Off to Nationals
Heart Ball Sweetheart Cate Leonard and her mom Carrie share a sweet moment during the American Heart Association’s annual gala. Pages B1 & B2
Heritage Hall’s Jacob Marino and coach Brett Young celebrate at the District Speech and Debate Tournament. Jacob will represent Oklahoma at the national tournament. For more student news, see Page 8.
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 52 No. 45 • Two Sections • 20 Pages March 15, 2019
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, Quail Creek, The Greens, and Gaillardia for 45 years
ACHIEVERS McGee Awards honor three
CHUCK WIGGIN
- Photo by Rose Lane
Jim Vallion Award Red Tie Night Co-Chairman Ethan and Wendy House and Lela Sullivan present Mary Deane Streich with the Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund’s Jim Vallion Award. Streich was honored for her service to the organization. For more photos from Red Tie Night, see the March 22 edition of OKC FRIDAY.
PETER DOLESE
Chuck Wiggin, Peter Dolese and Stan Lingo will be honored by the Downtown Oklahoma City Partnership during the 33rd annual Dean A. McGee Awards on Friday, May 17, in the Skirvin Hilton Hotel Grand Ballroom. Business leader Wiggin is to receive the Dean A. McGee Award for his lifetime contribu-
STAN LINGO
tions to downtown; the Stanley Draper Award will be presented to arts leader Dolese for his efforts in community excellence; and builder Lingo receives the Neal Horton Award for revitalization of downtown. The 2019 Dean A. McGee See McGEE, Page 3
AWC names Byliner honorees
Eight are Oklahoma Creativity Ambassadors
The Oklahoma City Chapter of the Association of Women in Communications has named its By-Liner Awards honorees. The recipients are: Linda Haneborg, Haneborg & Associates, Lifetime; Jonna Kirschner, Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. vice president of economic development, Law and Civic Involvement; Natalie Shirley, National Cowboy
Governor Kevin Stitt will designate eight prominent Oklahomans as Oklahoma Creativity Ambassadors on Monday evening, April 8 at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. The 2019
& Western Heritage Museum president and CEO, Business Development; Christina Rehkop, Devon Energy supervisor of community affairs, Philanthropy; Susan Harkness, OG&E brand manager, Communications; Molly Wehrenberg, Oklahoma Commission on the Status of See BYLINERS, Page 7
Ambassador honorees are C. Kendrick Ferguson, a nationally recognized advocate for arts and arts education; Chip Fudge, real estate visionary; Rob Lake, international grand illusionist; Mike Larsen, contempo-
rary Native American artist and sculptor; Susan McCalmont, lifetime innovation and creativity champion; and Dr. Paul Silverstein, surgical innovator for burn See CREATIVE, Page 3
After volumes of renovations, Village library booked to reopen By Mike W. Ray Staff Writer Metropolitan Library System (MLS) officials hope to reopen the newly remodeled public library in The Village sometime this month, perhaps as early as next week. The library was closed in mid-January for a $300,000 facelift and was scheduled to reopen in late February
or early March. However, new furniture for the library didn’t arrive until Monday “and they’re not sure we can get everything ready to open” by March 18, said Kim Terry, MLS marketing and communications director. The interior of The Village Library “will be reconfigured to best utilize the space,” Victoria Stephens, MLS internal
communications coordinator, said previously. The MLS has devoted approximately $250,000 to the renovation project, according to Morgan Jones, MLS manager of planning and assessment. Improvements include: • Replacement of carpet throughout the 14,044 square-foot building; • Repainting of the entire interior;
June 1 targeted completion date for NHills water lines project By Mike W. Ray Staff Writer Replacement of old water transmission lines along four blocks in Nichols Hills is expected to take three months to complete. The City Council awarded a $329,838 contract on the project to Southwest Water Works of Oklahoma City. The work entails construction of 2,129 linear feet (four-tenths of a mile) of 12-inch-diameter water mains in the 1500, 1600 and 1700
blocks of Bedford Drive, and removal of 1,599 linear feet of malfunctioning 12-inch mains, bid documents show. The existing ductile pipe “has been problematic in the last few years” and will be replaced with durable PVC pipe, Public Works Director Randy Lawrence said. The job also also involves installation of 500 linear feet of 8inch PVC water line in the 6800 block of Brentwood Avenue and See LINES, Page 3
• Construction of an ADA-compliant family restroom off the lobby; • Replacement of the circulation desk with a new service desk; • Removal of the reference desk to add some larger computer desks; • Construction of a through-the-wall book return and a second selfcheckout station; and, • Relocation of staff
FRIDAY’s
work areas to make room for four public study rooms. In addition, Special Friends of The Village Library donated $60,000 to finance renovations in two specific sectors: updating the lounge seating area at the south end of the building and “refreshing” the teen area with a complete redesign “to reflect the See LIBRARY, Page 7
Dogs of the Week
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Piper and Baxter who belong to Dani Lynch and Bob Colston, owners of Thrifty Pharmacy. Their favorite sport is riding rafts in the pool. Most days are spent watching for squirrels in their trees and removing the stuffing from their toys. Email Dog of the Week, Baby of the Week and Cat of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday.com. Submissions are used in the order they are received.
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