Waiting for the Green Light
Tribe OK’s purchase, city voting
IF REZONING is approved next month, Kingfisher Heritage School will get a new neighbor to replace the vacant lot that’s been located across the street since the demolition of the old Kingfisher Regional Hospital. The Cheyenne-Arapaho tribal legis
An architect's conceptual drawing of what the center might look like. The Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribal Legislature is planning public meetings to help determine the precise design.
The Cheyenne-Arapaho tribal legislature voted Tuesday to purchase a 2.5 acre tract at 400 S. Ninth St.in Kingfisher for $225,000 to construct a community wellness center.
Project Manager Melvin RomanNose told the Times and Free Press Monday that the legislature voted to approve the purchase after the Kingfisher Planning and Zoning Board voted to recommend rezoning the property from Residential-1 to Commercial-3.
The site is the location of the former Kingfisher Regional Hospital and Krablin Medical Clinic, located north of Kingfisher Heritage School.
After extensive public discussion, including both protest and support from residents in the neighborhood, the board voted 5-2 to recommend rezoning the tract, with Ray Roman, Neal Brown, Carolyn Flood, Judy Whipple and Reggie Red-wine voting yes and Jean Crosswhite and Eddie Payne voting no.
The recommendation requires final approval by the full City Commission at its next meeting Feb. 11.
RomanNose said the tribes have paid earnest money to secure the property and have until March 8 to complete the purchase from local owners.
Tribal representatives presented a conceptual drawing of what the center might look like at the zoning meeting last week, including a 8,750 square-foot first phase, with fitness rooms, meeting rooms, locker rooms, a kitchen and media center.
The proposed second phase is a 6,450 square-foot full-size basketball court and indoor walking track.
The facility would be open to the public as well as tribal members.
“The planning phase to develop the facility is just beginning. The commitment to purchase the land by the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes is just the first step,” Roman-Nose said. “The tribes are planning to have public hearings to develop the proposed center.”
At this point, no funds have been appropriated for the project’s construction. That will happen as plans develop, he said.