City of Edmond News Releases

Internet Hoax Hits Close to Home

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 19:52:00 -0600

Edmond Police Officer Targeted

There is currently a hoax email circulating on the internet. Not only is the email a hoax but so is the sender. At the bottom of the email, to give it credibility, they have cut and pasted Sgt. Scott Fees name, Edmond Police Department address and his phone numbers and fax numbers. As a result, Sgt. Fees has started receiving calls from people concerned about the email, and he has to explain that it is all a hoax and that he has been a victim as well.

The bogus email says in part, that National Gang Week is starting and gang members are putting baby car seats on top of cars stopped along the roadways to get people to stop to help, and then they are victimized. Again, THIS IS NOT TRUE! The Edmond Police Department is addressing this issue because an Edmond Officer’s information was wrongfully attached to it and we wanted to make the public aware of the hoax.

If you ever do have a question regarding a situation, instead of stopping to help, please call 911 and let a Police Officer provide assistance if any is needed. This will keep you and your family safe, and help will be provided if necessary.

Just a reminder, not everything you read on the internet is true, so always try to verify information before accepting it as fact. Go to www.snopes.com and this site is helpful in sorting out potentially bogus internet reports.

Also remember, if you are involved in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, or feel your safety is in jeopardy, call 911 immediately and an Officer will assist you.

City's Response to the Winter Weather Storm

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:09:00 -0600

Crews working to keep City safe

Road crews worked throughout the evening plowing and salting arterial roads, some section line roads and parking lots. Road treatment will continue today and throughout the weekend with crews working 12-hour shift schedules. Approximately 160 tons of salt has been used to treat roads.

Trash collection for Friday has been cancelled and is scheduled for pick-up on Saturday. The Transfer Station is closed on Friday and will reopen Saturday with extended hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Edmond Electric received two call-ins yesterday evening resulting in blown breakers of the respective residents (issue not associated with Edmond Electric facilities). There has been no reported outages due to the storm. Officials are monitoring the ice accumulation as well as wind speeds, both of which are factors in possible power outages. Edmond Electric crews are working normal shift hours but are prepared to move to shift schedules if needed. An outage management map has been placed on edmondok.com. Residents can find real-time outage information for those with Edmond Electric service.

Citylink bus service is not running today but will resume routes Saturday. For information about the service residents can call customer service, 509-6370.

Law enforcement officials report a significant decrease in accidents from the December ice storm and fire officials reported only one structure fire yesterday evening.

City offices are open Friday. Updates will be posted on edmondok.com.

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Southbound Broadway Road Work Update

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:00:00 -0600

Phases of project to last several weeks

Silver Star Construction will complete a portion of the road work on the middle lane of southbound Broadway today at approximately 6 p.m. ODOT has informed the City there will be additional road work in the next several weeks based upon weather conditions.

Delays have been lengthy due to the closing of the middle lane. Alternate routes for southbound travel are advised when road work is taking place. The City will continue to send updates as to the schedule and progress of the project as we receive them.

This is an Oklahoma Department of Transportation project. To contact ODOT, please call 405-475-2860.

Recycling Center Offering More Convenient Hours

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 17:00:00 -0600

Recycling Center Moves to the Customer Convenience Center located next to the Transfer Station on I-35 and Covell

Crews will begin moving most, if not all, containers to the Customer Convenience Center Monday, January 11 with plans to have the move completed Wednesday, January 13 opening at 8 a.m.

The new location will have the same recycling containers as the current facility on Third Street. “We are responding to the requests from Edmond Beautiful volunteers and our residents to provide additional hours for recycling,” said Wesley Dedmon, Superintendent of Solid Waste. "Many residents participate in the City's curbside recycling program but that program isn't available to college students or those that live in apartments. The new hours will make it more convenient for those Edmond residents who want to recycle."

Hours of operations will be the same as the transfer station, Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon. The new location will be monitored by the Edmond Beautiful volunteers, Public Works Center and the Transfer Station which will allow the drop off center to be open six days a week.

The Edmond Customer Convenience Center and Transfer Station are located at 3333 Progressive Drive located on the northeast corner of I-35 and Covell.

For information, please call City of Edmond Utility Customer Service 359-4541.

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City to Provide Residents with Program that can Help Save Money on Prescription Drug Purchases

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 14:23:00 -0600

Prescription discount card can offer average savings of 20 percent off retail price

The City of Edmond will soon introduce a program that will provide its residents with a new tool that can provide some relief from the high cost of prescription drugs. The city is making free prescription drug discount cards available to residents through a program sponsored by the National League of Cities (NLC). The discount cards offer average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.

Available January 15, the discount card may be used by all Edmond residents and has no restrictions based on the resident’s age, income level, or existing health coverage. The NLC card can be used when purchasing prescription drugs at approximately 30 pharmacies around the city, as well as at more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies across the country.

