At the first of the new year we like to take a look back at the biggest stories of the past year.
As we welcome in 2024, here is what transpired in Newcastle during the year 2023. We start in January 2023 and work towards the December 28 issue of the
• An engineering approval process which started before the COVID-19 pandemic has concluded with plans on a new wastewater treatment plant being submitted to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Kenny Sullivan, the City’s engineer of Glenn Sullivan and Associates, appeared before the City Council in the December meeting to discuss the project, which Council members approved to send for DEQ comment. The process is expected to conclude with a permit to construct the plant.
Sullivan said it had been a long process for the design of the plant and geotechnical surveys to be completed. He said by submitting the plans to DEQ, the City will obtain their first comments on the plant and then can modify them and get construction underway.
“From start of construction to finish, we’re probably still looking at two years,” Sullivan said. “We are hopeful that it will be complete and operational by about October 2024.”
• Three new police officers will be seen on the streets as they patrol, and protect and serve the citizens of Newcastle.
Police Chief Gary Norman said he has hired Virginia Bailey, Corey Harwell, and Jared Slentz.
The officers are currently in a two-month mini academy being trained on all things Newcastle, and then they’ll go to a full police academy at Moore-Norman Vocational Technical Center, according to Norman.
• Newcastle wrestling returned home from a trip to Pauls Valley for the 49th Annual Brian Scripsick Tournament with a first-place trophy.
The boys won the tournament, while the varsity girls, the junior high boys, and the junior high girls all brought home third-place wins.
• Newcastle’s Racers have been on a tear this year coming back from the holidays with wins against #10 Bethany, Putnam Heights, Christian Heritage, and #1 Class B Fort Cobb-Broxton.
They were the champions of the Hinton Tournament last weekend and their current Oklahoma Secondary Sports Activities Association ranking in Class 4A is #5 just behind Crossings Christian, Kingfisher, Weatherford and Douglass.
• Newcastle Public Schools is putting kids to work. Nikki Gayler’s internship program has gone from 17 students participating last year to 58 students this year.
Gayler said the school system’s ultimate goal is to help the students leave high school knowing what job they want to do and what they don’t want to do.
Area employers have been very receptive, and have told Gayler they wish they had these types of opportunities when they were in high school. They also are the beneficiary of free labor.
A goal of the program is for these same students to possibly transition into paid employees, and for area businesses to be able to expand in either their services or locations.
• The search for the next Newcastle Public Schools superintendent is currently underway.
After the announcement of Superintendent Dr. Melonie Hau’s retirement at the end of the school year, the Newcastle Board of Education approved a partnership with the Oklahoma State School Boards Association to help facilitate the superintendent search process.
• The Oklahoma Department of Transportation just completed a comment period for a project to increase U.S. Interstate 35 to six lanes from the State Highway 74 interchange to the Cleveland County line, and I-35 from one mile south of Ladd Road north 4.15 miles to the SH-74 interchange.
ODOT states that the purpose and need of the project are to improve the operational capacity of I-35 to accommodate existing and future traffic volumes, improve safety, and enhance local and regional connectivity.
• A potable water booster station is in the works for Newcastle at Western Avenue. It is expected to increase water pressure in the area, according to City Engineer Kenny Sullivan.
The three-pump booster station will help service the Selah Development just outside of Newcastle city limits as well as Newcastle residents in the area, and the Selah Development will pay for the station.
• The firm Civil & Environmental Consultants was approved by the Newcastle City Council to update the City’s Master Plan of Capital Improvement Projects. This will include city-wide water and sewer modeling, and is expected to give the City a map to the future.
Fresh water and wastewater projects are either ongoing or being planned throughout Newcastle, and the expense alone requires extensive planning by the City.
Discussion on these topics has been taking place at several City Council meetings in the past year. Many of these discussions have focused on the large geographic area in the city limits, and the lack of infrastructure, or the lack of good pressure because of older, smaller lines.
