Governor approves $17 million for state celebration

By Michael McNutt

Published: March 17, 2006

Let the party begin.

Gov. Brad Henry on Thursday signed into law two bills providing $17 million for projects and events celebrating Oklahoma's 100th birthday.

All but $1 million will be used to help pay for about 150 projects across the state, said Blake Wade, executive director of the Oklahoma Centennial Commission.

The commission has selected about 300 projects on its master centennial plan and will determine during its next two meetings -- in April and July -- which projects will receive state money.

"We needed about $35 million to $38 million ... so we will be looking at projects that have matching dollars, that are a good project, that are on the master plan approved by our commission," Wade said.

Meeting a deadline
A key provision is the project must be finished in 2007, he said. About 60 projects are finished and won't need state funds, he said.

Senate Bill 1193 provides $4 million for centennial projects in Oklahoma City, $4 million for Tulsa projects and $8 million -- $2 million for each quadrant of the state -- for other projects.

Major projects include an event Nov. 16 in Tulsa to kick off a year of centennial events. Another major project is to finish the Land Run Monument in Oklahoma City.

Lee Allan Smith, chairman of centennial projects and events, said money available for towns and cities is crucial for their projects.

"They can't raise the monies like Oklahoma City and Tulsa should be able to do," he said.

Oklahoma City's share will go to major projects, Smith said.

Parade, gala planned
Sponsors are stepping up to provide money for a centennial parade in October 2007 and the centennial gala Nov. 16, 2007, he said.

"Sponsors -- individuals, corporations and foundations -- have just stepped up and they're the ones that are making it happen," Smith said.

Henry also signed Senate Bill 1263, which appropriates $1 million to the state Commerce Department to secure contracts for the largest of the events.

Those include Oklahoma having two floats and a 150-member all-star band made up of state high school students in the Rose Bowl parade Jan. 1, a float in the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving Day, and a float in next year's parade, Wade said.

Legislators in 1996 made a commitment that the state would provide matching money for local centennial projects, Henry said. The Centennial Commission was formed in 1998 to plan and raise money for centennial events and to work with local communities on centennial projects.

Henry has been waiting for nearly a year to sign legislation funding the centennial projects.

Finally an agreement
The Democratic governor last year backed the Centennial Commission's request for $30 million to help pay for projects. The measure stalled, and Henry asked legislators to consider it in a special session.

Legislators approved a workers' compensation reform bill in special session, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives never came back to take up funding requests for centennial projects and state prisons. The Democratic-controlled Senate in special session narrowly defeated a $10 million proposal for centennial projects.

Legislative leaders and Henry agreed in December on the $17 million proposal.

"When I was a young man, my dad always told me you don't really appreciate the things that are easy," said Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater. "So we really appreciate this. This wasn't easy."

House Speaker Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville, said the state's centennial projects won't be determined by "different political figures ... that happen to be in power. They will be determined by the commission, and so you can be assured that we will have quality, long-lasting projects that will be meaningful to the state of Oklahoma."

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