I can’t help but reminisce. Sometime around ten years ago, at a Luther Board of Trustees meeting, the talk was about finances, per usual, and the lack of them. Former trustee Ron Henry proposed that the town try to put away more money in a Rainy Day Fund. His vision was to build a proper shop for the Luther Public Works Authority. He explained it would be a place where all of the town-owned equipment, from mowers to replacement pipes to fix broken water lines to mowing equipment, could be organized, stored, locked up, and be behind a secured fence (with security cameras).
Fast forward to January 15, 2026, and the town is having an Open House to show off its new shop. The town pitched in some funds, but the bulk of the construction cost was paid for with a grant. The grant was from the Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) which serves communities with populations under 7,000 with opportunities to improve infrastructure and quality of life. Other grants awarded in that cycle funded the valve enhancement and replacement on the town’s water system and the sidewalk project near the schools (applied for by Oklahoma County on Luther’s behalf).
We’re all invited to look it over on Thursday between 4 – 6 pm. The new shop is by the water tower on the SW corner of Eighth and Cedar. Come tour the new facility, meet staff, and see how the new space will better serve the community. BONUS: Reed’s Rolling Eats food truck will be selling smash burgers.
The full move to the new shop opens up a possibility on Main Street. The shop has been housed in the back of “old town hall” for office space and storage, and the big equipment was stored in the yard behind the back alley. Now vacant, the building, which was a movie theatre back in the day, will be available for anyone with a vision, a plan, and funds.
Kudos to the current (and former) town leadership, including Trustee Jerrod Davis, Town Manager Scherrie Pidcock, and staff who shepherded through the long process of completing this needed project. And about that Rainy Day Fund? The funds were recently moved to a “sweep” account to earn more interest, with more available for a “rainy day” or emergency. The additional funds added to the $208,000 grant to build the shop came from the town’s capital improvements fund and general revenue.
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The Town’s “Rainy Day” fund, as it was setup and operated, was less than legal under OK state law. I’m surprised it took this long for it to be corrected.
That’s for your legal input. You didn’t mention the embezzlement charges, though, also less than legal, and the town still continues to try to get all of that repaid. What do you think about the nearly ten years straight of clean audits and debt reduction?