Jenks Tribune, Digital Issue 36 - April 17, 2020

COVID-19 CAN’T STOP EASTER BUNNY FROM MAKING APPEARANCE

Red Fork Distillery makes hand sanitizer

Jenks Public Schools releases 2020 graduation plans Jenks extends “Shelter In Place” order to May 8

Jenks Extends ‘Shelter In Place’ Order To May 8

By Kyle Salomon The City of Jenks extended its “Shelter In Place” order through May 8 Tuesday at the special City Council meeting by a vote of 7-0.

The original order was issued through April 16, which is Thursday.

The ordinance states that people are not allowed to leave their homes unless they are leaving to go get food, go to the pharmacy, going to exercise outside and to go to essential jobs.

Also, discussed, voted on and passed (6-1) was an ordinance that regulates food trucks in the City of Jenks.

From this point forward, for a food truck to be allowed in Jenks, they must be required to register with the City of Jenks, pay $5 per day they are in town, proof insurance and permission to park where they want to locate.

The City Council also recommends social distancing for people going to food trucks in city limits.

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Jenks Public Schools Announces 2020 Graduation Plans Submitted Jenks Public Schools will aim for a virtual graduation on May 18 for the 2020 senior class and also a tentative traditional graduation ceremony slated for June 26 at the Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

The June date is subject to change based on what is taking place with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Jenks Tribune will continue to update the Jenks Public Schools' 2020 graduation plans as we receive information.

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Red Fork Distillery Shifts Products To Serve Community Need

By Kyle Salomon

When Mike and Dana Hoey established the Red Fork Distillery in 2015, they did not envision using their business to help local law enforcement agencies through a pandemic, but they are and they are glad they can help.

The Red Fork Distillery came to market with its product in October of 2018. The west Tulsa-based distillery is located in the Red Fork District on Southwest Blvd. positioned between Goodwill and Billy Rays BBQ. It is a craft distillery, which produces craft spirits such as various types of vodka, moonshine and aged whiskey. As of March 20, it now also produces hand sanitizer.

The Hoey family lives in Jenks and their children attend Jenks Public Schools. They were in Atlanta visiting family in the first part of spring break when the COVID-19 pandemic began to engulf the country and specifically the Tulsa area.

“We made the decision to cut our trip short and come back home,” Dana said. “We left Atlanta that Wednesday, March 19 and on the drive back we started to get the notifications that the Federal government was lifting restrictions to allow distilleries to step in and make hand sanitizer to help in the time of need. We were literally in our car driving home figuring out how to make hand sanitizer.”

State Representative Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks) sent a text to the Hoeys while they were on their drive home expressing the need for first responders to have hand sanitizer, in particular, the Tulsa Police Department.

The Hoeys returned home to Jenks that night of March 19, worked out the formulations and by the afternoon of March 20, had hand sanitizer in the hands of the Tulsa Police Department.

We were producing the product as fast as we could and getting it out to everyone who needed it.”

The Hoeys said they realized on Friday that they had a packaging issue and began reaching out to local sources to find help in that department. They contacted Sims and he made a connection through another State Representative out of Ft. Gibson, who put the Hoeys in touch with the Refresco Group.

The Refresco Group specializes in packaging for large corporations.

“We started the conversations with Refresco that Friday afternoon and by Saturday, we were needing a tractor trailer to bring 12-ounce plastic bottles to us from their Missouri plant,” Dana said. “We were still working fast and furious to get these bottles of hand sanitizer out. We had police officers, police units and others coming by to get some throughout the days.”

Dana said the experience has been incredible for her and her family.

“When we started the distillery, we knew it was a neat industry and a happy industry,” Dana said. “We loved the idea of providing craft sprits for the Tulsa community, but being able to use the resources from the distillery to give back has been the most rewarding thing we have ever done. The love and support we have received from people thanking us for doing this has been nothing short of amazing. This is a very difficult time for everyone, so to be able to do something positive is great. We are very grateful we can help.”

