No action was taken by the Hennessey town board on the sale of two large used steel pavilion frames purchased in July 2017 and “now stored over by the lagoons.”

However, the board will “check it out,” said Mayor Bert Gritz. Newest town board member Richard

Newest town board member Richard Simunek had the item placed on the Thursday, July 9, town board meeting agenda. He said the frames were purchased “in the spur of the moment” by a previous board for $45,000 “but the main thing is they have just been laying over there by the lagoons for three years rusting away.”

Simunek had been told they paid $45,000, but when Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman checked Monday, she found it was $20,000.

The pavilion frames were in use at an El Reno golf club when they were purchased by the town from an individual, Tillman said.

When asked by another board member about the size, Trustee Wes Hardin said they were “open pavilions” and “offset” with no sides.

Tillman said Monday one measured 50 feet by 100 feet and the other 70 feet by 70 feet.

Gritz said maybe they could be used at Bullfoot Park.

“There’s not enough room there,” said Trustee Keith Meek.

“We need to look at them,” said Hardin.

“I remember (former mayor) Mike Shaw saying when they were bought that he didn’t want them to just sit there and turn into a pile of junk,” said Meek.

Simunek said he didn’t want “one bad decision to lead to another.”

“We need to see exactly what we’ve got,” said Gritz. “See if they can be sandblasted and painted. See what our best options are.”

“Ask John Deutschendorf (DND Construction) to look at it,” said Scottie Hajek from the audience. “He can tell you what it would cost.”

“I just don’t want us to just throw up some junk,” said Simunek, who has preserved three Hennessey historic buildings. “This board has a lack of long-term planning,” Simunek said, adding that more grants needed to be pursued.

“Start with one structure, then add another one,” Simunek continued. “That’s the way they did it in Bricktown.”

Members agreed the town needs an outdoor event facility because the school’s Dome works for indoor events.

According to 2017 news stories, the board’s idea was to put the two pavilions on its nine lots (purchased in 2014 for $50,000) on the southwest side of First Street off Main Street (former Lee Lumber/Roy Johnson Lumber).

They discussed combining them with the 11 lots that connect to the south. Those lots were and are owned by Simunek. Back then, Simunek had offered to donate the property to the town for a public park that could be used for community events. He later rescinded that offer.

Simunek on Thursday night referred to a private “pavilion meeting” a few years ago with town officials when he was called every “name in the book,” but didn’t explain further.

“Bert, you know what happened,” he said.

Simunek was elected to the town board last year and took office in May 2019.

Town board pay

A motion by Simunek to terminate the monthly pay to town board members died for lack of a second.

“I’ve been uncomfortable that we get pay when volunteers of other groups don’t,” said Simunek.

He donated his last year’s pay to the public library.

Both Meek and Vice Mayor Clif Vogt said they didn’t know they’d be paid until after they went on the board.

Simunek said school board member Joe Garrison told him they didn’t get pay and it’s a state law that they cannot be paid.

“They get free game passes to all events,” said Gritz.

Someone else said they thought it includes family members.

Gritz said town board members are now paid $75 a month and the mayor is paid $125, but several years ago each board member was given “free water as a perk.”

“An attorney said the town couldn’t do that, so that’s when the monthly pay checks started,” Gritz said.

Tillman said the board would have to approve a new ordinance to make the change and members didn’t have one that night. It also wouldn’t take effect until after the next election in April.

Meek said he and Hardin would be up for re-election then.

Gritz said that would only be effective for the newly-elected board members and not the other board members because their terms had not expired.

He suggested they wait until closer to the election to address the matter again.

Budget worries

Simunek said even though the board eliminated the library director ($45,000 with benefits) and the public works director ($77,500 with benefits) to get the budget under control, he still believes board members have to be careful and look at the declining sales tax issues.

He’d printed off a recent story in the Times & Free Press that showed a 37% decline in sales tax returned to Hennessey last month compared to the same month last year. Kingfisher was down 28%.

Local police fines are also down about 50%, he said.

Simunek said he realizes that Kingfisher has a higher tax base with Walmart and Atwoods.

“And car dealerships,” said Tillman.

Simunek said he agrees with four points decided by the Kingfisher board: (1) Budget will be balanced; (2) Reserves are not to be touched; (3) Planned expenditures for improvements and projects will be postponed, and (4) If the economy and revenue improve substantially during the year, Kingfisher will restore cutbacks.

“Everyone is going through this,” Simunek said, “and we need to watch these sales tax numbers closely.”

Tillman said the July sales tax return to the town was a little higher than last month’s $84,433, but didn’t give an amount.

She also said the town now has current employees taking care of the flower beds at parks for a $20,000 savings, and they are also mowing the cemetery that last year cost an added $24,000.