Norman City Council voted to postpone a resolution that would allow the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to construct and improve turnpikes through Norman. Council approved to schedule a public hearing that would involve representatives from the OTA to answer questions residents may have.
According to the resolution, 36th Ave. NW would be reconstructed into a four-lane road and a 10-foot wide multimodal path would be constructed on the south side of the East-West Connector.
The resolution includes stipulation to mitigate stormwater effects during construction through the use of green infrastructure practices. According to the resolution, these measures would be used to protect the Little River and meet goals of the Lake Thunderbird Total Maximum Daily Load, which determines pollutant reduction necessary to meet water quality.
Over 100 residents filled the Norman City Council chamber in protest of the OTA. Members of Pike OFF OTA wore red shirts in solidarity. This has been a common theme for protesters who have appeared at several council meetings regarding the OTA.
ACCESS Oklahoma is a 15-year, $5 billion plan to construct new turnpikes and expand existing highways statewide. It was approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in August 2023.
Two turnpikes – the East-West Connector and South Extension – would run through Norman city limits. The East-West Connector would connect I-44 near Newcastle to I-40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike across northern Norman, while the South Extension would connect to I-35 north of Purcell, continuing through east Norman before connecting with the East-West Connector, according to a staff report from Aug. 27.
On Aug. 27, council unanimously rejected a resolution that would have allowed the OTA to construct turnpike facilities through “critical areas” of Norman, including the Lake Thunderbird watershed, the Canadian River Corridor and the city’s flood hazard areas. The staff report stated the OTA would “protect and preserve” these areas.
At the meeting, dozens of members of Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation and Pike Off OTA filled the audience and wore red in protest.
Early last month, the OTA confirmed it would not construct access or frontage roads in the Norman area following council’s rejection.
“The OTA requested the resolution as a step in the public process toward signing an agreement that would determine ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the requested amenities,” the OTA’s statement wrote.
According to the OTA’s statement, constructing frontage roads alone would cost more for taxpayers than if they were constructed alongside a new turnpike.
“Frontage roads help provide long-term solutions for local traffic flow,” the OTA’s statement wrote. “While the OTA was prepared to commit many tens of millions of dollars to design and build what would become City of Norman infrastructure, OTA respects the Norman City Council’s decision to reject the proposed resolution, requesting that the Authority include frontage roads, pedestrian facilities, local road widenings and numerous interchanges as part of the design.”
In an email to OU Daily, Lisa Shearer-Salim, OTA communication and marketing manager, wrote the preliminary estimate for the frontage roads was more than $150 million, including the right-of-way for construction.
“OTA was offering to partner with the city by purchasing the (right-of-way) and constructing the frontage roads,” Shearer-Salim wrote. “However, frontage roads would be part of the local infrastructure system, and therefore, the city would be the owner and maintain them after construction.”
On Sept. 13, Pike Off OTA released a statement celebrating the removal of access and frontage roads in the ACCESS Oklahoma plans. Amy Cerato, president of Pike Off OTA, wrote that limiting access roads removes Norman’s requirement to fund and maintain them, saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
“We all know that the original revenue outlook was still billions of dollars in the red and now with this limited access their revenue projections are even more disastrous,” Cerato wrote. “It is interesting that the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority thinks they can continue with this project without going back to the Council for Bond Oversight or their bondholders and reassessing their revenue studies based on this new information.”
Last Tuesday, council discussed a new resolution with the OTA at its special meeting.
During the meeting, Rick Knighton, interim city attorney, said the OTA did not require a resolution to construct the East-West Connector through Norman, adding council’s rejection of ACCESS Oklahoma facilities in August did not prevent construction.
“The OTA has eminent domain powers granted to them by the state … there isn’t anything we can do to stop that,” Knighton said.
Addressing council, Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash said the city knows residents do not want a turnpike, adding some city staffers may believe residents are “too stupid to understand.”
“Everyone knows the sentiment of the community. Some of you had the notion implanted (of) the excuse to dismiss the will of the people,” Nash said. “A lot of times, I don’t think I trust this council. We don’t need to be resurrecting this.”
In an email to OU Daily, Nash accused Heikkila of streamlining turnpike construction, adding he “lies and deceives.”
“The Mayor does not represent Norman. He withholds information from Council to disrupt our abilities to make thoughtful decisions for the people we represent, to the advantage of the things he wants to barrel through without resistance,” Nash wrote.
9:20 p.m.
Upon being asked which members of council requested further discussions regarding the turnpike, City Manager Darrel Pyle pointed OU Daily to Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon.