“We were packaging it in empty whiskey bottles because that is all we had at the time,” Dana said. “The word began to spread, and more and more law enforcement and first responder agencies were contacting us about hand sanitizer.

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Kyle Salomon Owner Hyperlocal LLC Publisher: Jenks Tribune

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Jenks Public Works Keeps City Operating Amid Coronavirus Situation

By Kyle Salomon

While the Jenks Police and Fire Departments work hard to keep the community safe, they are not the only first responders having to work through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Jenks Public Works Department is working around the clock to ensure the City of Jenks is operating smoothly and functioning the way it should.

The department has had to modify some of its operations to cope with the Coronavirus outbreak, but for the most part, it is business as usual.

There are two teams that work daily split shifts. The first team goes out at 7 a.m. and works until 4 p.m. and the second team starts at 8:30 a.m. and works until 5:30 p.m.

“The goal with the split shift operation is to make sure we don’t have more than 10 people working at once,” Jenks Public Works Director Tim Doyle said. “We are doing pretty well right now. We have adapted to ensure we and the public are safe, and we are continuing to make sure we are taking care of the critical infrastructure needs of our city.”

Doyle also said with the amount of people being forced to stay home the amount of work orders has rapidly increased.

Some of the modifications that have been made to the Public Works Department outside of the split shift operations are each employee is required to wear masks while on the job and if a Public Works vehicle has more than one person inside, the windows must be open.

Assistant City Manager Robert Carr said the Public Works workers must maintain social distancing while on the job and that normal duties are still being done.

“Road repairs, water leaks, mowing and other usual duties are being completed,” Carr said.

“We are still completing projects that we had planned to do. We started underground draining repair and work on South Harvard Avenue between 131st and 141st last week, so we are in the middle of that project.”

Renae Ostrum, who is the wife of Jenks Fire Chief Greg Ostrum, is the Administrative Assistant for the Jenks Public Works Department and according to Doyle, has been working hard to make sure the Public Works jobs are getting done.

“Renae has done an amazing job for us,” Doyle said. “She is working from home, but we made it to where each call that comes into Public Works goes to her and she gives us all the information we need for the job and we go do it.

She comes in every morning at 6:30 to get any and all the information she needs that day to work from home.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, there can be a lot of uneasiness, but Carr said he believes the Public Works employees are handling everything as well they can.

“The moral on the staff has been positive,” Carr said. “Of course, the stress of the situation sets in from time to time, but the staff has done a great job and handled it well.”

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As Covid-19 Tightens Grip, Flood Potential Increases In Northeastern Oklahoma

By Kyle Salomon May is approaching, which usually means a lot of moisture for Oklahoma.

In spring of 2019, the northeastern part of the state experienced one of the worst floods in history.

Heavy rainfall throughout the south-central region of the country paved the way for record-level flooding, as both Oklahoma and Arkansas declared Natural Disaster Emergencies to receive Federal help.

Following a wet start to the spring, heavy rains engulfed southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma May 19-21, which led to the historic flood that killed five people and caused $3 billion in damages.

Fast forward a year … the COVID-19 pandemic has taken over the world and most local and national leaders are paying close attention to the daily updates from the Coronavirus situation, when potential for another record-level flood is increasing as moisture begins to accumulate in northeastern Oklahoma.

Currently, the water-level readings in Keystone Lake are showing they are four feet above normal.

“We are watching the water levels very closely,” Jenks Mayor Robert Lee said. “We have not forgotten the lessons from last year. When we saw the levels go up about three weeks ago, our ears really perked up. We kind of just have to wait and see how much rain we get and how much the Corps of Engineers releases out of the Keystone Dam.” Lee said the City of Jenks learned a lot about its water drainage system and what it can handle when it comes to floods.

“We hope we don’t have to do what we did last year,” Lee said.

“We do have a better idea of what we are up against and a better idea of what our water ways are capable of to not be surprised this time. Following the 1986 historic flood, it was decided that all new developments in Jenks were to be built at least one foot above the 1986 flood line and that ended up passing the test for us last year.”

Jenks City Manager Chris Shrout said the City of Jenks is better prepared to handle another flood if it were to occur again this year.