• After the 39-30 dual win against Kingfisher January 12, the Racers also beat Douglass, 57-12, but then lost the dual with Tuttle, 74-3.
Newcastle also wrestled at the Carl Albert Tournament January 13-14 with several wins by Max Rinehart who had a sixth-place finish, Blake Johnson with his secondplace finish, and Randy Nix, who placed third.
Nix, at 215, also had the 4-2 decision over Cody Abston, for the lone Racer win against Tuttle.
• A new facility which may help change the face of Main Street in Newcastle will have a groundbreaking at 4 p.m. Monday, February 6 at 555 S. Main Street. The new Newcastle Fire Station #1, which has been in the planning stages for some time, is getting underway.
The new facility has not only been needed for a long time, but also will help to further define the downtown area with its unique architecture.
• Class 6A number-eight ranked Piedmont beat Newcastle January 26 in a dual, 4930, but the Racers came back and placed second at the Midwestern Conference Tournament at Shawnee FireLake over the weekend. Coach Zach Hale said, “We came home with plenty of hardware for all. It is always a great tournament with 24 teams in the conference ranging from 3A-5A teams, ranked and unranked.
• As City Council members made decisions on the final plat of Wyndemere Phase VII, and a replat of the final plat of Wyndemere Phase IV, lots 1-5, block 26 to common area, they also commented about the progress made in drainage in the area.
City officials said when the rains come this spring they believe the area will sheet flow properly.
February 16, 2023
• Incumbent Newcastle City Council members Marci White and Tommy Clay refiled for their seats on the Council; however, they are the only filers so there will not be an election this term.
The City Council election was originally scheduled for April 4, but with no opposition, an election will not be necessary.
February 23, 2023
• School officials are being very quiet about their search, but they are steadily working toward finding a new superintendent to replace Dr. Melonie Hau, when she resigns this summer.
Superintendent searches are usually conducted this way because of the need for the privacy of those who have applied, or are seeking, the job.
• Newcastle’s Racers took care of business in their game with Harrah Saturday night to win the District title, 86-36.
March 2, 2023
• The STRUT Week committee selected Nicole Gaither as the 2023 STRUT Week recipient. Nicole is an extremely deserving recipient. Nicole and her family moved to Newcastle over six years ago. Nicole has three children, one of which (Lyla) is a freshman at Newcastle High School. On August 20, 2021 Nicole received a call that flipped her life upside down. She had officially been diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer called Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma (PDTC.)
• The Regional finalists from the previous week had a good showing at the State Wrestling Tournament over the weekend, with Max Rinehart (150) winning fourth place and Randy Nix, Jr. (215) winning second.
March 9, 2023
• Driving through Newcastle from Main Street west on State Highway 130, just past the Rockwell intersection, is the Spitfire 08171H oil and gas site. It’s relatively quiet with a car driving by every so often, and the trees have yet to bloom. Approximately 150 yards to the north a compressor hums in the distance.
It is sites like these that were the topic of a special meeting of the Newcastle City Council on February 27. Council members met specifically to address issues involving the oil and gas industry and the protection of area residents and their rights.
• The Racers had to win out at the Area Basketball Tournament last week in order to continue post-season play. That’s exactly what they did. Their payoff is a trip to the State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City for the State Tournament.
Newcastle beat Hilldale, 5947, in the first round on Thursday. This moved them to a Friday afternoon game against Victory Christian. The Racers won that game, too, by a score of 65-58. The victory moved Newcastle t o t he S aturday night Consolation Championship — a rematch against the Ada Cougars.
The Racers won the Consolation Championship, 59-40, and punched their ticket to State.
March 16, 2023
• A special announcement started last week’s Newcastle Public Schools’ Board of Education meeting when Courtney Parsons was named District Teacher of the Year.
Parsons, a second grade teacher who was the Newcastle Lower Elementary School Site Teacher of the Year, was selected by a committee from among the other NPS Site Teachers of the Year.
