Published: August 19, 2008 11:27 am            

‘Pride in McAlester’ group gets down to business; plans future

Concerned citizens of McAlester have stepped forward and are taking the proverbial bull-by-the-horns by either heading a Pride In McAlester committee or volunteering for these committees.

On-going projects that have been set in motion by PIM committees are the Recycling Cardboard Project, headed by David Robinson and Councilman John Browne, and the Recycling Aluminum Cans Project, chaired by June Boyd.

“Each of these projects serve a dual purpose,” J.T. Collier, PIM President, said. “As we are aiding in the recycling of boxes and cardboard, we are also generating funds for our non-profit organization.”

Robinson owns and operates Southeast Oklahoma Box, a box company that deals with recyclable paper products and delivers them to paper mills within Oklahoma and Texas. He is donating his services and facilities to PIM to create a cardboard recycling program for the city. Robinson told the PIM committee that cardboard was selling at $120 per ton at the present time, which would make it a profitable program for the city.

“At one time, we had a cardboard recycling program that was discontinued. The city manager at that time did not feel that it generated enough profit to benefit the city. We hauled approximately 45,000 to 50,000 pounds of recyclable paper products collected from McAlester on a regular monthly basis,” Robinson said.

The recycling collection would be limited to businesses in the beginning. Robinson has also donated land to be used for the Recycling Cardboard Project. Anyone interested in being involved in this project may contact Robinson at 426-6211 or Ward 3 Councilman John Browne at 426-5235.

June Boyd has been collecting aluminum cans for years. As a retired teacher, she said it aided in financing many class projects over the years. Boyd saw the fundraiser as an opportunity to teach her students about recycling and doing their part in keeping their city clean. Her students as well as members of the community pitched in to make the learning tool/fundraiser a success.

With this knowledge and experience, Boyd has implemented an aluminum can recycling program for PIM to collect aluminum cans from local businesses. The money raised from this program will be used to fund other PIM projects. Rubber containers are being provided to businesses for the collection of these cans.

This project is not limited to businesses. Individuals may also recycle cans and donate them to PIM. They may call Boyd for drop-off or collection at 916-1050. Anyone interested in being involved in this project may also contact Boyd or the PIM office at 429-0062.

Present and former participants of Pittsburg County’s Drug Court are also giving of their time to collect items, pick up trash, and hauling off debris. Angela Markham, Drug Court coordinator, says this is the participant’s way of giving back to the community.

A proposal has been submitted to the city by PIM to place roll-off containers on a monthly basis at strategic places in various parts of the city to collect refuse. This would be a free service to the citizens of McAlester.

Future PIM projects are in the making for beautifying major spot areas around McAlester. Each area will present a theme that represents the history of McAlester. Spear heading this committee are Ruyana Fugitt and Stephanie Mowat.

This will be quite an undertaking for PIM, but when this task is accomplished, it could be one of the points of interest to cause McAlester to stand out among other Oklahoma cities.

One area that will be completed by sometime in November or December will be at the north end by the highway 270 and 69 intersection. People coming into or passing through McAlester will get a glimpse of the past when they think they are seeing a real cattle drive. This ‘scene’ is in honor of Freddie Browne, one of Pittsburg County’s past area ranchers. Gary and Ruyana Fugitt have been working with an artist from Pendelton, Oregon, for over a year on the memorial that will represent all area ranchers.

Some of the themes under consideration included depictions of oil and gas fields in the surrounding area, the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, the Choctaw Indians, the OSP Rodeo and McAlester’s old town. Fugitt and Mowat are looking for money and manpower. Anyone wishing to donate funds or volunteer manpower or to submit suggestions can call Fugit at 423-0010 or Mowat at 470-6295.

“Since our inception in April, we have come a long way,” Collier said. “We have a long way to go to get McAlester back to a pristine city, but we are well on our way. The aggressively concerned citizens of McAlester are showing their hope in once again becoming a city to be proud of by getting involved in our organization and promoting our projects.”

The organization meets weekly on Thursday nights at 7 at the Kiamichi Technology Center. Everyone is invited to attend and become a volunteer. For more information call 429-0062.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.