“We have been monitoring the (Keystone) lake and flood storage levels every day with the police, fire and public works departments making sure we are prepared for a similar event to the one we saw a year ago,” Shrout said. “We are prepared from what we experienced last year, and we are confident in our ability to respond. We have a much better idea of what it means for the river when the Corps of Engineers says it is releasing a certain amount of water. We definitely learned a lot and are better for it.”

David Williams, Chief of Hydraulics and Hydrology Branch’s Engineering Section for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discussed several items regarding a potential flood for northeastern Oklahoma again in 2020.

“In 2019, rainfall during the winter resulted in above normal lake levels to begin the year, but these were drawn down to normal levels by March,” Williams said. “In 2020, rainfall in February and early March resulted in above normal lake levels that peaked at about 40% of the available flood-control storage in late March, but the reservoirs have been steadily drawn down since then, and most of the reservoirs are approaching their normal levels.”

Williams said that no two floods are the same and if there is a flood in 2020, it will be based on different variables than in 2019 and therefore evolve differently. He added that the Keystone Dam, which determines the water levels in the Arkansas River going through the Tulsa area and down into the eastern portion of the state and into Arkansas, is operated as part of a 30-reservoir system in the Arkansas River basin in Kansas and Oklahoma.

“All of these reservoirs are regulated in accordance with Congressionally-authorized water control plans,” Williams said.

“During floods, these reservoirs are operated in conjunction with one another. Most of the volume available in Keystone Lake is reserved for flood control. It fills at the same percentage as the other reservoirs in the system and is then drawn down in the same manner. Major floods can exhaust the flood-control storage available in the reservoirs. When this occurs, large releases are made from Keystone Dam and the other reservoirs in the system. The two largest releases in the 55-year history of Keystone Dam occurred on Oct. 5, 1986 (307,000 cubic feet per second) and May 29, 2019 (275,000 cubic feet per second).”

Williams said without the Keystone Dam, the flooding last year would have been catastrophic for Tulsa and other communities downstream.

“While there is always an awareness about downstream impacts, flood-control dams mitigate the severity of floods,” Williams said. “For example, the peak release on May 29, 2019 was 275,000 cubic feet per second. Without Keystone Dam, the peak flow through Tulsa would have been 375,000 cubic feet per second. Keystone Dam, the Tulsa/West Tulsa Levees, and the Jenks Levee prevented $1.8 billion in damages in Tulsa County during this single flood event. It is important to remember that these are flood-control dams, not flood-prevention dams.

Communication of this risk to downstream communities is a top priority of the Tulsa District.”

Williams said dams like the Keystone Dam and their stability and safety are a top priority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Dams are flood risk reduction structures and are not a guarantee of safety,” Williams said. “Dam safety is a paramount concern of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and our efforts conducting inspections and performing maintenance are for the purpose of preventing such an event. All the flood-control dams owned and operated by the Tulsa District (including Keystone) undergo regular, comprehensive assessments. Maintenance, repairs and improvements are necessary components of all infrastructure life cycles, including flood-control dams.”

Numerous low-water dams along the Arkansas River in northeastern Oklahoma have been discussed for several years.

Williams said the ability to finance and maintain the low-water dams is a local community issue and as long as it is approved by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and does not affect the function of the Keystone Dam, he doesn’t mind them being built. He also said the COVID-19 situation has not slowed down the interest in potential flooding.

“Based on the number of questions that have been received from concerned citizens and their elected officials over the past several weeks, there is a heightened awareness and concern about flooding,” Williams said. “Any natural disaster coinciding with the ongoing pandemic would be especially stressful considering the economic impacts that are affecting everyone coupled with the strain on emergency responders.”

Williams said flood planning and preparation never stops for the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the Tulsa District has a highly skilled staff that studies floods, operates flood-control projects in real time, and responds to emergencies when they occur. (cont. on next page)

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(cont. from previous page) “Communication of flood risk to downstream communities is extremely important,” Williams said. “Although major floods are rare, they do occur. Large releases from Keystone Dam are no exception. Persons living downstream from flood-control dams should understand this risk and should carry flood insurance if they live within or close to the regulatory floodplain. In fact, flood insurance is required by law for houses within the regulatory floodplain that have Federally backed mortgages.”