March 23, 2023
• An agenda item for the drilling of additional wells at existing well sites in Newcastle was approved by the City Council but not before a lot of discussion, and not before an agreement that the oil and gas company would erect 16-foot sound walls on three sides of the well site.
The Council, in its regular March meeting, approved a Use Permitted on Review to EOG Resources, Inc. for their Newcastle-located Spitfire and Banshee well sites. Because of the necessity for coexisting within the City limits, the Council is trying to work out the best options they can for both residents and the oil and gas companies, according to Mayor Karl Nail.
March 30, 2023
• Newcastle Board of Education approved the hire of Dr. Cathy Walker as the next superintendent during a special meeting Tuesday, March 21. Walker will succeed current Superintendent Dr. Melonie Hau who will be retiring at the end of the school year.
“Dr. Walker is an experienced education professional dedicated to students and community,” Maker said.
April 6, 2023
• Current superintendent of schools, Dr. Melonie Hau provided a bond issue projects update to school patrons. She said when the projects are complete, it will be “incredible — so much better than what we have now.”
April 13, 2023
• If you’ve driven lately on State Highway 9 just east of U.S. Highway 62, you may have noticed that in some stretches it’s a rough ride and it’s accompanied by a loud road noise. That’s about to change.
A pavement resurfacing project was approved by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission during their Monday, April 3 meeting which will improve conditions on SH-9 between the US-62 junction and U.S. Interstate 35 in McClain County.
April 20, 2023
• Newcastle City Council members have been trying for years to balance out the interests of oil and gas drilling and the interests of residents who live near oil and gas sites.
They’ve known that the number one problem is the amount of sound that emanates from well sites, especially during the fracking and drilling phases.
On Monday, April 10, 30 people packed into the City Council chambers during a meeting to discuss what one local resident calls the “Frack Monster,” and the needs of the oil and gas industry while drilling in Newcastle City limits. The council discussed a change in a city ordinance which would have stipulated 24-foot sound walls and 24/7 sound monitoring, and a citation that had been given to Charter Oak Production Company, LLC, for exceeding the existing sound ordinance.
• Senior Chase Sucharda was named to the OSSAA Class 4A basketball All-Star team.
April 27, 2023
• Newcastle senior 150-pound wrestler Max Rinehart was among wrestlers being named as an Oklahoma Coaches Association West All-Star.
May 4, 2023
• How does a City of 10,000 people plan for a business that, in the next 10 years, will employ an additional 3,500 people?
That’s one of the questions to be answered by the Newcastle City Council and management.
Mayor Karl Nail said the City is facing this along with the eventual building of a turnpike between Newcastle and U.S. Interstate 35, and they are currently planning 30-50 years into the future — with the thought of doing things generationally.
Nail provided a State of the City address during the annual Newcastle Chamber of Commerce luncheon with the same name.
The mayor said Newcastle was the fastest growing community in the state in percentage of population in 2022.
May 11, 2023
• An agreement with MA+ Architecture was approved by the Newcastle School Board for work on the Newcastle Elementary School improvements.
The architectural firm’s services, at a cost of $25,000, will include location of underground utilities, design work for widening the existing asphalt loop road along the south side of the site to a three-lane road, the new playground area, the outdoor classroom area, the work associated with improvements to the existing north to south sewer system along the classroom buildings, and work associated with the new canopies at the entrance doors along the north side of the school buildings.
May 18, 2023
• Shovels were turning dirt as representatives from the City of Newcastle, Nabholz Construction, and Guernsey took part in a groundbreaking on the new animal shelter for Newcastle. The ceremony marks the beginning of construction on the $3.4 million facility which is expected to take about eight months to completion.
• Results for the Newcastle Racers track and field at the State meet included Marissa Moring being named the 5A State Champion for girls pole vaulting.
May 25, 2023
• Kendall Watson, MLIS, came to Newcastle in September and October last year to fill in as interim branch manager at the Newcastle Public Library, an affiliate of Pioneer Library System. He returned April 1 this year to officially assume the branch manager position.
