ALTUS - The sword of BRAC no longer dangles over the collective head of the Altus community, and optimistic eyes shift to the future.
"After the euphoria has shifted out," said City Administrator Mike Nettles. "I think what we're seeing now is renewed confidence."
And for good reason.
May 13 - Friday the 13th - came and went, leaving Altus Air Force Base unscathed by the nine-member Base Realignment and Closure Commission, and investors realigning their sights toward the economic potential in Southwest Oklahoma.
In the six weeks since the announcement, the city has issued six new home permits, said City Planner Barbara Burleson, whereas only four had been issued since the beginning of the year leading up to BRAC.
And if you've never dined at an Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar - "Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood," as the slogan goes - get your choppers ready. The national firm has closed a deal on land north of Stockmans Bank on North Main and the city issued a permit June 14 for construction of the new 5,298 square-foot restaurant. Builders should be on the project soon after July 4, Burleson said, and dinner will be served in about four months.
While you're dining at Applebee's, look out the window to the north and chances are you'll see a new three-story Hampton Inn going up in the adjacent parcel of land. Although the contract has yet to be inked on the new motel, Burleson is confident that construction on the project will be under way in three to four months.
Altus hasn't had a new motel built since 1984, said Charles Dobbs, chairman of the board of the Altus Chamber of Commerce. "Try to get a motel room this weekend ... there are none. Try to get a motel room next weekend ... there are none," Dobbs said, adding that the new Hampton Inn, while handling normal travel and trade through the city, will also provide for increased billeting requirements of visiting officers in training at Altus Air Force Base, which pays a government rate of $60 per room per night.
Over the next three years, Dobbs explained, Altus is facing estimated daily average shortfalls of 141 rooms in fiscal year 2005, 176 rooms in FY 2006 and 217 rooms in FY 2007.
Not to worry. Another motel chain - whose name is not yet revealed - is checking out available parcels in town, Dobbs said.
Remember the 13,650-square-foot Walgreens that was set to be under construction in January or February at the auspicious corner of North Main and Falcon? It's still on the way, Dobbs assured, as soon as real-estate and contract issues are ironed out.
New churches are in the planning stages, Burleson said, and a couple businesses are in the midst of transferring buildings. For example, she said, the Kountry Kitchen at 609 N. Main will soon be a Luigi's Pizza Restaurant, and the former Carl's Jr. at 1610 N. Main will morph into a Chicken Express.
Besides retail businesses moving into the area, Dobbs explained, some interesting efforts are in play to bring in jobs and grow the economy.
The city's Economic Development Corporation, in collaboration with investment groups such as the Oklahoma Industrial Venture Capital team based at the First State Bank of Altus, is working with the Air Force on a joint use agreement for private enterprise to develop an industrial air park at Altus AFB.
If the deal goes through, Dobbs said, a couple of national firms could move in and perform aviation industry services such as modifications to 737s and 767s and painting of commercial and military aircraft.
A proposal for the undertaking was sent this month to the Air Education Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, Dobbs said. "Preliminary indications are that they're favorable to the project," he said, adding that several other such agreements exist throughout the nation. "They're not trying to invent the wheel."
Dobbs points to Altus' aviation background and pool of active and retired military and civil service personnel, as well as the aviation training program at Southwest Technology Center. The state, he said, offers huge incentives for the aviation industry, adding, "I'd like to see Altus get their piece of the pie or do better than their share on that."
Another opportunity available to Altus AFB, Dobbs said, is to integrate training systems with the Army at Fort Sill, which is slated to receive an additional 10,000 troops.
The Sooner Drop Zone, some 16 miles west of Duke, will soon add 1/2-square-mile of land - 10 sections of added safety margin - to practice dual role airdrops. Dobbs would like to see the drop zone continue to expand and for the Air Force to integrate ground training and night vision goggle training with the Fort Sill troops.
Dobbs is optimistic about Altus' future and sees Oklahoma's advantageous tax codes, incentives and tax credits as keys to bringing in new business.
"Companies aren't going to automatically look to Altus to locate here. It's going to take some individuals, it's going to take the community, it's going to take the county ... to go out and put together some packages and some financing and some investment to relocate companies to move towards this area," he said.
"I would like to see the city of Altus come up with an overall master economic development program, whether it's through tax incentives for new business, whether it's through capital investment from venture capital companies, private investors or sales tax initiatives for economic development."
Also key to Altus' future is the Altus Comprehensive Plan 2025, which won the city council's unanimous approval Dec. 8. With the motto "I Believe in Altus," the 20-year plan envisions new strategies for land use, transportation, parks and recreation, community appearance and growth policies.
Burleson points to a couple major steps that have been made in the implementation of the plan in the first half of the year. The unified code - merging zoning and subdivision into one user friendly document - is headed for final approval in November, she said.
And the city has named Planning Department Tech Sheri Janis as the plan administrator and grant coordinator. Janis will be responsible for staying on top of the five year action plan, Burleson said, as well as reporting to the city council and seeking out grants.
Soon - after an application for Community Development Block Grant funding for demolition purposes is approved - Altus will be free of 29 buildings that have become dilapidated eyesores.
Burleson feels that the neighborhood associations called for in the comprehensive plan are key to making Altus a clean and friendly city. "You're less likely to throw your stuff out by the dumpster if you and your neighbors are meeting each other on the street and in the grocery store and you know who your neighbor is," she said. "The neighborhood association is going to be the way to do that."
So ... Applebee's, Hampton Inn, an industrial air park, integrated training, a plan that takes the city into 2025 ...
"Everything's on the upbeat," Nettles said. "I think we have a very good future."
Post a Comment