“In the current economic climate, where many people are watching what they spend, the NLC prescription discount card will offer significant savings on the purchase of prescription medications for our residents,” said Melissa Vinson, Benefits Specialist for the City of Edmond. “Whether or not an individual has prescription coverage, this program can make it easier for our residents to afford the drugs they need to deal with a short-term illness or stay healthy by managing a chronic condition.”

NLC and the City of Edmond are able to make these money-saving cards available to residents at no cost to the individual. Residents can pick up a card at the following locations: City of Edmond Utility Customer Service office, Multi Activity Center (MAC) and the Senior Center in Mitch Park, the Hope Center, the Ministries of Jesus, Edmond Mobile Meals, UCO Wellness Center and Nigh University Center and the Edmond YMCA (both locations).

“Not only does the NLC prescription discount card help residents save money on their medications, it is easy to use,” said Vinson. “Edmond residents only have to show their card when purchasing medication at one of the many participating pharmacies. There is no enrollment form required to get a card, no membership fee of any kind and residents and their family members can use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance.”

The discount card program is administered by CVS Caremark.

About The National League of Cities

The National League of Cities (NLC) is the nation’s oldest and largest organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. To learn more about NLC, go to www.nlc.org.

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City’s Response to Road Conditions and Trash Collections

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:13:00 -0600

City Continues Efforts to Clear Arterial Roads and Pick Up Trash Collection

The City of Edmond Public Works Department is utilizing front end loaders to clear snow and ice from areas that plows could not clear. In addition, the Solid Waste Department continues to service the routes that were scheduled for last Saturday’s holiday collection pick up. Due to the heavy snow, many residents did not have the opportunity to place their carts at the curb. The Solid Waste Department is making a second pass thru Monday and Tuesday for all neighborhoods that were scheduled for the Saturday holiday collection pick up.

Keith Stewart, Field Services Superintendent, said crews worked around the clock for four days to apply 100 tons of sand and 400 tons of a specialty salt product, which consists of salt pretreated with magnesium chloride.

Stewart said that the material that has been applied to the streets is designed to activate in low temperatures, but extreme weather conditions with freezing sleet have trapped the salt product in layers of solid ice. “Efforts are underway to assist both melting and removal by utilizing grading equipment.”

The designated snow routes are available on the city’s website at edmondok.com. They show the primary and secondary streets that are part of the basic strategy of maintaining connectivity to the interstate via the major streets into and out of the city.

Edmond, like most municipalities, does not attempt to salt or snow plow in residential neighborhoods. Parked cars make the streets difficult to maneuver because of the size of the equipment. In addition, individual driveways would be blocked by ice pushed to the side of the street and that would create hazards for the homeowners.

The dangers, along with limited manpower and equipment, require that efforts be focused on the major arterial roads in the city.

Motorists should continue to drive with caution and watch for frozen sleet and ice.

Drivers who notice a particularly dangerous situation on one of the major arterial roads that are part of Edmond’s snow routes can contact the Field Services division of Public Works by calling 216-7770.

To check for current road conditions, call the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety’s Road Condition Hotline at 888-425-2385. For out of state road conditions: Arkansas 800-245-1672; Colorado 303-639-1111; Kansas 866-511-5368; Missouri 800-222-6400; New Mexico 800-432-4269; and Texas 800-452-9292.

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Edmond’s Primary Snow Route Includes:

East-West

Covell from Kelly to Air Depot

Danforth from the west city limits to Air Depot

Edmond Road/2^nd from the west city limits to Air Depot

15^th from the west city limits to Air Deport

33^rd from Kelly to Air Depot

North-South

Kelly from the north city limits to 33^rd

Broadway Extension from the north city limits to the south city limits

I-35 service roads from the Second to Memorial

Edmond’s Secondary Snow Route Includes:

East-West

Sorghum Mill from the west city limits to I-35

Coffee Creek from the west city limits to I-35

Covell from Pennsylvania to Kelly

North-South

Santa Fe from the north city limits to 15^th

Boulevard from the north city limits to the south city limits

Bryant from the north city limits to the south city limits

Coltrane from Waterloo to the south city limits

Sooner Road from Waterloo to just south of I-35

Road Improvement Project to Begin This Week

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:44:00 -0600

Neighborhood Streets to be Resurfaced

An improvement project began Monday to resurface several neighborhood/addition streets. The project includes several phases with the first being Fretz Avenue north of Edmond Road to approximately 500 feet North of Danforth Road. One lane will remain open on Fretz Avenue for traffic.

Additions where roads will be resurfaced include Covey Run, Rock Hollow, Sorghum Run Estates, Arrowhead Valley, Fox Lake and locations off of Fretz including Sunset Drive, Fourth through Tenth Street to Santa Fe Drive. Santa Fe Drive from Fretz Avenue to Edmond Road, Rankin from Fifth Street to 15th Street and Sooner Court and Sooner Place will also be closed. Road closures will occur periodically as the project progresses.

The improvement project will remove the top layers of asphalt and overlay the roadways with asphalt. The resurfacing will make the roads smoother and improve the quality of the ride for motorists.

