OKC CIVIC LIFE
Masks: Three views
The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday will consider whether the C OVID -19 pandemic mask or di nance should be extended past Sept .8. Here are three perspectives:
• “I still support sound science, slowing the spread of the virus, saving lives, starting to make right our local economy and, thusly, extending our mask ordinance,” Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper said Saturday by text.
• “The specific metric that the mandate is supposed to achieve has still not been defined. ... Proponents should give the citizens what that number is. Not just `declining trends,'” Ward 1 Councilman James Greiner said Friday, by text.
• From Thursday's city of Oklahoma City situation report: “During a l ate afternoon briefing involving state agencies they showed two graphs. One showed the new cases for communities that had mask ordinances and the other showed new cases for communities without a mask ordinance. Those communities with a mask ordinance had a greater decrease in new cases than communities without one.”
The council adopted the mask ordinance, 7-2, in a special meeting July 17. The proposal is to extend it through the end of November. With some exceptions, the ordinance requires that masks be worn indoors in public places. Violations for the first and second offenses are punishable by a $9 fine. As of last week, no cases had been filed in Municipal Court. If the council agrees to move forward Tuesday, a public hearing and final vote on a mask ordinance extension would be Sept. 1.
Worth noting: Oklahoma City-County Health Department leaders were advocates of t he mask ordinance back in July. They also recommended limiting indoor public gatherings to 25 or fewer individuals and “temporary/intermittent” closing of bars and indoor dining, steps the council declined to take.
Arena to upgrade video
The city council agreed to spend $1.4 million for 40 digital LED video “wedges” to be installed at downtown's NBA arena. A city manager's memo said t he concourse displays are“standard industry practice at comparable ... facilities with resident professional sports team tenants .” The displays provide potential for driving sales, promoting events, and sharing public safety messages. Current arena technology is outdated and expensive to maintain, the memo said.
Of note: Responses are due Wednesday to the city's request for proposals to update Chesapeake Energy Arena' s video production system for the Thunder basketball team. The arena also is getting upgrades such as contactless concessions and touchless access, paid for with federal pandemic response funds.
Tweet of the week
“The pandemic left stalled hotel projects across OKC. Developers are staying cautious as they work to recover.”
—@ The Oklahoman. Follow Steve's OKC Central/@stevelackmeyer for development news at oklahoman.com and in The Oklahoman.
Present/absent
The mayo randall eight city council members attended the Aug. 4 meeting.
The week ahead
The city council meets by teleconference at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. To take part, find instructions in the agenda under the “Government” tab at okc.gov.