[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6623671,"mediaKeyId","2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6","parentId",2769459,"title","State pledges $138.95 million to Jenks River Entertainment District under Leverage Act; council thanks staff","audioSeconds",3011,"startMs",3398000,"endMs",6409000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6&start=3398&end=6409","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6/thumbnail_3398000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6623671/Jenks/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/State-pledges-13895-million-to-Jenks-River-Entertainment-District-under-Leverage-Act-council-thanks-staff","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623671-4ad27751dc93b2634d1989112b923781/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152113&Signature=db9n2pe6iqeOD6-T~RpjWKHPy~1IKLW~KHOAvGTv2O-g6RKxVefdAO6OctuS9q9ZQP2GIMKBNBu7GXFrxO5S2Pcr7MeU89ThGPQEEO3tCOnaCBUseaBzNK78DyBjHSdWpvJP5IjvyWnTbDaG8ZcFDd0m7iHE5V6TEeWO~eXu7HcareBfHSoZ~FtMaxkt8wUau16zXx94ZZ2IuaHM7kUwewcJFm3o-ITYeoIN8dpZHpNUC8UnpsoL6KNXMQUwZbPVi56PkGnQoU8~05zLL2oyNiSodPJ8EhLZC7uoIs7tKaWuDlM0Aia1wQn~R1EPPl03Ah4UPaY7dxxvq4G8dC5Dpw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Jenks","date","2025-03-26T02:12:51.36Z","article","The City of Jenks on March 25 formally acknowledged and thanked the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and city staff after the state approved a Leverage Act match totaling $138,947,295 to support public infrastructure in the Jenks River Entertainment District, the council was told.

City staff and state representatives described the award as a state matching program under the Oklahoma Local Development and Enterprise Zone Incentive Leverage Act, designed to amplify local Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenue for public infrastructure investments. City officials said the award represents an unusually large state match for a municipal TIF and will be used for a broad list of public projects identified in the TIF project plan.

City representatives said the city and other taxing jurisdictions contributed to the application and that the state reviewed a multi-jurisdictional application package. The city will dedicate a portion of local sales tax (2 percent of the city's sales tax collections) to the TIF; the Leverage Act match effectively multiplies those pledged TIF revenues by matching the state funds, officials said.

City staff described example projects in the TIF project plan that may be funded partially with the combined local and state match, including pedestrian bridges, Arkansas River bank stabilization, low-water-dam work, extension of 106th Street, sewer lift-station and force-main upgrades, public parking and parking structures, parks and streetscapes, stormwater and permitting/engineering work, and other public infrastructure projects.

Councilors and city staff repeatedly described the award as transformational for the city and praised staff and intergovernmental cooperation. One councilor said the award may be the single largest financial development in the city's 105-year history, and multiple councilors stressed that TIF revenue and the Leverage Act match must be stewarded carefully and prioritized against public infrastructure needs.

The council adopted Resolution 863, formally thanking the Department of Commerce and acknowledging staff efforts. Staff said the funds will be available for public-infrastructure projects identified in the TIF project plan and that the next steps will include project prioritization and coordination across jurisdictions.

Ending: City staff said they will continue public education about the TIF/leverage process, pursue project-level planning and coordinate with partner jurisdictions to implement prioritized improvements.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution 863 (acknowledgement of state matching funds under the Leverage Act) — Approved by council vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025.03.25 Jenks JAA / CC / JPWA Meeting 5PM","oneSentenceSummary","The city of Jenks and partner taxing jurisdictions were acknowledged by council after the Oklahoma Department of Commerce approved a $138,947,295 Leverage Act match for public infrastructure in the Jenks River Entertainment District tied to the TIF project area.","taxTitle","Jenks, Tulsa County, Oklahoma","taxId",68857,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6623676,"Jenks City Council declares emergency after Gem Dirt wildfire; chief reports progress in containment",863,3802000,4665000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6&start=3802&end=4665","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6/thumbnail_3802000.jpg","/articles/6623676/Jenks/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/Jenks-City-Council-declares-emergency-after-Gem-Dirt-wildfire-chief-reports-progress-in-containment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623676-bb683fe62f81cf227f82d3d906170793/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152114&Signature=I7QhN8lmXCV10GNWHEpiKkNnc12YFiUw~Suxl86H9IghiBgUbgdD~RaFM4augyW2H~OHe8YdVNyFdKvR8PpY4cRJiq3RrGk490ZXkP~~3nc~JPGanV1QgA1SkxAHGY3FtiQz74ZkRFA~Dyf7mPbz42KHWOeh662kSRext6JACLynWTAmb7PSOmLpMRzyw80S4n4HsnP1FvihWIRVSeD5bPwhumTJ26NnESz7XR9gCfT~saHta4~xgfjIGiCMas9JdP9OiUjPLnLJnR0ebzAFdXTIq6~OsGjvw9Md98wXXRXZrUlNR2TF8~cNQk4GRPg3JMbnhN~QZEcUXIvg4w67Ng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Jenks City Council on March 25 unanimously adopted an emergency disaster declaration related to the Gem Dirt fire, authorizing the city manager to enter emergency contracts, accept outside aid and waive competitive bidding as allowed by law.