June 1, 2023
• Newcastle Racer soccer player Lauren Miller was named the the Class 4A West All-State squad. Several other soccer players made the All-District list.
June 8, 2023
• Big changes are coming to the Newcastle Sports Complex, according to a discussion at the May City Council meeting.
At the same time, there may need to be changes made to improve efficiency, according to at least one Council member During the discussion about the Newcastle Sports Complex Master Plan, Council member Tommy Clay said, “Right now our baseball and softball leagues here are abysmal. I think that NASA (Newcastle All Sports Association) has unfortunately proved inefficient to do what they need to do, and what they promised to do. The people who made those promises are no longer around. I think we need to start looking for a full-time person. If it is done right, it will pay that salary.”
June 15, 2023
• Several legal notices in the Newcastle Pacer last week were published to request conditional use permits for the drilling of oil and gas wells in the city of Newcastle. These drilling sites could have an impact on local residents and the City Council and City staff have done a significant amount of work to not only protect local residents, but also to work effectively with the oil companies.
There were 12 legal publications in last week’s issue which describe three different well sites. They are scheduled to be discussed in the June 26 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, and then again at the July 10 regular City Council meeting.
The three pad sites are owned by Four Point Energy LLC.
June 22, 2023
• City Council members, sitting as the Newcastle Public Works Authority, took another step toward the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility. They issued a promissory note not to exceed $40 million to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
They took this action during their June 12 regular meeting. At that time, they also approved an agreement which provides for paying the financing with revenue bonds.
• As Newcastle Public Schools faces a change in superintendents, the school board members voiced their approval in the transition process that’s underway.
After serving the District for four years, Dr. Melonie Hau gave her resignation last year. After a search, which included enlisting help from the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, Dr. Cathy Walker of Stillwater was hired.
June 29, 2023
• Laughter and positivity filled the air on the grounds of Newcastle High School as gatherers prepared to celebrate the official groundbreaking for the 2022 bond issue projects.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, June 22, officials from Newcastle Public Schools, Nabholz Construction, MA+ Architecture and the community marked the beginning of construction on the $79,750,000 bond issue approved by voters with a 70% majority on August 23, 2022.
July 6, 2023
• Newcastle City Council members, during their June regular meeting, denied five conditional use permits for Four Point Energy on their proposed Riva Ridge drilling site. Council members said the site did not meet the City’s setback requirements.
The proposed site is located on the north side of S.W. 16th Street east of Rockwell Avenue.
• Coleman Pueppke and Marisa Moring were named to the Oklahoma Cross Country & Track Coaches Association Senior All-Stars.
July 13, 2023
• Significant grading and dirt work is underway just south of the new fire station being built at 555 S. Main Street in Newcastle. The site is the Newcastle Farms Addition, a planned unit development.
Director of Planning and Community Development Janay Greenlee said this area will have commercial fronting Main Street and single-family housing behind that. She said the first phase is underway, but only the dirt work portion at this time.
July 20 2023
• A request to place an oil well site behind the Quail Run subdivision in Newcastle met with resistance from area neighbors, but was eventually approved by the City Council.
A lengthy discussion by council members was followed by an open public discussion where several Newcastle residents said they were opposed to the well’s placement at the north side of S.W. 16th Street, approximately 2,000 feet east of S. Rockwell Avenue. The Council eventually decided that all setback requirements had been met.
• Kristanna Phillips of Newcastle is a 2023 graduate of Newcastle High School, but “she also is already an accomplished painter with numerous stunning canvases under her belt.” The latter part of that is how she was described for an art exhibition held Sunday, July 9 at Resonator Institute in Norman.
July 27 2023
• Police officers conducted a traffic stop early in July in the 2800 block of U.S. Interstate 44 in Newcastle, resulting in the apprehension of two individuals they believe are involved in drug trafficking. They also seized 688 pounds of marijuana.
