Inola council discusses advisory committee to monitor industrial park, set baseline before smelter

The Inola council discussed forming an industrial-park advisory committee to review new businesses and set environmental and community expectations before a proposed aluminum smelter arrives. A resident who spoke at the meeting urged the town to "establish the baseline" for the industrial park before larger industrial activity begins.

A resident summarized the committee’s intended role: "This is before the aluminum smelter, this is for the industrial park so that we, you know, establish the baseline," and said the group should be a mechanism for residents to raise concerns. The Chair said creating and monitoring committee email and website accounts would fall to the committee and that the town hall and roadside bulletin board could be used to notify the public of meetings. No formal vote on committee bylaws or appointments was recorded during the discussion; members said the rules could be amended as needed after the committee begins work.

The conversation covered practical steps for public outreach and membership: who will run online accounts, whether committee notices can appear on inola.gov, and whether the town hall is available for meetings. The Chair told attendees the town hall "is always available" and that the council could place meeting dates on public notice boards. Speakers emphasized recruiting members with varied backgrounds so the committee would not become dominated by a single viewpoint.

Next steps discussed included reviewing applications for committee seats and appointing a liaison from the board of trustees to communicate between the committee and the council. The meeting did not record any formal motions or a vote establishing the committee; participants characterized the document drafts as "living" and subject to future change.