Mayor Corey (Corey/Tory) Box read the emergency declaration into the record, saying the city and its fire protection area had \"experienced a disaster in the form of fires\" and that immediate action was required to protect public health and safety. The resolution cites Oklahoma law and the Public Competitive Bidding Act to allow the city manager to act quickly and to accept equipment and aid from other jurisdictions and the state.

Fire Chief Ostrom briefed the council on operations. He said the initial dispatch for the fire came March 17 and that high winds and extreme conditions allowed the blaze to burn a very large mulch pile and adjacent materials. Peak operations involved multiple mutual-aid departments; at one point crews flowed water in support operations and used excavators to move material to expose and extinguish burning pockets.

\"At peak operations, we had eight engines running, six brush trucks, five command vehicles, and flowed close to 250,000 gallons of water during the initial period,\" Chief Ostrom said. He described the burning mass as a large pile of combustible material that required sustained water flow and said local resources had not been sufficient to extinguish the incident while other large fires across the state depleted mutual aid resources.

Chief Ostrom told the council that after a week of smoldering and challenging conditions, new out-of-state dozers and pumpers arrived along with state and county resources. After a concerted attack, the incident team achieved about 10–15 percent extinguishment on the pile during one day of intensified operations and was flowing approximately 250,000 gallons per hour at the end of that day. State resources were scheduled to be released overnight and to return the next day with another 12-hour operational push that the chief said would likely achieve further control.

The emergency declaration passed on a roll-call vote. The resolution authorizes the city manager to accept services, equipment and aid, to enter emergency contracts, and to ratify performance and expenses already incurred. The resolution also states that the emergency provisions will expire 30 days from the declaration date unless extended by council.

Council members publicly thanked the chief and visiting departments for their assistance. The mayor and members singled out county and state officials who helped secure resources, and a number of councilors acknowledged the work of mutual-aid departments and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

Ending: The council instructed staff to return with operations updates; the declaration allows the city manager to contract and accept aid immediately while the response continues.

Votes at a glance
- Emergency disaster declaration for Gem Dirt fire — Approved unanimously by roll-call; council authorized city manager emergency powers and bidding waivers for contracts up to specified thresholds (see actions[]).","The City of Jenks declared a local emergency after the Gem Dirt wildfire; the declaration waives competitive bidding and authorizes the city manager to execute emergency contracts. Fire Chief Ostrom described multi-day firefighting efforts and new resources that increased extinguishment to about 10–15 percent after a concerted attack.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6623681,"Jenks Aquarium Authority approves $400,000 for shark-holding infrastructure, asks council to exclude aquarium campus from UDO—place-of-assembly change",158,115000,273000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6&start=115&end=273","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769459-1912eaa663e31ade6fcae2feaaf43ba6/thumbnail_115000.jpg","/articles/6623681/Jenks/Tulsa-County/Oklahoma/Jenks-Aquarium-Authority-approves-400000-for-shark-holding-infrastructure-asks-council-to-exclude-aquarium-campus-from-UDOplace-of-assembly-change","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623681-33bd8ec4ca7416c23d9fd5203163dfde/orig.mp4?Expires=1771152114&Signature=DacGxfvAhx~bBmAe42HQQo3oHs3~kJmv28qzvYn6p~Aa53N1Jm~Izr2mmYTDbZaXZvTBOQnI0bXiQ76J5mXi~NvCLIGS~tc94Gou1Bo~IUkK964zjykqShR3mxSEmG7WruVVhmqqhaIFbn3Ll0V~EUZ66EF4yJ1ChX~7aO6q~Jklla4fwLPZeUcg30nuXvuH2ETrNNQI~R8ALFSl4d8fBWj4P~Rk9A0RTbhhbY~hac5Y6MXIDf8EhIsMkfz8rV93Wnn~QSU4~jG6xsatRNPp~H3QbVgZjfxqqH63P5T3Q4KsE7UZ2n9Zp3UeBeZg8umdfI~e~BurA0HbFpXLlK9bsQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Jenks Aquarium Authority on March 25 approved a $400,000 supplemental appropriation for interior construction work on the aquarium's large-animal holding facility and voted to recommend the City Council exempt the Aquarium Campus from a proposed change to the city's Unified Development Ordinance that would add \"place of assembly\" uses to Riverfront Tourist Commercial (RTC) zoning.