Dixon said he, along with two other unnamed members of council, requested the discussions. He added constituents reached out to Dixon with differing opinions.
“I was one of the, that I know of, two others, there might have been more than that, that reached out to Darrel,” Dixon said. “I had quite a few constituents reach out to me, a couple have already sold their homes. I did have one homeowner reach out and say ‘no, vote no.’ There's quite a few who reached out and said, ‘Hey, we really need this.’
Dixon said he would have approved the postponement alongside the rest of council. He added he wants to skip the resolution process.
“It'd be best if we could skip the resolution process and go straight to a contract, I think that would clear a whole lot of things,” Dixon said.
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant said they had no "constitutes" with the East-West connector, but recommended the Daily ask Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya, Ward 6 Councilmember Joshua Hinkle and Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon.
The Daily was unable to ask Montoya and Hinkle if they were the two unnamed individuals before they left city hall.
9:09 p.m.
The meeting is adjourned after nearly an hour of public comments.
9:05 p.m.
Council is continuing with public comment, over a dozen residents have spoken to voice their frustrations with the OTA and proposed turnpike.
Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon has returned to the meeting after exiting the city chamber before council voted to postpone the OTA resolution.
8:30 p.m.
During miscellaneous comment, most speakers disapproved of the OTA’s ACCESS Oklahoma program, including the East-West Connector’s route through Norman.
Amy Cerato, Pike Off OTA President, said the city of Norman and the OTA are in an “abusive relationship.”
“We're trying to hold government accountable, and we're winning, and we need you to back us up because we understand the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority implicitly,” Cerato said. “They don't want to do anything you're asking, they only need your consent. Don't give it to them. Exit this abusive relationship once and for all.”
8:16 p.m.
Council is motioning to postpone the resolution and hold a future session including members of OTA and post a form on the city’s website for residents to submit questions.
Council unanimously voted to postpone the resolution and hold a future study session with the OTA with Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon outside the chambers.
Council has continued the meeting with miscellaneous comments.
8:02 p.m.
Public comment has concluded over 20 residents have spoken in protest against the OTA and most are in favor of postponing the resolution.
Mayor Larry Heikkila asked Ward 2 Councilmember Matt Peacock how he would like to amend the resolution. Peacock said he wants a special session.
City Clerk Brenda Hall said council might not want to create a date now to allow for the OTA to respond. Peacock said council should not set a date.
Hall said a study session could allow residents to ask questions and talk. Peacock said that was his intention in requesting a study session where all parties are present.
Ward 1 Councilmember Austin Ball asked City Manager Darrel Pyle what the OTA did to warrant council have this discussion despite rejecting a similar resolution in August.
Pyle said he received emails from members on council requesting that they have this conversation.
“The OTA didn't warrant anything,” Pyle said. “I received phone calls from council members after they had heard from constituents and their Ward requesting this conversation take place specifically along the Indian Hills infrastructure to exclude any conversation related to the North-South corridor.”
Ball said council should have another study session with at least one member of OTA present.
“Everybody here deserves to be able to ask questions to the person responsible for kicking you out of your house,” Ball said. “The only people that can win this fight are sitting in this room … you have my support and I think you have the support of most of this council.”
Pyle said the city will send calendar requests to any parties council wants to hear from at the study session.
Hall said the city will post a fillable form on the city’s website to submit questions. She recommended residents should provide questions at least a week before for them to be answered.
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said he is interested in a legally-binding contract.
“I would like to see what the possibility of a legally binding contract and not a resolution,” Holman said. “If we're going to ask them to do something or some things, that it's guaranteed what we ask them for is going to be done, that we will be able to hold them legally accountable.”
Holman said he supports having residents ask the OTA questions.
“Getting the OTA representatives here for us to ask questions, for the public to ask questions that can be answered now that they've been working on (ACCESS Oklahoma) for a couple of years, is the best path forward,” Holman said.
7:28 p.m.
Residents are making public comment on whether they support Ward 2 Councilmember Matt Peacock's motion to postponement the OTA resolution. Tanner Naeher, a Ward 6 homeowner and Ward 5 resident, said he lives on the East-West Connector’s path.
“I really support you taking the time to make the right decision,” Naeher said. “Let us find out the truth from the state auditor before you make any decisions for the city.”
Richard McKown, chair of the AIM Norman Housing Subcommittee, said he supports postponement, adding no one has spoken in favor of a turnpike. He said the turnpike has impacted the subcommittee’s work, requiring it to reconsider retail space along the route.
“We were expecting to be able to put certain aspects of retail multifamily along this turnpike route that none of us asked for,” McKown said.