August 3, 2023
• City staff is meeting with the engineering, architectural and designing firm, Guernsey, to discuss the conceptual design of a new City Hall for Newcastle.
That announcement was made by City Manager Kevin Self in the regular July City Council meeting. Self said this begins the process for a new City Hall that will be intended to be designed for expandability into the future to meet Newcastle’s growth.
The new facility is planned to be located south of the new Fire Station One on S. Main Street.
August 10, 2023
• A new athletic director was hired to replace outgoing A.D. Todd Goolsby, and school lunch prices were increased at a special Thursday morning meeting last week.
Newcastle School Board members unanimously approved Brent Hodges, who has been the coach for girls basketball at Moore Public Schools, as the new athletic director.
• On Sunday, July 9, 2023, First Baptist Church of Newcastle broke ground on a new facility that will allow the church to more effectively reach and minister to people. The members of FBCN voted with incredible unity to say to the community, “We are here for you.” For the next 52 weeks, construction on a new worship facility, atrium space, outdoor commons area, new drop off, and exterior face lift will be taking place.
August 17, 2023
• As Newcastle Public Schools began a new school year last week, most of its teaching and staff positions were filled.
Nine new-to-Newcastle classroom teachers were hired at a Special Meeting on July 25, and then more teachers and staff were hired Thursday, August 3. A couple more were then hired at the regular board meeting on Tuesday, August 8.
To help students and parents acclimate to the new school year, Open Houses were held at each school site.
August 24, 2023
• The Newcastle City Council/ Newcastle Public Works Authority approved changes to the water and wastewater rates during their regular meeting on August 14. These changes come after a detailed study conducted with the help of NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm with expertise in utility services. The changes are part of the City’s ongoing efforts to ensure that residents continue to receive reliable and high-quality water and wastewater services.
August 31, 2023
• State Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, announced Thursday she would not seek a fourth term in 2024. Conley, whose district covers parts of McClain and Cleveland counties, was first elected in 2018, and was reelected in 2020, and 2022.
September 7, 2023
• An annual audit of the City of Newcastle for the year ending in June 2022 came back with not only a finding of no instances of noncompliance, but also gave a positive snapshot of the City’s many activities and projects that are underway.
The audit, performed by HBC CPAs and Advisors, states that auditors did not find any deficiencies in internal control that they consider to be material weaknesses.
September 14, 2023
• With the importance placed on STEM learning, and aerospace and defense now the second leading industry in Oklahoma, Newcastle Schools is helping students to meet the needs of tomorrow’s workforce demand.
Newcastle High School is now teaching the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) “You Can Fly” curriculum. Newcastle is one of 87 Oklahoma high schools, teaching the AOPA program, and Oklahoma has nearly double the number of any other state, according to the Oklahoma Aerospace & Aeronautics Commission.
• Newcastle Racers fastpitch softball went 18-0 before taking its first loss of the 2023 season in a tournament game against Dale. The Lady Pirates looted three runs from the Racers while managing to hold Newcastle scoreless.
September 21, 2023
• Newcastle High School FFA members have been busy competing at the Oklahoma State Fair and several have placed. Results as of Monday were the following: Kreas Richard - first place Simmental Heifer, Reserve Champion Beef Showman, Grand Champion Beef Showman, Grand Champion Bred and Owned Simmental Heifer, and first place Commercial Heifer; Molly Sheriff - first place and Reserve Champion Division 3 Market Goat; Kaitlyn Morgan - second place Market Goat, Goat Showmanship Finalist, fourth place Hamp Wether Lamb, and fourth place Cross Wether Lamb; Chloe Sheriff fourth place Market Goat; and Jacy Cook - fifth place Cross Market Lamb.
September 28, 2023
• Steven Whitmore and Payton Wolfe are the 2023 Newcastle Homecoming King and Queen. They were crowned Homecoming royalty Friday night at the Newcastle-Tecumseh football game. The Racers won the game, 55 to 6.
