February 15, 2023 Issue, Page 1 of 8

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Ay v. » Serving m._ Western Oklahoma ra Since 1901 Wednesday, February 15, 2023 Weekday Edition Leadership Elk City Class IX Officially Begins HERITAGE HOU: "Affordable Q@ , 415 N State Ave ‘The new owners of the Heritage House Apartments will be changing the name of the facility once it is completed.; The Casey Merrifield, PhD, will Chief Eddie Holland is the David Atkinson is co-chair- Pam Muncrief, Steering pool has been filled in and plans are underway to create a be leading the class retreat, _co-chair for Leadership Elk man of Leadership Elk City. Committee talks to the grassy area for families to enjoy. Courtesy photos. along with the otherleader- _ City. class about sponsorships. ship activities for the year. Heritage Home Apartments Undergo Renovations By Sheryl Ponce ‘The Heritage Homes Apartments nestled in a residential area close to GPRMC at 415 N. State in Elk City have been deemed an eye-sore by local residents. They were flagged by the — Robert Rodgers and Rodney Cloud are part of the Lead- City of Elk City to be considered dilapidated and considered for ership Steering Committee. They will be helping the class demolition, but since being purchased by Ben McKeon, Avery Jessica Ford and Sherri Horn, Steering Committee, intro- throughout the year. duce the members of Leadership Elk City Class IX. LeMmon, and James Stout, the property is being renovated Susie Cupp, Executive Director of the Elk City Chamber of Com- and headed for occupancy. By Sheryl Ponce merce, co-chairman ECPD Chief Eddie Holland, and co-chairman “Vandalism, random fires, and flooding had made the com- David Atkinson, along with Pam Muncrief, Robert Rodgers, Sum- plex uninhabitable to the point that it was eventually con- demned by the city, whose plan was to demolish the eyesore ‘The 13 members of Elk City Chamber of Commerce’s Leader- er Dupree, Jessica Ford, Rodney Cloud, and Sherri Horn. that presented dangers to the public,” said Geoffrey Roundtree, ship Elk City Class IX gathered at the Elk’s Lodge Thursday eve- ‘The orientation started with a welcome from Atkinson and Kind Properties, LLC. ning for their official orientation to start off their year of learn- followed by Chief Holland introducing the steering committee. ‘The buyers out of Utah saw potential in the building to bring ing. This year Casey Merrifield will be leading the group through Atkinson led the flag salute and Nate Hicks gave the invocation. affordable housingto the area. The owners teamed up with Car- two leadership books and their retreat. ‘The group then served themselves to a buffet style dinner. olyn Padron of Kind Properties, LLC., to renovate the property. Insights and expectations for the year were given by Leader- “James Stout of Stout Construction was looking for an in- The members of the class include Dylan Anderson, Mike vestment property and started buying apartments. The three Bawden, Greg Britton, Jonathan Butcher, Susan Featherston, ship Elk City Alumni Sherri Horn. She told the new members the investors bought the property in January of 2022. They are Jennifer Hagerman, Amanda Hammond, Nate Hicks, Teresa Kil- reasons why she became involved in the program. very intelligent, but I'm not sure they would have purchased it hoffer, Tahner Loyd, Shannon Pirus, Randy Smith, and Karen if they had known the problems. There was a contractor already Touchstone. They will be led and helped throughout the year by See Leadrship page 2. working on it out of Lawton, but he disappeared. Because of the problems they were having, I called the owners and told them I would take over the construction,” Padron said. Princess for a Day Coming to One Church ‘As soon as she was given the green light, she met with the city inspector, Gary Nix. They both agreed that the property was a nightmare but decided it would be worth getting it reno- vated. The new owners had already spent $750,000 on the pur- and I started the official ‘Princess for a Day’ event. Most little chase and more beginning renovations. They found asbestos girls want to be a princess, and a prom in a sense is giving many See Apartments page 2. girls that dream,” Addie Williams, project creator said. In the spring of 2012, they had a one-day event at their church, One Church. They advertised through Facebook and took flyers to local high schools. “All dresses were donated to us. It was amazing to see how WOHS Hosts Annual many dresses were donated. We kept all the dresses that were not given away so we would have them for the following year. Meeting ‘The girls were never asked to return the dresses. Each year the By Sheryl Ponce number of dresses donated increased. One year we even had a local boutique donate several brand-new dresses. Our biggest ‘The annual meeting of the Western Oklahoma Historical need every year has been to have more plus size dresses.” Addie Society will be held on Feb. 20th, which is the third Monday in continued. Feb., at 6 p.m. in the Opera House at the museum. There will be ‘They have two main goals every year. One is that the girls can a dinner prior to the business meeting, with the meat provided find the perfect dress. Two is that the girls will walk away feeling by the organization and side dishes brought by members. loved. Addie said that they have always wanted the girls to see During the business portion of the meeting, there will be By Sheryl Ponce God’s love in what they were doing. a report of the year's activities, the treasurer's annual report, “This event is about so much more than a pretty dress. Girls the election of officers, as well as any other transactions of One Church is once again sponsoring Princess for a Day on get a confidence boost. They get their princess moment. Melissa business that may be needed. All members are encouraged to March 12th for area high school girls who cannot afford a dress andI both moved away in 2020. Even though I'm sad we're not a attend. for their prom. According to a One Church social media post, part of this great ministry anymore, I am so happy and thankful ‘The annual meeting takes place along with the WOHS’s they are looking for individuals who may want to donate a dress that it has been kept going by ladies at our church,” she conclud- membership drive. Memberships come in a variety of packages or accessories for the annual event. ed. that provide different benefits. All memberships come with ad- “The original idea was from my sister, Amanda Low, when she Princess for a Day is an annual event for local girls to receive a mittance to the museum complex. The memberships offered in- gave mine and my three sisters’ old prom dresses to a few local prom dress free of charge. The girls will be able to try on dresses gitls who needed one. In 2012 my sister-in-law Melissa Williams See Princess page 2. See WOHS page 2. Vol. 120, No. 13 View online «AQUA Weather tomorrow 0/24 75 cents, 8 pgs. Mail delivery 580.225.3000 elkcityoknews.com