Pam Post, a Ward 5 resident, asked council if the OTA or its representatives would attend a meeting. She added she supports an indefinite postponement.
“I continue to urge you all to vote no against any resolution, to go straight to a contract,” Post said.
John McCann, Ward 5 resident and Vietnam War veteran said council has an obligation to serve the city of Norman.
“When we started, we had to pledge allegiance to the flag, and you all have to pledge allegiance to the city of Norman. And the city of Norman are these people back here,” McCann said. “This is what the city of Norman is about. Anything you do with OTA must include the citizens of Norman. If I ever had to go back to combat, I'll take the people behind me with me, because I'm impressed,” McCann said.
Mohammad Farzaneh, a member of the Farzaneh family, the namesake of Farzaneh Hall, said council should provide a wishlist if it is incapable of stopping the OTA.
“We have to get some solid answer for the people here to know if we can continue, if they can stop it or not,” Farzaneh said.
Rob Norman, a Pike Off OTA member and attorney at Cheek and Falcone, said
“It's far inferior to the one you voted down unanimously a month and a half ago. Try to do a workout again, and then you can conduct a public hearing,” Norman said.
7:02 p.m.
Council is considering a resolution requesting the OTA construct facilities in Norman city limits along ACCESS Oklahoma’s East-West Connector.
Ward 2 Councilmember Matt Peacock said he wants to postpone the vote for a study session next Tuesday for OTA representatives to discuss the resolution.
Oklahoma Senate District 15 candidate and former Ward 6 Councilmember Elizabeth Foreman asked council when a vote on the resolution would occur following postponement. Council said the vote would occur on Nov. 12.
Amy Cerato, Pike Off OTA president, said OTA would lie at a study session meeting. She asked council to have members of Pike OTA and residents present to ask the OTA questions.
Cerato said the city is not obligated to listen to the OTA without a legally binding contract.
“If you're going to vote on this postponement and not a rejection outright, that the city residents, someone like me who's been involved with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, can ask them point blank questions,” Cerato said. “You're losing all your negotiating power with this resolution.”
Throughout Cerato’s comments members of the audience applauded. Heikkila issued a warning on disruptions.
Tassie Hirschfeld, Pike OFF OTA board member, asked council to postpone the vote indefinitely until an investigative audit is released.
“I want to thank you for introducing the idea of postponement, and I'm going to tell you that you are not postponing it nearly long enough,” Hirschfeld said.
Stephen Ellis, an OU philosophy professor, said the resolution should be amended to include a public hearing with the OTA.
“As we've heard before, there's a lot of distrust about the OTA, and that distrust has been earned, and just having them talk to you guys is probably not going to be sufficient in order to get the citizens of Norman to have a full discussion on this issue,” Ellis said.
Peacock addressed Ellis, adding his intent with the motion to postpone was to include council and residents’ questions for the OTA.
Tiffany Stephens, a Ward 5 resident, asked council to include Norman residents in discussions with the OTA and postpone the vote indefinitely.
Paul Wilson, a Ward 1 resident, asked council to instead use a legally binding contract as opposed to a resolution. He added council does not allow public comments during study sessions.
“This is not something Norman needs,” Wilson said. “Make sure that what they promise is what they deliver.”
Oklahoma Sen. Mary Boren said she supports postponing the vote indefinitely. She added council may not be confident in making a decision, but should gain confidence to reject the OTA.
“Take all the time you need to get the confidence that we deserve you to have, because your confidence is the only way to hold this organization accountable,” Boren said. “I support an indefinite amount of time for you to study it until you're confident in whatever answer that you give the people of Norman.”
6:30 p.m.
Norman City Council has started its regular meeting.
Over 100 residents are in attendance for the meeting. Most are members of Pike Off OTA and are wearing red in protest against the turnpike. The council chamber is full and over a dozen people are sitting in overflow chairs outside the chamber.
Mayor Larry Heikkila is briefing the audience on expected rules of decorum for the meeting.
“City council meetings are a crucial platform for public discourse where residents can voice their thoughts, concerns and ideas,” Heikkila said. “While we honor the right to refer to free speech, we must also maintain an environment that is respectful, orderly and conducive to productive discussion.”
Heikkila said behavior that detracts from the purpose of maintaining a respectful environment include but are not limited to applauding, cheering and booing.
“Persons who violate any of these rules will receive a warning with the first violation. Any subsequent violation may result in removal,” Heikkila said.
Council approved the consent docket unanimously.
6:00 p.m.
Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation and Pike Off OTA, a nonprofit organization designed to protest OTA expansion, is holding hold a press conference at city hall prior to the 6:30 p.m. regular meeting.