October 5, 2023
• Dr. Cathy Walker, superintendent of Newcastle Public Schools, was the guest speaker for the State of the Schools Luncheon held by the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Thursday at the Community Room. Dr. Walker said Newcastle Public Schools has had an increase of 80 students from October 1 this year to October 1 in 2022. She said the school now has 362 staff members, and will be needing to add additional staff as the district grows. She said Newcastle is on its way to being a Class 5A school, and the $77,025,000 school bond passed by school patrons, as well as the $2,225,000 bond issue for transportation which was passed, will aid the district as it moves into Class 5A. Walker asked those attending if they had seen the new school buses transporting students throughout the city streets.
October 12, 2023
• The owners of a well established air conditioning, heating and plumbing company from Edmond have purchased a cooling, heating and plumbing company in Newcastle from Terry Holliday. The local business which was started in 1984, HMS Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, will now have a slight name change and join Edmond Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing, a company owned by Roger, Karen and Chris Seaton.
October 19, 2023
• The Newcastle Racers girls fast-pitch won the State Championship Saturday, October 14 at Oklahoma University. They beat the Purcell Dragons, 4-0, in the Class 4A State Championship game.
• In an attempt to meld Oklahoma State School Boards Association rules together with local rules and do what they say is best for the students, the Newcastle Board of Education, at its October 10 meeting, adopted a new policy for the Library Media Center and the materials available to the students. An NPS policy for the Library Media Center which had been focused on the district not promoting censorship and challenging efforts at censorship, has been changed to wording provided by the OSSBA and refined by a policy committee of local people to keep NPS up with its accreditation. It’s focus now is that the program shall be reflective of the community standards and age appropriate materials.
The new policy also provides for a review of “educational suitability,” and puts into place procedures for review of material, and investigation and response to complaints about materials in the libraries throughout the district. October 26, 2023
• Plenty of projects are underway or are being discussed by the Newcastle City Council including the purchase of an acreage for economic development. Also going in is a new sewer line to be used for Fire Station 1 and the Newcastle Farms housing addition off of Main Street.
The Council also approved engineering services for a project to widen a portion of North Country Club Road, and a change in how the City is paying for signal lights at the U.S. Interstate 35 and State Highway 9 interchange.
These projects and others were either approved or discussed at the Council’s October regular meeting.
A contract which had not been finalized at the meeting, but was later approved by all the parties involved was for the City to purchase 9.69 acres to be used for economic development. The acreage is at the southeast corner of Fox Lane and State Highway 62.
November 2, 2023
• Do you ever wonder where everything flushed away ends up? The City of Newcastle is on a mission to make that journey significantly more eco-friendly and efficient. With plans underway, the city is gearing up to construct a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant. To celebrate this multi-million dollar facility, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at 4:30 p.m. November 13 at the site of the new plant at N.E. 16th Street and Portland Avenue.
• Newcastle Fast-Pitch coach Mike Crossley was named by his peers the All-Region Coach of the Year. Sev- eral Racer girls were named to end-of-year honors, as well. These include: Madelyn Torrenueva, outfield, Fast-Pitch All-State & All-Region; Brooklyn Lyles, corner infield, Fast-Pitch All-State & All-Region; Meredith Strange, middle infield, Fast-Pitch All-State First Alternate, All-Region; and Aubree Ferguson, pitcher, Fast-Pitch All-State & All-Region
November 9, 2023
• A new credit card processor was announced for City of Newcastle utility customers and started October 27. Customers were asked to create a new online account when paying online, or to set up autopay. The new company, InvoiceCloud, supports a wider range of payment options, according to city officials, and should be more user friendly. Available at newcastleok.gov/ pay, area residents with utility accounts can pay one time or can create an account to set up autopay and to access extended features.
