One Hennessey official said testing for COVID-19 isn’t available at the levels state officials say as the town’s board agreed to start reopening per Governor Kevin Stitt’s recommendation.

“There’s a big lack of testing (in our area) for the COVID-19 virus,” Hennessey Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman told town board members.

“People were not able to get tested because some health departments were out of testing kits,” she told board members last Friday before they approved Phase 1 of the governor’s plan to re-open more businesses.

Her husband, David, had some virus symptoms about two weeks ago and they called the 800 number and found out they needed an appointment to get tested.

“Kingfisher County only tests on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” she said. “Garfield County was out and they weren’t available in El Reno, so we ended up in Yukon.”

They both quarantined for several days until they got test results that showed he tested negative for the virus.

“Testing isn’t available the way they say it is,” she said.

A Hennessey man was concerned his wife had the virus and was trying to get her tested Friday (the day of the meeting) and turned to Tillman for help that morning.

“Kingfisher wouldn’t be available until Tuesday. El Reno in Canadian County was out and Yukon was out. They called Logan and Payne counties and could get an appointment that day in Stillwater at 12:30 p.m., but it was 12:15 p.m. when they found out and they were in Hennessey.

“It’s frustrating,” she told the board during the in-person meeting at Town Hall. “It’s difficult to get testing.”

All board members were present: Mayor Bert Gritz, Vice Mayor Clif Vogt, Wes Hardin, Keith Meek and Richard Simunek.

Vogt arrived about 10 minutes late, but was there for the first vote. None of the board members wore masks, but practiced safe distancing.

In addition to Tillman, Public Works Director Curtis Turner was also in the audience.

He’d suffered a heart attack at home and had triple heart bypass surgery in Oklahoma City about two weeks before the meeting. Turner did wear a mask and stayed a safe distance from others during the meeting.

First phase of governor’s plan OK’d

The board revised its earlier proclamation so that certain businesses could reopen Friday. That’s so the town, along with almost all municipalities in Oklahoma, are in line with the first phase of the governor’s Open Up and Recover Safely plan.

Phase 1 includes the opening of restaurant dining areas, gyms and sporting and entertainment venues.

Town hall offices, the public library and the town’s gym located south of there will not be opened until Phase 2 of the governor’s plan.

The phase begins Friday, May 15, providing that certain COVID-19 benchmarks are met. Town hall offers a drive-up window and the library offers frontdoor pickups, but you must call in advance.

Municipal court will not be held until June, Tillman said.

Curfew still in effect

Hennessey’s 10 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew continues to take effect except for individuals working in an essential business, or an emergency condition, according to the town’s latest declaration.

Swimming Pool Opening

Gritz said work at the new swimming pool is going well, but it’s unknown if it will be allowed to open on the planned May 25 date due to the pandemic.

“We also have to worry about staffing it,” said Meek.

“And we have to get the health department to approve it,” Tillman added.

“And we don’t know what the restrictions will be,” said Turner.

Meek asked if the pool admission would stay the same as last year.

Gritz said he’d like to propose at a later meeting that they not charge this year.

After the meeting, he said that former mayor, Mike Shaw, who’d been a big booster to get a new pool, said he was going to be the first person off the high dive.

“I reminded him of that,” said Gritz, “and told him I wanted to be the first one on the big slide and now that he’s seen the work there, Mike said he’d rather be first on the slide.”

Street repairs near elevator

“There’s a big hole there (on Kansas Street at the southwest corner of Memorial Park),” said Gritz before the board voted to approve an $11,280 quote to make the repairs.

He said he’s had numer-ous complaints about it by farmers since it’s near where they pull semi-trucks up to the co-op elevator to weigh their wheat.

Turner said the repairs will “cut that dog leg off and it will look just like the one (south) across the street does…We have the money in the street department fund.”

A note on the bid from Daniel Construction showed they could start work May 8.

The work calls for tearing out concrete on the south side of Kansas Street; installation of a drain inlet, curbs ramp concrete at both Main and Kansas streets and on Kansas Street at the alley.

“It will take a week to get the concrete set,” Turner said.

“We need to get it done soon since harvest is coming up,” said Hardin and then made a motion to approve the bid which passed unanimously.

July 4 Fireworks

The mayor said Bryan Burch, who is in charge of the annual fireworks display, told him they have money left from last year’s event.

“So we won’t need to pay as much as we did last year,” Gritz said.

No action was necessary on that agenda topic.

The board’s next regular meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14.