Norman City Council approved a preliminary plat for a light-industrial use facility and commemorated February 2025 as Black History Month at its regular meeting on Tuesday.
Council also discussed the potential sale or development of property in the 100 block of West Gray Street at its special meeting.
Preliminary plat for 12th Avenue NW Industrial
The news: Council approved a preliminary plat for a light-industrial use facility 0.3 miles north of Rock Creek Road and on the west side of 12th Avenue Northwest.
The facility measures 77,040 square feet, and includes 30.24 acres and three lots. Lot one will include an industrial building, lot two will include a 606-seat church and lot three will include several contractor buildings, according to a staff report.
The report notes the site is expected to generate around 649 trips per day.
Ward 6 Councilmember Joshua Hinkle abstained from the vote due to a potential conflict of interest.
The vote: Council unanimously approved the plat.
Google grant funding for Norman Water Reclamation Facility
The news: Council approved a $500,000 grant from Google's Water Stewardship Strategy — Google’s corporate pledge to replenish 120% of water used by its data centers and offices — for the rehabilitation of Norman Water Reclamation Facility’s non-potable water reuse system.
According to a staff report, the rehabilitated system would provide an estimated 0.3 to 0.6 million gallons of “adequate” water per day. Rehabilitation includes assessing the current system, upgrading the system to restore operability and installing additional flow meters to measure non-potable water reuse usage, the report notes.
Norman was selected for the grant due to its water conservation leadership following a meeting between city staff and Google representatives from Brown and Caldwell, an environmental engineering and consulting firm, in November 2023, according to the report.
Ongoing requirements for city staff for the grant include communications with Google through email at the end of each year of project implementation and an annual monitoring report with project results. Additionally, any project updates and hyperlinks to press coverage regarding the project must be sent to Google.
The vote: Council approved the grant in the consent docket.
Proclamation of Black History Month
The news: Mayor Larry Heikkila issued a proclamation of February 2025 as Black History Month in Norman and George Henderson provided a speech in commemoration.
The proclamation notes 2025’s national theme for Black History Month is “African Americans and Labor,” which studies the various ways work intersects with the collective experiences of Black people.
The proclamation also recognizes the Alliance of Black Employees, a Norman employee resource group created in 2021 to support and represent Black people in Norman, and the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City, a nonprofit organization designed to help minorities and low-income individuals receive social and economic equality.
The proclamation adds the Norman Human Rights Commission continues to work to dispel prejudice and advance fairness, mutual understanding and appreciation for all people.
Heikkila invited George Henderson, the third ever full-time Black employee at OU, and his wife, Barbara Henderson, along with Wesley Long, chair of OU Human Relations, to the podium. George and Barbara Henderson were also the first Black couple to own a home in Norman.
What they’re saying: In his speech, Henderson said he arrived in Norman with the memories of his mentor, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., following his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement.
“I was frustrated things were not progressing as fast as I wanted them to, and I didn't think that I would end up with very much of anything. And Martin said, ‘George, what we are about is not about us. It's about the next generation of us,’” Henderson said. “Thanks to Barbara Henderson, who would not leave, said that we came and we leave when we're ready to leave, and this will be our pledge to ourselves and to our children.”
Henderson said he appreciates the progress Norman has made over the past 60 years, adding Black Normanites have worked hard to further instill a dream of a Norman with equal rights.
“It is a privilege and honor to see the progress in Norman. Of course, as Martin would say, ‘We ain't what we want to be, we ain't what we ought to be, we ain't what we're going to be, but thank God we're not what we were,’” Henderson said.
Henderson said further generations must carry on the vision of an equal society.
“When I was a child, we sang, ‘Hold on just a little bit longer and my change will come.’ I've been holding on just a little bit longer in Norman and I realize now that my change will come soon, but the next generation will carry on,” Henderson said.
Henderson said he envisions Norman as an inclusive city.
“This should be the city of love. This should be the city of acceptance. This should be the city of respect. Yeah, this is my dream — my Norman dream,” Henderson said.
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant, Ward 6 Councilmember Joshua Hinkle, Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman and Mayor Larry Heikkila thanked Henderson during public announcements.
Discussion of sale or development of property in 100 block of West Gray Street
The news: At its special meeting, council discussed the possible sale or development of property in the 100 block of West Gray Street as presented by Anthony Purinton, assistant city attorney.
The property includes a south assemblage, which is a vacant lot, and a north assemblage, which is the location of A Friend’s House, Norman’s low-barrier emergency shelter.
Purinton noted the city issued a request for proposal for sale of the property in September. He said in January, the city selected a conditional redeveloper, adding the city will discuss contract details with the redeveloper next month.
“I won’t go, today, into specifics because we haven’t had the chance to meet with the conditional redeveloper, but it’s along the lines of mixed-used and multi-family,” Purinton said. “I think that’s a lot of what council was wanting so we were happy with that.”
Purinton said the proposed timeline lists council’s consideration of a redevelopment agreement in the spring.
On Jan. 16, City Care took over operations of A Friend’s House from the previous operator, Food and Shelter, a nonprofit that provides housing and food services to Norman residents experiencing homelessness. Food and Shelter operated A Friend’s House from October 2022 to January 2025.
Relations between Food and Shelter and the city diminished in June 2024 when City Auditor Shaakira Calnick accused the nonprofit, and its executive director, April Doshier, of mismanaging funds and receiving unexplained raises and bonuses. Doshier and Food and Shelter denied several of the accusations of the report and requested the city of Norman retract the statements made and issue an apology. The city and Food and Shelter were unable to reach an agreement which resulted in City Care taking over operations.
What they’re saying: Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant asked Purinton if there were any renderings or plans from the redeveloper in the request for proposal that he could share. Purinton said he could not share specific details about the request for proposal.
“I would prefer to save any of those formal details until we actually can nail down with an agreement what that’s going to be,” Purinton said. “I don’t want to necessarily promise anything that we can’t deliver.”
This story was edited by Ismael Lele.
