The Mannford Eagle (Mannford, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 10, 1985 Page: 1 of 18
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The Mannford Eagle
A
"g Remeowmed Mewsvaver with a Pririty ef Servins Mamutord amd dedicated to Working ter Presress."
‘d-
VOLUME 5 - NUMBER 31
Thursday, October 10, 1985
24 Pages - Plus Insert
Permit No. 14
Terlton Gets $25,
Grant To
r M
(Continued on Page 2|
By MARGARET EDGAR
Some people walk, some peo-
sponsors. The longer he can
(Continued on Page 2)
Officials Didn’t Know Aerlex Existed
I
g
Mike
III
Vehicle Mishap on SH51
Tuesday Causes Injuries
Mannford School Growth
Brings Five First Grades
EMTs making the early
morning ambulance call were
Butch and Mae Adkins and
Bob Evans.
In a separate accident occurr-
ing at 12:31 a.m. Sunday,
October 6, left of the water
tower on the Pawnee Cove
Road north of Mannford, Man-
Freedom Hill Hopathon
Saturday Needs Sponsors
I
residents have only to check at their own
lake to see the large white birds with long
necks, long bills and short legs. Migratory in
North Amiercan inland lakes and impound-
ments, the pelicans visit annually, usually
Sept. 1 - Nov. 26 and again Feb. 24 - June 8.
They nest in the prairies adjacent to the
large lakes in the Canadian Rockies.
“Construct Community Center
a
A 4
y.
facturing area, which is the
responsibility of OSHA.
BY ELAINE FORD
The manufacturing process at
the Aerlex Fireworks plant at
Hallett was never inspected
because both the Occupational
Safety and Health Administra-
tion and the state fire marshal's
office “did not know it existed.”
Officials of those two agencies
told a U.S. House subcommittee
Saturday they had no record of
the plant’s existence after a 1979
explosion in which no one was
injured.
Yet William T. Earle, an
official with the Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms bureau, testified
that an ATF inspector checked
the plant just two months before
the explosion and fire that killed
21 people and injured five others
on June 25, 1985.
A two-vehicle accident about
6:40 a.m. Tuesday, October 8,
near the dam overlook and
225th street east of Mannford
resulted in injuries for a Mann-
ford resident.
Joe Barrett, 32, Mannford,
was taken to Oklahoma
Osteopathic Hospital, Tulsa,
by Mannford ambulance. He
suffered possible broken bones
and other injuries.
The second driver involved in
When Congressman
explosions throughout the
country since 1980.
Since the Hallett explosion,
ATF has ruled that no explosives
can be stored in manufacturing
areas. Only a limited amount of
(Continued on Page 2|
Congressman Mike Synar directs probing questions at
safety officials during a hearing on fireworks
manufacturing held in Tulsa Saturday. Synar requested
the hearing following the tragic explosion at the Aerlex
piant at riaiien test June. [Engie Photo by Eiaine Ford.]
the accident, Timothy Cruz, of nford ambulance transported
Sand Springs, was reported to Hillcrest Medical Center a
ambulatory. He was taken to 15-year-old youth whose last
Oklahoma Osteopathic name was Dean. The youth,
Hospital for observation, almost 16, was reported to be
Two wreckers were sent to the by himself in the vehicle at the
scene to remove the vehicles, time of the accident.
Polica Chief Orlin White put Investigating was Pawnee
out flairs and helped direct Highway Patrolman Johnson.
The inspector checked only the
traffic until a Highway storage facilities, Earle said, and
Patrolman arrived on the "had no authority” to check for
scene. safety violations in the manu-
Terlton will have a new com- purposes," Sen. Hopkins trihutnrw and all the voliinUwww
munity senior citizens added workers who share in the
building, to be constructed E. L. (Gene) Meade, Terlton, building's success and its
with the help of state trustee for the new center, future operations are to be
appropriated state money, added he expects construction complimented and
State Senator Bob Hopkins, to begin this year. appreciated."
