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It’s ALL happening in Enid!

Posted by on May 27, 2012 in News, Opinion | 0 comments

 

I posted some of this a few months ago but I have updated it some and I am still hearing people say nothing happens in Enid and someone made the comment that all the smart people left. It’s pretty hard to argue with numbers and hard facts. This barely sratches the surface. If you hear people complain, share this with them.A little more than five years ago, we had about $9,000,000 in our coffers. Four years later, we had $36,000,000. Just in the last 5 or so years Enid has seen a momentum it hasn’t seen in 30 years. We have made huge leaps and bounds in a very short amount of time.In the last couple of years we have replaced/repaired 10 or 11 bridges, passed the first school bond issue in YEARS for $99,000,000, are building a $25,000,000 events center, have automated the trash systems and the landfill, have built a new waste water treatment facility, have begun a huge master park plan, have built two splash pads, have begun a huge trail system that will go through and around the entire city, built a dog park, there are streets being fixed on a daily basis, we have two new water towers coming, have redone Government Springs bridge and fixed the springs, are getting ready to see HUGE retail development in the very near months, and have achieved the status of the most fisclally sound city in the State of Oklahoma. In FIVE years we’ve done all that.That doesn’t even begin to touch all the things the Economic Development people are doing – the $450,000,000 wind farm coming to Garfield County, the designation as a foreign trade zone, and many other exciting things that are happening.Not to mention the several state and national awards we have received.

We have a 3.1% unemployment rate and there’s been a 4.7% job growth in the last year.

Our sales tax is double digits over what it was a year ago – some months as high as 25% – and our hotels are experiencing a nearly 100% occupancy rate on a regular basis.

Communities all over Oklahoma are looking at us and wanting to know what we’re doing.

This doesn’t even begin to cover all the fun entertainment things we have going on – like the baseballgames annd the fact that you can’t book a venue without competing with several other events.  All of thise things generate a huge amount of money in our city, too.I’d say Enid is brimming with some pretty smart people these days.

Tammy Wilson

Tammy Wilson grew up in Enid, graduated from Enid High School, and studied Political Science at Phillips University and Journalism and Drama at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. She is a paralegal for attorney Stephen Jones and was recently elected to serve as Enid’s Ward 5 City Commissioner. Wilson has been active in Enid for several years and is a member of Leadership Greater Enid Class XVII. She is the creator and coordinator of Enid’s Halloween festival, Scare on the Square, as well as Oklahoma’s only bacon festival, Baconalia, and co-coordinator of the Fling at the Springs music festival that takes place at Government Springs Park. She also facilitates “I Love Enid,” the umbrella organization for these events that also provides the community with a website that lists places to go and a comprehensive calendar of things to do in Enid as well as assists other organizations with event planning and fund raising such as United Way’s 2nd Chance Dance, Enid’s Grown Up Prom. All of these projects are not only to enhance the quality of life in Enid, but also to enhance the local economy by promoting Enid activities and businesses. She also volunteers with the Enid Farmer’s Market. Tammy is married to Marty Wilson, and they have four children. She enjoys studying local history and lore and is the co-author of the book, “Ghostlahoma – Over 100 Years of Oklahoma’s Haunted History” which has proven to be a successful tourism tool for several Oklahoma communities, including Enid.

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