The duration of the project is unknown with taking into account the holidays and weather.

No formal detours will be indicated. Motorists are encouraged to use the best alternate routes during the construction.

Funding for the improvement project comes from the 2000 Capital Improvement Sales Tax. The cost of the project is $1,759,945.90.

Solid Waste Services Offers Solutions to Holiday Surplus

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:19:00 -0600

City Offers Pick Up of City-Coded Bags and Tree-Cycling Program

The City of Edmond's Solid Waste Services offers two programs to assist residents with their Christmas tree and post-holiday overflowing trash carts. Solid Waste Services will pick up city-coded bags with the regular trash collection. In January, the tree-cycling program will be available for the tenth year.

COLLECTION OF CITY-CODED BAGS

Residents can purchase a package of ten city-coded bags at local grocery and hardware stores. The cost of the bags are $1.50 each or $15 per package and covers the pick-up and disposal fee. Residents do not need to call to schedule the post-holiday collection of the city-coded bags.

Place the bags at the curb no later than 7AM along with the carts and be sure to maintain at least four feet between the green carts and the bags. For information about city-coded bags, visit the city's website at edmondok.com.

TREE-CYCLING

Approximately 36 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America each year. After the holidays, many of those trees are disposed of and taken to the landfill. For the past nine years, the City of Edmond has encouraged tree-cycling - the recycling of Christmas trees into mulch.

DROP OFF LOCATIONS

Edmond's residential and commercial customers can drop off trees at Mitch Park or Hafer Park by January 12th. The drop off location for Mitch Park is the north parking lot adjacent to Marilyn Williams Drive. The Hafer Park drop off is the upper level of the parking lot adjacent to Bryant.

CURBSIDE COLLECTION

Residents who cannot drop off their tree can schedule a special free collection during the week of January 4 by calling the tree-cycling hotline at 359-4701 between December 14 and January 3. Collection will be provided during the week starting January 4 and ending January 8.

The free tree pick-up is for residential customers only. Those who have called the hotline must place their tree at the curb before 7 a.m. on Monday, January 4 to be included in the collection. The tree may not necessarily be picked up on the normal collection day so it must be at the curb early Monday morning.

The trees that are either collected at the curb or dropped off at one of the parks must have all tree stands, ornaments and nails removed. The trees are chipped into mulch and will be available for pick up at Mitch Park beginning February 12. There is no charge for the mulch and it is available on a first come, first serve basis.

OTHER DISPOSAL OPTIONS

Other options for tree disposal include cutting the tree into smaller pieces and placing it in the cart for regular collection, scheduling a bulk collection at 359-4541 after January 4 or taking the tree to the Transfer Station at I-35 and Covell. Standard charges apply for bulk collection and/or the use of the transfer station.

For information about the Solid Waste Services division of Edmond's Public Works Department or other recycling programs, visit edmondok.com.

Residents and Businesses Urged to Winterize Irrigation Systems & Water Hoses

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:07:00 -0600

Icy conditions cause potential hazards for pedestrians and drivers

Edmond city officials are reminding residents and businesses to winterize irrigation systems and to disconnect water hoses.

Without winterizing, irrigation systems often leak water into the streets and sidewalks, wasting water and creating potentially hazardous situations for pedestrians and motorists. “We have dispatched crews to locations in the city to de-ice roadways where water has leaked from a property causing dangerous driving conditions,” said Code Enforcement Officer Terry Humphrey.

City officials recommend if there is vegetation requiring water, to hand water the area with a water hose and disconnect when finished. By disconnecting the hose, you reduce the potential to damage plumbing during the subfreezing temperatures.

Creating hazardous conditions on the roadway is against city ordinance 10-48-010 and could lead to liability for the property owner. To see a complete list of city ordinances please visit edmondok.com/safety/court.

Edmond’s CodeRED Can Be a Big Help

City of Edmond, Oklahoma — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:50:00 -0600

Sign up for alerts to stay informed

If you live in the area of the Edmond Police Training facility and range, then chances are you have heard the sounds of gunfire and the noise from explosives training.

Every time this noisy training is planned, a recorded message is sent out to area residents. If you have an unlisted number you will not receive the calls and of course if you have opted not to get the calls you will not be called.

If for some reason you have not received the calls, and would like to be notified when noisy training is going to be conducted, we encourage you to go to the City of Edmond website at edmondok.com/codered and you can find out all about the program and sign up online for future notifications. If you prefer, you can also call 359-4384 to speak to a person and sign up for notifications.

CodeRED is not only used for Range information, but is a state of the art voice messaging system that the City of Edmond will use to alert residents and businesses regarding a number of issues including weather emergencies, homeland security issues, missing children or adults, evacuation orders, local criminal activity and other situations that require immediate dissemination of crucial information.

The CodeRED dialing system attempts each telephone number you provide for up to 3 times, and will also leave a message on your answering machine.

So if you want these notifications, please sign up today.

For information about Police training or the training facility contact Glynda Chu, 359-4432.