The Times & Free Press was told that several landowners in Kingfisher County were in opposition to the appraisals and the subsequent sale by exchange being approved by the Commissioners of the Land Office. ( Note: See related story above.)

Some said they contacted their state legislators for help.

Among those with constituents in the county are Rep. Mike Dobrinski and Senators Darcy Jech and Chuck Hall.

Dobrinski, R-Okeene, represented his constituents during the CLO meeting.

Dobrinski later announced the CLO decision on his “Mike Dobrinski for Oklahoma State-HD 59” Facebook page.

“The mission of the CLO is to manage stateowned lands to maximize ‘long-term’ financial return for funding our Oklahoma Schools and also to protect the value of that land,” Dobrinski wrote. “I believe their decision today reflects that mission.”

In a written column regularly distributed by Dobrinski, he added this: “I was thankful to be able to attend the executive session in which this was discussed. I support this CLO decision and believe it will best protect the longterm agricultural value of this land as well as neighboring properties along U.S. Highway 81 north of Okarche.”

Hall, R-Perry, is a state senator with constituents in the northern part of the county.

“It’s evident that commissioners heard from many local property owners who voiced concerns,” Hall told The Times & Free Press.

“As some residents may know, this same developer has proposed building a waste processing facility near Hennessey,” Hall said.

“This situation highlights just how important community input is when it comes to major land deals. I’ll continue monitoring this issue closely, and will keep working to make sure the concerns of all Hennessey and Dover residents are heard before any major development decisions are finalized.”

Jech, R-Kingfisher, is the senator for District 26, which the land sits in.

He said he was also contacted by a number of constituents about concerns of the intended use for the land.

Jech was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting due to other commitments and said he’s still following up on the specifics of the meeting.

“I’m not opposed to an entrepreneur trying to make money,” Jech said. “But there are people who have concerns about what could take place there and we do need to be careful with the land.”