D-Tulsa, Rep. Larry Ferguson, "Now that the money has Funding period for the
R-Cleveland, and County Com- been approved, we can ask for Terlton community building
missioner Cam Favaro, bids and start building soon," wil be from September 1, 1986
D-Terlton, announced Friday. Meade said. "Building plans through June 30, 1986
Senator Hopkins called include restrooms, a kit- Senator Hopkins suggested
25 Terlton boosters at 6 a.m. Fri- chenette, arts and crafts area that the Terlton citizens plan
day to announce the approval and a general meeting space to their building in such a way
of a 826,000 grant approved by accommodate other civic and that it can be added onto later
the Oklahoma legislature, community needs. We had two if the need arises.
Several future officers in the disasters recently - a tornado He added that Terlton may be
center assembled at the and a fireworks explosion able to get more appropriations
Terlton Grocery Store at 10 which has created a lack of next year for the community
a.m. Friday to meet with meeting space. center.
Senator Hopkins and to read "The building will be shared "People out here are very
provisions of a contract for with others but its primary knowledgeable about construc-
— later signing. purpose is to allow our area tion and are very willing to
"The money, coupled with senior citizens a place to help,” Meade commented.
other dollars raised by the com- enjoy," Meade concluded. Trustees along with Meade on
munity, will give Terlton “This is truly a partnership of the Senior Citizens board are
residents a more convenient people and government at J. D. Hickson and Quinton
and practical place to hold civic work toward a common goal,''
meetings and for other general Senator Hopkins said. "Con-
was Tammy K. Prickett, who Wollard and Vice-President
has had two years’ previous Monte Troxell, said the pur-
first grade teaching experience pose of the executive session
and has been working on a was to discuss a letter from
Mannford’s school system conditions as they arise. The meetings of the board be
has expanded to include five negotiations "will not cover approved. This also carried,
first grade classes, Supt. Bob near the 10 percent level,” but Supt. Hightower’s report
Hightower said this week. will include certain items on touched on six topics. These
At the beginning of the school which the board is trying to get were:
year Mannford had 96 first better prices, Hightower 1. Fencing tor gym project to
grade pupils enrolled. Follow- explained. begin October 17.
ing resumption of classes after DACO as low bidder was 2. Report on classroom addi-
Labor Day, the first grade recently awarded the contract tion.
enrollment had jumped to 101. to build the school’s new gym- 3. New lunch period (46 pie run, some ride bicycles or
"State law requires that first nasium. minutes) seems to be working push wheelchairs or market
grade teachers have no more Action on the approval of satisfactorily. baskets, all for a good cause,
than 25 per class. With just policy manuals was tabled 4. State Department evalua- Saturday the people at the
one over the maximum, we until the November board tion of Special Educaon pro- Freedom Hill Baptist Church
wouldn’t have had any problem meeting. However, the board is grams indicates a possible need on SH 48 South toward SH 33
but later in the month the first allowing Superintendent to hire an additional special junction will hold their own
grade population grew to 111,” Hightower to distribute the education teacher. special benefit — a Hopathon.
he explained, "which has manuals at this time. 5. A possibility exists of Participants will be hopping to
necessitated in hiring of an An executive session to Betty Latty, long time school raise funds for a leukemia vic-
additional teacher. Now discuss employee assignment district employee, returning on time, one of whom is their own.
classroom size has dropped and salary began at 7:49 and a full time basis. Among those taking part in
from three 28’s and a 29 to 21’s the regular session reconvened 6. A professional day will be the Hopathon, beginning at 2
and 22, at 8:22 p.m. Glynn Turner, who held in November. p m wiil be a 4-year-old victim
Hired Monday night at the acted as chairman in the Approval of claims and of the disease, Steven Roberts,
October meeting of the school absence of President Richard payrolls included general pur- son of Clarence and Verda
(Continued on Page 2|
“HOW’S THE FISHINGT" might be the
question those two pelicans in the center are
asking one another. This shot of Mannford
area pelicans was made by Barbara Treece
who crept quietly for approximately a mile,
sometimes on her knees, near SH48 bridge
over the Cimarron River, to prevent scaring
the birds. Grove, OK plans a Pelican
Festival October 11-13 but Lake Keystone
Synar of Oklahoma asked why ATF inspectors are not
the inspector had not notified the "experts” in OSHA regulations.