At this time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a policy to not release any water from the Keystone Dam unless there is water on the ground. The Corps does not use forecasted rain data to release water from the dam prior to the rain falling.

State Representative Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks) disagrees with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ policy.

“We don’t want to see flooding like we did last year,” Sims said. “I am very hopeful the Corps of Engineers has looked at its internal policies and has updated its preparedness plan. We found weak spots in the notification system along the river and the Corps of Engineers should help with that. They are working with water-release plans that were created when the dams were built, and since have only seen minimal changes.”

“There is a huge miss on the Corps of Engineers’ part with not using the forecasting data we have now,” Sims said. “This needs to be an all hands-on deck and all technology-on deck situation, and we need to prepare our communities along the river in a much better way. Right now, the Corps of Engineers operates off an old plan and is not willing to use technologies we now have available and that is unacceptable.”

Williams addressed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision-making process when deciding when and how much water to release out of dams, such as the Keystone Dam. He also discussed the models and technology that are used to make these decisions.

“Releases are based on the principle of ‘water on the ground.’ In other words, inflow forecasts are developed by using observed runoff at stream gages in the watershed upstream from the reservoir,” Williams said. “The basis for this policy is the uncertainty associated with weather forecasts. The release of water from a flood-control reservoir in anticipation of rainfall can actually increase the risk associated with downstream flooding if the forecast is either not realized at all or if the rainfall occurs in a different location.

In Keystone Lake, the conservation pool accounts for about 20% of the total available volume, with the remainder reserved for flood control. During the 2019 flood, the total volume in the reservoir completely cycled six times.

A pre-release would not have affected the outcome. Hydrologic data are retrieved on an hourly basis from a network of rainfall and stream flow gages within the basin. In real-time operations, this information is used in forecast models to develop inflow hydrographs for the Tulsa District reservoirs. During a flood, models are updated on a continual basis, resulting in revised inflow forecasts both day and night. These forecasts are used in conjunction with the Congressionally authorized water control plan to schedule releases.”

Reasor’s Asks Shoppers To Wash Hands, Put On Masks Prior To Entering Stores Reasor’s is asking all of its customers at all of its locations to wash their hands and wear a face mask before coming inside the stores due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Reasor’s employees are required to wear masks as well.

The company is also adding new signage to direct one-way traffic through entrances and store aisles.

This will promote social distancing and limit the risk of people coming into close contact.

Reasor’s said the company hired more than 150 new employees to help with the demand for groceries.

South Union Ave. Construction Kicks Off Construction on Union Avenue between 91st Street and 96th Street began Monday and is expected to last approximately two weeks.

Union Avenue will be reduced to one lane with flaggers to direct traffic during construction operations, which is limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. City of Jenks officials urge people drive slowly on this stretch of road.

This project includes the removal of three sections of existing pavement on Union Avenue and replacement with new pavement.

Aquarium Announces New Date For Annual Run The Oklahoma Aquarium has announced its new date for the annual Aquarium.

The run will take place Sept. 20.

Runners will be able to participate in a half-marathon, 10K, 5K or one-mile fun run/walk. All registrants will enjoy complimentary race-day aquarium admission and other perks, including exclusive run shirts, post-race snacks and a kid’s zone.

To learn more about the Aquarium run and sign up, visit okaquarium.org/178/Aquarium-Run.

The American Heart Association Heart Ball is looking for high school sophomores from the Tulsa area for the 2020-2021 school year! Come alongside us to build a foundation of health in our community and ensure everyone lives longer and healthier lives.

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These students learn how to be champions for heart health. Through CPR and healthy cooking classes they learn how to save lives and improve health.

They also give back to several local nonprofits here in the community.

Our Sweethearts and Mavericks collectively do over 1,500 hours of community service per year by volunteering and being relentless in spreading our mission in promoting longer and healthier lives.