The authority approved Resolution 93 to move $400,000 from fund balance into the Aquarium Authority Capital Improvements Building and Improvements Fund to complete major infrastructure work this fiscal year, authority members said. Authority members then debated the UDO change and voted to ask the council to remove the aquarium campus from that proposed amendment.

The supplemental appropriation will fund phase one of the aquarium's interior construction for the large-animal holding system, according to an operations briefing at the meeting. Aquarium staff said the work will include waterproofing the main concrete tank (the shark exhibit), repairing or replacing the outside saltwater mixing vault, installing acrylic window panels for the exhibit, and upgraded filtration and deaeration systems that serve both saltwater and freshwater tanks. Staff said the waterproofing of the large (approximately 100,000-gallon) shark tank and associated filtration work must be completed before additional fiberglass tanks are installed.

\"So those pieces are large pieces that really need to go in before the other fiberglass tanks go in,\" an aquarium staff member said during the presentation. The authority was told the total project budget is roughly $1.3 million and that some costs will be budgeted in the next fiscal year when the remainder of the work is completed.

On the UDO question, the authority discussed a proposed citywide amendment that would allow \"place of assembly\" uses in RTC-zoned parcels. Staff and trustees said they support development generally but are concerned the change could allow future users to claim an assembly right without negotiating shared-parking or other campus impacts with the aquarium and other campus property owners. The authority voted to recommend that the city council exclude the Aquarium Campus from the UDO change and to preserve the campus's existing land-use controls, while allowing the UDO change to proceed elsewhere in the RTC.

\"My concern is that this proposed UDO change could be a backdoor pathway for basically our parking to get accessed by a party without reaching an agreement with us,\" a trustee said. Authority members said the aquarium is grandfathered under current rules but that future interpretations could differ.

The motion asking the council to exempt the Aquarium Campus passed on a recorded vote. Authority members said they would provide suggested language to council staff and that authority representatives could appear at council when the council considers the UDO amendment.

The authority also received a facilities and events update reporting membership sales were up about 31 percent year-over-year for the quarter, award recognition for sustainability, recent and upcoming public events, and construction progress on the aquarium's Shark Research Center and several small exhibits. Staff reported a small, recently plugged leak in the shark tunnel and said they have a remediation plan if leaks reappear.

The authority's action on the appropriation and the recommendation to council are advisory for the UDO matter but formally authorizes the aquarium to begin the interior construction described in Resolution 93.

The authority voted on both items during its March 25 meeting; minutes and staff reports will provide the formal record and project timelines.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution 93 (supplemental appropriation, $400,000) — Motion approved; recorded yes votes reported. (See actions[] for full tally.)
- Recommendation on UDO place-of-assembly amendment — Motion approved to recommend that the City Council exclude the Aquarium Campus from the proposed UDO change. The authority said it will deliver proposed exclusion language to the council and may present at council when the item is considered.

Ending: Authority staff said remaining project costs will be budgeted in the next fiscal year and that staff will return with updates as construction proceeds.","The Jenks Aquarium Authority approved a $400,000 supplemental appropriation for interior work on the large-animal holding facility and voted to ask the City Council to exclude the Aquarium Campus from proposed Unified Development Ordinance changes that would add \"place of assembly\" rights to RTC-zoned land.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State pledges $138.95 million to Jenks River Entertainment District under Leverage Act; council thanks staff

Jenks City Council declares emergency after Gem Dirt wildfire; chief reports progress in containment

Jenks Aquarium Authority approves $400,000 for shark-holding infrastructure, asks council to exclude aquarium campus from UDO—place-of-assembly change