman’s Mayor Harold Haralson commented, “I am extremely pleased Brad succumbed to the council’s hints and decided to become the permanent City Manager, he will do an outstanding job. He brings a multitude of skills which will be a definite asset to our community.”

Brad most recently served as the city’s Utilities Director before retiring on July 31, 2003. Mr. Gambill joined Norman’s staff in 1994. Prior to that he served as the Director of Community Development for the City of Stillwater and Urban Planner for the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority. Brad has also worked as a private consultant doing work in the Southwest United States.

Prior to retiring from the city, Brad also completed a distinguished 40 plus year career in the Army National Guard, retiring from the United States Army in 2002. Upon his military retirement Major General Gambill was serving as Deputy Commanding General of the Fifth United States Army.

Brad was born in Pawnee and graduated with a B.A. from Oklahoma State University and a Masters in City Planning from the University of Oklahoma. He also received a Masters in Strategic Planning from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Brad and his wife Janet live in Norman, they have two children and four grandchildren.

Cleveland County receives National Emergency Grant for displaced Saxon employees

The Department of Labor has awarded the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission a $283,430 National Emergency Grant (NEG) to allocate funds for displaced Saxon workers in Cleveland County.

On July 7, 2004, Saxon Publishers announced that Harcourt Publishing had purchased the company and 208 employees’ jobs would be affected.

The grant provides supplemental funds to the Cleveland County Workforce Investment Board (CCWIB) to respond to the needs of dislocated workers by providing financial assistance to workers so they can attend college or receive technical training in high demand occupations. Several workers have already enrolled in classes at Moore Norman Technology Center, the University of Oklahoma and other approved statewide vendors.

"Enabling members of our vital workforce to stay in Oklahoma is a good investment in our future,” Gov. Henry stated. “The training these individuals receive will help prepare them and our great state to continue to grow and embrace new opportunities."

Don Wood, executive director of the Norman Economic Development Coalition expressed similar sentiments.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the county to support those employees that have lost their jobs with the purchase and relocation of Saxon,” Wood said. “It allows many of these families to stay in Norman.”

Dislocated workers apply for assistance at the Workforce Oklahoma office located at 12th Ave. NE and East Main in Norman. Interested applicants should contact Jackie Irvin at 701-2035 to schedule an appointment.

“This grant allows the Cleveland County Workforce Investment Board to fulfill its purpose by assisting displaced workers,” stated George Skinner, Cleveland County Commissioner. “The board is grateful for this grant.”

The Workforce Oklahoma office provides Internet access where applicants can search the web and utilize the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission’s Oklahoma Job Link.

Some of the events that qualify a community for a NEG include plant closures, mass layoffs affecting 50 or more workers at a single site of employment and multiple layoffs in a single local community that have significantly increased the total number of unemployed individuals in a community.

For more information about the grant, please contact Joan Barker at 405.701.2057.

About The Cleveland County Workforce Investment Board
Appointed by the local elected officials of Cleveland County, and certified by the Governor, the members of the Cleveland County Workforce Investment Board are authorized to implement the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 – the purpose of which is to “…improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.

The Workforce Investment Board is part of the “Workforce Oklahoma” system, a public/private partnership of employers, community-based organizations, labor unions, and agencies involved in delivering workforce development service. The guiding principles of Workforce Oklahoma are having a local focus, being employer driven, using existing resources and being accountable for results.

December Programming Schedule for Channel 20

Parents Night Out

What are you to do when you need to find the perfect gift for you child or attend your office holiday party? Well the City of Norman Parks and Recreation Department has just the thing for you, Parents Night Out. For only $5 you can buy yourself some free time and insure you child has more holiday fun than you could imagine!

On Saturday, December 11th from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM at Irving Recreation Center, 292-9774 and Friday, December 17th from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM at Whittier Recreation Center, 292-9703; there will be pizza, movies, games and more! Space is limited, so pre-registration is a must.

City Sponsors Workshops to Outline New Discharge Requirements for Food Establishments

Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are a serious problem for sanitary sewer collection systems. When poured down the drain, these waste products cling to the walls of the pipes that make up the collection system and reduce the amount of sewage the system can transport. Many times FOG causes complete blockages of large sections of the collection system and results in sewage backing-up and overflowing from the system. When these overflows occur outdoors they pollute the environment, create health hazards and can result in Administrative Orders and fines issued by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. When they occur indoors the raw sewage creates a health hazard and can destroy property.

The City of Norman spends a great deal of time and money every year trying to keep the collection system open and flowing smoothly. Most of the problems occur in the collection lines that service the city’s restaurants. This is because the restaurants are where the largest amounts of FOG are used and disposed of.

In an effort to reduce sanitary sewer overflows and decrease maintenance costs from FOG accumulation in its sanitary sewers, the City of Norman adopted a FOG program. Any nonresidential facility connected to the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system involved in the preparation or serving of foods is subject to the conditions of the FOG program.

The City of Norman’s Utility Department is sponsoring free workshops to assist local businesses in complying with the new requirements for discharging fats, oils and grease. These workshops will be held at the Norman Municipal Building, Council Chambers, 201 W. Gray. The first workshop will be for businesses that service grease traps. It will be held Monday, December 6th at 11:00 AM. The second set of workshops will be for any business that prepares, cooks and/or serves food. These workshops will be held on Monday, December 13th at 5:30 PM and Wednesday, December 15th at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Each workshop will be about an hour and a half. Registration is required, but the workshops are free. To register for any of the FOG workshops please call Environmental Services at 292-9731.

Falling Debris from Vehicles

The last time you were driving behind a large truck full of debris did you wonder if they had their load covered so that your car wouldn’t get dinged by a rock or gravel? Or maybe you thought there should be a law addressing such an issue. It just so happens an ordinance is on the books to deal with this very situation. City leaders recognized the problem years ago and have written language to address it. City Ordinance Section 20-518 Parts E and F states:

(e) No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any roadway, unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, shifting, leaking, blowing or otherwise escaping there from, except that sand may be dropped for the purpose of securing traction, or water or other substances may be sprinkled on a roadway in cleaning or maintaining such roadway.

(f) No person shall operate on any roadway any vehicle with any load, unless said load and any covering thereon is securely fastened so as to prevent said covering or load from becoming loose, detached, or in any manner a hazard to other users of the roadway. Any vehicle loaded with sand, cinders, or other loose material susceptible to blowing or escaping by reason of wind shall have such load covered or dampened so as to prevent the blowing or escaping of said load from the vehicle.

Fines for such an offense range from $35 to $200, plus court costs. As always, when traveling with loose debris make certain it is appropriately secured. If you see a vehicle that is in violation of the ordinance, please call 321-1600 to report the incident.