In a press release, Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation and Pike Off OTA, a nonprofit organization designed to protest OTA expansion, announced it would hold a press conference at city hall prior to Tuesday’s regular meeting.
“The OTA Zombie Resolution has risen and is back on the Norman City Council agenda tonight. It was just a few weeks back the council unanimously voted down a similar resolution agreeing to cooperate with the turnpike authority’s access program that is planned to bring category 5 devastation to the City of Norman,” a statement sent from Dave Moore, a Pike Off OTA volunteer, read.
Over 40 people are outside the city hall chamber in attendance of the press conference. Several people are wearing red in protest against the turnpike. Protesters are holding signs reading “Save Our Community Stop Access Oklahoma.”
A few protesters are holding signs of political cartoons depicting Mayor Larry Heikkila, Gov. Kevin Stitt and former OTA director Tim Gatz holding apprehending a woman representing the city of Norman.
"Larry Heikkila ran on lies. Now he is helping the OTA drag Norman out of her own homes because he knows what's best for us," a sign read.
Dave Moore, a member of Pike Off OTA, said the OTA does not care about Oklahomans or Normanites, adding it cares more about money.
“Today, our city council decides whether or not to approve toll roads on our city limits, and in order to make that decision, they first have to decide who they're going to serve,” Moore said. “Are they going to be public servants to the citizens of Norman, or are they going to be private servants to a small group of fat cats who think that Norman should be their private money making playground?”
Rick Sunday, another member of Pike Off OTA, advised council to consider Norman residents as allies in order to reject the OTA.
“I don't want our council to forget that they do have a really great weapon. It's us, the citizens of Norman. We are their greatest weapon,” Sunday said. “Stop looking at us as your enemies, but as your allies. We've got your back now. Please have our back.”
Amy Cerato, Pike Off OTA president, said the OTA does not care about following the stipulations in the resolution. She asked council to consider what Pike Off OTA has to say, citing the organization's two-year-long experience.
“The zombie resolution was resurrected after eight weeks dead, and we're hoping that we can kill it again tonight. The resolution is just a wish list that the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority has no intention of fulfilling,” Cerato said. “The city council could do us a huge favor tonight and stand with those who understand the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority better than anybody, and we'd like to tell the council that no means no.”
Rob Norman, another Pike Off OTA member and attorney at Cheek and Falcone, said Norman is not designed for large suburban sprawl, adding the majority of Normanites do not want a turnpike.
“Here we go again, less than 60 days ago … our city council voted against basically the same resolution. Nothing has changed,” Norman said. “We're going to ask the council tonight not to undermine our efforts of legislative reform, not to undermine our efforts to have the federal government hold the OTA seat to the fire and to reject this resolution resoundingly, as they did less than two months ago.”
5:15 p.m.
Council adjourned into executive session to discuss "University Town Center, LLC v. City of Norman."
5:00 p.m.
Anthony Purinton, assistant city attorney, is presenting to council an update on contract negotiations with potential operators for the city's emergency shelter, A Friend's House. Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya, Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash are not present and Ward 2 Councilmember Matt Peacock are not present.
Council postponed discussion in an Oct. 8 meeting on whether to terminate the contract with the city's current operator Food & Shelter, leaving allowing the operator 60 days to cease operating the shelter.
Council is currently in negotiations with an unnamed new operator. Food and Shelter has agreed to operate the city's emergency shelter until March of 2025, or until council can agree to a contract with a new operator. n Food and Shelter will have 60 days to cease operating the shelter in either of those scenarios.
On Sept. 19, Food and Shelter Inc., a nonprofit designed to aid unhoused residents and the current operator of A Friend’s House, announced on Facebook it would not renew its contract with the city over disputes.
“Unfortunately, the new contract terms don't align with the standards we believe are essential for providing dignity and care to those in need,” the Facebook post reads.
A Friend’s House is a temporary shelter at 109 W. Gray St. Council has discussed building a permanent shelter at multiple locations, including the former Griffin Memorial Hospital property.
A contract draft from Oct. 1 states the shelter includes a maximum of 52 beds and prioritizes housing. According to the draft, the shelter offers voluntary resources related to housing assistance, mental health, substance abuse and employment.
Eligible individuals for the shelter must be experiencing homelessness, over the age of 18, offer name and birthdate identification and must not be a registered sex offender, according to the draft.
The draft contract proposed that Food and Shelter would not engage or “disturb” any friable asbestos identified in the shelter. At a council meeting on Feb. 14, asbestos removal was said to cost $60,000.
Food and Shelter would have to provide security during hours of operation according to the draft contract.