All of this will culminate at the historic 50th Anniversary Heart Ball on February 20th, 2021, where the Sweethearts and Mavericks are presented. It is a Tulsa tradition celebrating its 50th year.

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Church Directory Beaver Street Baptist Church 102 W. Beaver Street Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:45am Sunday 6pm Sunday Crossroads Church 2525 W. Main Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday 6pm Sunday 6:45pm Wednesday

Jenks Bethel Baptist Church 11808 S. Elm Street Service times: 11am Sunday Jenks Bible Church 708 W. Main St Service times: 10am Sunday 6:30pm Wednesday

River Oaks Christian Church 300 N. Elm Street Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:30am Sunday 6:30pm Sunday

Jenks Church 1015 W. Main Street Service times: 10am Sunday

Dove Ministry 2833 W. Main Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday 6pm Sunday

Kirk Crossing 11420 S. James Avenue Service times: 9am Sunday 10:30am Sunday

First Baptist Church 11701 S. Elm Street Service times: 8:30am Sunday 9:45am Sunday 11am Sunday First Christian Church 308 E. Main Street Service times: 9:45am Sunday 10:45am Sunday First Jenks United Methodist Church 415 E. Main Street Service times: 8:45am Sunday 10am Sunday 11:15am Sunday

Life Church Jenks 890 W. 81st Street Service times: 4pm Saturday 5:30pm Saturday 8:30am Sunday 10am Sunday 11:30am Sunday 1pm Sunday 4pm Sunday 5:30pm Sunday 7pm Monday

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Newspring Family Church 2907 W. 108th Place South Service times: 9:30am Sunday 10:30am Sunday

St. James Presbyterian Church 11970 S. Elm Street Service times: 10:30am Sunday The Church at Jenks 2101 W. 118th Street 9am Sunday 11am Sunday The Connecting Co. 1737 W. 81st Street Service times: 10am Sunday

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State Representative Sheila Dills announces re-election bid Submitted Tulsa resident and Republican State Representative Sheila Dills of House District 69 announces her bid for re-election today.

“After careful consideration, thoughtful prayer, and time spent discussing our State's future with my friends, family and those within the community – today, I filed for re-election,” said Dills. “When I was elected in 2018, I promised to listen, communicate, and to lead. It has been a great privilege serving the citizens of District 69 and today I am vowing to renew these promises and continue the momentum and great strides that have already been made to improve this state.”

Representative Dills will continue to build a vision of economic prosperity, community growth, and education.

“Now more than ever, Oklahomans will have to come together to find creative solutions to kick start the economy and get people back to work," Rep. Dills said.

Representative Dills was elected to her first term in 2018.

House District 69 includes Bixby, Jenks and Tulsa.

How To Prepare For Severe Weather During Covid-19 Pandemic

By Kyle Salomon Spring is in high gear here in Oklahoma, which means severe weather season is knocking on the door.

With the Coronavirus stealing the headlines of late, severe weather preparation has taken a back seat. Officials with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service are saying the COVID-19 pandemic brings added complications to taking shelter from tornadoes, but they say protecting yourself against severe weather is very important.

The OEM and NWS are urging families across the state to explore the best options to keep you safer from severe weather, as well as limit your exposure to the virus and not to wait until there is a tornado warning issued to make a plan.

They are also encouraging people to take as many precautions as possible to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 as best they can, including Center for Disease Control recommendations to wear a cloth face covering and maintain social distancing.

“The best way to prepare for severe weather during a pandemic is to stay informed of the latest weather forecast from the National Weather Service and local media, as well as the latest recommendations regarding COVID-19 from CDC, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and local authorities,” according to a statement from the OEM and NWS. The City of Jenks does not have a community shelter. According to the city, the best place to shelter is in your home on the lowest floor, in a small-center room, such as a bathroom or closet, under a stairwell or in an interior hallway with no windows.

The city also says you should crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down and cover your head with your hands.

To receive City of Jenks alerts by phone, visit jenks.com/374/notify-me and sign up for Emergency Alerts.

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