OSHA of obvious violations such Congressman Mike Synar said
as bare wires and underage "it doesn’t take an expert to
employees, Earle responded that recognize such obvious viola-
the ATF inspectors are not tions,” as those found by OSHA
trained in all the OSHA after the fatal explosion.
regulations. He pointed out that OSHA cited Aerlex for 13
the storage facilities, which were safety violations last month and
inspected, did not explode. fined the owners a total of
John B. Miles, Jr., Director of $58,000. The explosion was
Field operations for OSHA, found to be accidentially caused
admitted that his agency had not by employees loading or
checked the ATF’s list of all offloading a truck containing
known fireworks manufacturers explosive materials in metal
and had no record of the Hallett containers.
Mrs. Mary ;ron
Newspaper Libr i
Orla.
Okla. City,
Roberts who live in rural continue hopping, the more
Mannford. money will go into the
Debbie Wilson, wife of Hopathon fund. Other
Freedom Hill deacon, Ted Freedom Hill youngsters have
Wilson, is among those pro- similar sponsor lists.
moting the Hopathon for con- The Roberts family has lived
testants two to six years. Spon- in the Mannford area 14 years,
sors will pay the contestants Steve is their only child. The
either so much per hop, such as couple was childless for many
two to five cents, or even a years before his joyful arrival,
dime or a quarter, or a set fee. "We waited 17 years for
Local sponsors are invited to him," Mrs. Roberts stated
participate. simply.
Little Steve, whose father Steve grew off normally with
works at Safeway Warehouse no out-of-the-ordinary pro-
in Tulsa, already has two pages blems until a year ago Easter,
of names of people who have or shortly before the tornado,
agreed to be his Hopathon Steve, then three, first began
plant on lists available from other The congressional hearing was
sources. He promised to work held in Tulsa Saturday at the
more closely in closing such request of Synar, who is not a
communications gaps in the
future.
Oklahoma State Fire Marshal
Fred Rucker testified that his
office also was unaware of the
existence of the fireworks plant
until the explosion las June.
"Our office investigated an
explosion at the same site July
25, 1979, ” Earle told the
subcommittee. “After this inci-
dent it was assumed the facility
did not reopen. We had no
reason to know the facility was in
operation since we had heard
nothing about rebuilding, no
construction plans submitted, no
complaints or other information
of any description."
He learned at the time of the
1985 explosion that the ATF had
been making regular inspections
of the plant’s storage facilities,
but that OSHA also was unaware
of the plant's existence.
To Earle’s statement that the
member of the subcommittee
headed by Congressman Joseph
N. Gaydos of Pennsylvania.
Synar noted that there have been
23 other deaths in similar
11 J
F a
master's degree. She is from Mike Arnold to the board presi-
Jennings. dent, superintendent and prin-
Mannford Board of Educa- cipal, and that the board was
tion will attempt further not prepared to make a state-
negotiations with DACO Con- ment or take action on the mat-
struction before issuing a work ter at this time. Mr. Arnold
order on the new gymnasium, was asked to meet with the
it was decided at the Monday board at the November board
night board meeting. Buck meeting.
Davies reported on negotia- A financial report for
tions with the contractor, September 1986 was presented
DACO. by Hightower. The report was
A 10 percent leeway in the accepted unanimously.
contract is allowed for the addi- Johnny Sloan, member,
tion or elimination of certain moved that the minutes of the
plans in the contract, to meet September 3, 17 and 24
w
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The Mannford Eagle (Mannford, Okla.), Vol. 5, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 10, 1985, newspaper, October 10, 1985; Mannford, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1949076/m1/1/?q=organizational+disasters: accessed June 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Keystone Crossroads Historical Society.