At council’s study session meeting on Oct. 1, Purinton said Food and Shelter objected to certain terms in the draft contract, including a requirement for a third-party security contractor, the use of an internal auditor, a dedicated bank account for the project and the city’s right to recoup funds if an audit identifies “improper expenditures.”
Purinton noted Food and Shelter objected to an internal audit due to how the previous audit was conducted.
Purinton said council had multiple options, including operating under the current contract, operating under a new contract proposed by Food and Shelter, only operating according to terms agreed upon by the city, closing the shelter until a new operator can be found or operating the shelter through the city again. According to Purinton, finding a new operator would be unlikely during winter and operating through the city would require new positions.
At the meeting, Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila and Ward 1 Councilmember Austin Ball said the shelter should be closed, though Heikkila was unsure of when it should close.
According to a staff report on Oct. 8, city staff redrafted the contract for Food and Shelter to consider. The report notes while Food and Shelter did not have a quorum to approve or deny the contract before Tuesday’s meeting, though Board President Adam Clinton contacted each board member.
Food and Shelter first entered into a contract with the city in October 2022 to operate A Friend’s House. The city extended the contract once before moving to a month-to-month contract in June 2023.
In May, City Auditor Shaakira Calnick made a series of amendments to the city’s contract shortly after issuing a report accusing Food and Shelter of mismanaging facility funds from November 2022 to February 2024.
Within the new amendments, Calnick suggested securing 109 W. Gray St. as a permanent shelter location, conducting a cost analysis of the location and training shelter personnel under the Approved Medication Assistive Personnel program.
Food and Shelter board of directors sent a letter to city staff on Sept. 16 informing the city of its decision to reject the proposed contract, as well as requesting the city retract statements made by Calnick regarding accusations of mismanaged funds.
“The City's auditor has repeatedly used accusatory language in public forums, most recently at the Oversight Committee on Thursday, September 12,” Adam Clinton, board president of Food and Shelter, wrote in the letter. “The auditor's continued hardline stance, micromanagement, and unwillingness to compromise or consider our organization's reputation are inappropriate.”
Calnick’s report alleged that April Doshier, executive director of Food and Shelter, was given unexplained raises and bonuses. Doshier appeared in a City Council Oversight Committee meeting on June 13 where, on behalf of Food and Shelter, denied the findings of Calnick's report.
“A contract was drafted and executed by the city of Norman by city staff. City staff drafted that contract in its entirety. Every bit of that language was (the city’s) language,” Doshier said at the meeting. “The Food and Shelter board reviewed that contract and did not make any negotiations, any changes, any amendments, approved it, signed it and we executed it. And to this day, we have executed that contract to its tee. We’ve not violated one aspect of that contract, period. There’s no evidence to that.”
According to a staff report, Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya, Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon and Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant met with the executive director and board members of Food and Shelter on Sept. 30. The staff report notes Food and Shelter would consider a new contract with the city to operate the shelter until March 31.
Purinton said an alternative shelter operator notified and approved their staff to negotiate a contract with the city. He added the city is waiting on more feedback regarding contract terms and will work quickly to reach a final agreement while looking for alternatives in the event of closure.
Purinton said the Norman Housing Authority can not issue new housing vouchers in the immediate future. According to Purinton, 1,065 people are on the waitlist for vouchers, creating an approximately 15-18 month wait.
“Right now, Norman Housing Authority, for example, they're in shortfall, which essentially means that they can't issue any new vouchers because they're at their limit with their current funding,” Purinton said. “If you're on the waitlist for a housing voucher … it's not clear when you're going to be able to get a housing voucher.”
Purinton said the city staff recommends postponing the cancellation of the contract until a new contract and start date for a new operator is finalized. He added staff is “optimistic” a new item, including a contract with a new operator and budget appropriation for funding, could be brought to council by Nov. 26.
Montoya, Peacock and Nash have arrived 11 minutes into the meeting.
“Right now, Norman Housing Authority, for example, they're in shortfall, which essentially means that they can't issue any new vouchers because they're at their limit with their current funding,” Purinton said. “If you're on the waitlist for a housing voucher … it's not clear when you're going to be able to get a housing voucher.”
Purinton said the city staff recommends postponing the cancellation of the contract until a new contract and start date for a new operator is finalized. He added staff is “optimistic” a new item, including a contract with a new operator and budget appropriation for funding, could be brought to council by Nov. 26.
“We were hoping to have a little bit more specifics on the contractor and where that contract is,” Purinton said. “It's just a little too soon, but I think we're in a really good spot to finalize that contract.”
This story was edited by Ismael Lele.
