As Fall takes a greater hold in our state, and people are out enjoying the changing colors and the crisper air, tourism again seems to be my main topic. I recently had the opportunity to visit with Tourism Director Ben Davis. We discussed many topics but mostly the future for Robbers Cave State Park as we both share a desire to see this park succeed.
One area I was disappointed in was that after round two of requests for proposals for our park restaurants, only one proposal was submitted for Beavers Bend State Park. I believe it is indicative of the restaurant industry as a whole. With labor and supply chain issues, many are just reluctant to expand. I also expressed my desire for reduced entry fees for locals as my bill last session failed to be heard in the Senate. I will continue to work in this area. On a positive note, it had been requested that food trucks be allowed into the park on weekends, I submitted a request, and it was approved, so hopefully we will have some food options in the near future.
The other area of concern for my district is the ongoing extreme drought. The Legislature appropriated $23 million for drought mitigation for area farmers and ranchers who struggle to stay in business. These funds will be available for cost-share applications through your local conservation offices. Rules for disbursing the first $3 million were set by the Emergency Drought Commission last week.
The Legislature met in special session last week to distribute about $1.5 billion of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to projects across the state. The ARPA projects include money for rural hospitals; city, rural and tribal water and wastewater improvements; broadband internet expansion statewide; Oklahoma Emergency Television Authority expansion of the emergency alerting capabilities statewide; mobile wellness units for first responders, and a holistic fitness center for military service members and first responders; expansion of Career Tech commercial driver’s license training programs; and much more.
As always, thank You for allowing me to serve you. I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and parts of LeFlore and Pittsburg counties.
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