November 16, 2023
• For many years and still today, taking a stray dog off the streets of Newcastle meant placing that dog in a small outdoor cage, free of the elements only by the facility’s covered roof. That’s if the animal was fortunate enough to have space — since the current animal shelter can only hold 10 animals. Early next year that will no longer be the case.
The City of Newcastle recently announced that the new animal shelter is anticipated to be complete in either January or February 2024. The new facility has approximately 31 kennels for dogs inside, and there will be an open area with stackable, rollaway cages for cats.
November 23, 2023
• Mayor Karl Nail told City Council members at their November meeting that the ACCESS Oklahoma program is back underway. He explained how he understands the process will be moving forward and that the project near Newcastle will be the first. Nail said the City met with Oklahoma Turnpike Authority staff about a week prior to the Council meeting and they explained where they are in the process.
Nail said, “They anticipate that after the first of the year, they’ll be able to provide 30% plans for public consumption. That will show the fairly defined path of where the turnpike will impact, including both the turnpike and any associated accessory roads adjacent to that. Everyone will know fairly well whether they will be impacted or not, and to what degree.”
• The undefeated Poteau Pirates (12-0) remained that way after defeating Newcastle (9-3) in the OSSAA Class 4A State Quarter Finals. The Racers made the long trip to eastern Oklahoma to face Poteau on Friday night, losing the game 28-18. Newcastle came out strong scoring two touchdowns in the first period to lead Poteau, 12-7. The Pirates were able to keep Newcastle scoreless in the second and third quarters, while scoring a touchdown in both quarters to take the lead for good.
November 30, 2023
• County officials from Mc-Clain and Garvin Counties met at the McClain County Courthouse November 8 to again kick around the idea of a regional jail for the two counties. All three county commissioners from both counties were on hand plus sheriffs Landy Offolter and Jim Mullett, plus county clerks and a trio of attorneys.
The group met for 90 minutes continuing preliminary discussions about a detention center that, if eventually approved, would be shared by the two counties at a location still to be determined. No official action came out of the meeting.
December 7, 2023
• A document available to area residents which describes Newcastle’s future has been in the works for almost 18 months. The City of Newcastle has been putting together a 2040 Comprehensive Plan and a Future Land Use Map which they would like to adopt in January 2024.
The Comprehensive Plan looks at several key elements including land use, infrastructure, and utilities, housing, neighborhoods, and community character, transportation and mobility, economic development, parks, recreation, and open space, and health, wellness and quality of life.
These are followed by goals, objectives and strategies that can be used to address them. An Implementation Plan is being created which helps the City and its partners to identify objectives and implement timelines and strategies for accomplishing the plan.
December 14, 2023
• It’s hard enough for middle school-age kids to discuss serious topics in general, but discussing intimate topics about bodily functions and hygiene can be really difficult. Because some students may have needs but not necessarily the wherewithal to provide for those needs, a Community Closet has been established at Newcastle Middle School. Through the efforts of the school, the Parent, Teacher Organization, and Norman Regional Health Foundation, the Community Closet is being stocked with hygiene supplies that are available to those students who have a need.
December 21, 2023
• Jeff Dingee was appointed to Office #4 for Newcastle Public Schools Board of Education back on September 13, 2022. He was the sole filer for the seat after the December 7, 2023, filing period ended and will now serve a full five-year term beginning in the April 2024 meeting.
• A bond issue project at Newcastle Middle School is underway after the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday. Construction will begin January 8, 2024. Newcastle Public Schools plans a six classroom addition. Two of those will be safe rooms which can accommodate up to 300 people. They will renovate the school’s existing bathrooms, making them double the size they are now. And, a new track and bathroom are being built.
December 28, 2023
• In a letter to area residents, Newcastle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Cathy Walker said she wanted to give an update on the bond finances. She writes, “During the bond campaign, it was promised that the millage rate would not exceed 40 mills. Currently, the millage rate is at 37.55 mills. As we continue to move forward with bond projects, I will work with our bond advisor to keep the millage rate at 40 or below.”
