As we enter a new year, I take time to reflect on the past year. 2018 brought many challenges for the Jones Board of Trustees. We had a Police Chief quit and had to hire another, our choice was not without a little controversy, however, we believe we made the best decision. We had an “Order” from ODEQ to boil our water before using due to contamination in our water system. The contamination was cleaned up, but ODEQ still required that we will have to treat our water from now on, unfortunate since we were one of only a few Oklahoma towns that didn’t treat their water. As this is an ongoing task, we will continue to strive to provide the cleanest/safest water possible.
2018 also brought some positive advances. We were, finally, able to convince Cox to run some fiber optic cable in town. Currently, it only serves City Hall and the fire department, BUT, I continue to have conversations with them to expand their service throughout town. I hope to get this accomplished soon. I am also talking to other internet providers about bringing better service to Jones. We have a newly updated website, which if you are reading this, you already know. Tammy Wallace’s award-winning wellness program continues to evolve and remains a model for other towns in Oklahoma!
Our high school baseball team won the 2018 Class 3A Baseball State Championship with a 24-4 record! We are working on getting them included on the water tower.
Our amazing citizens continue to make this town great. The addition of the “Longhorn Locker” as an avenue for those in need to get help, the support of the “Angel Tree” project, the “need some take some, have some leave some” food pantry at city hall, and supporting the small businesses in town makes us a compassionate and caring community! The “Jones Small Business” group continues to meet and discuss ways to support “buying local” to support local businesses. The “Splash Pad” committee began “Food Truck Tuesdays” to raise money for the splash pad and it has been a huge hit!
I can’t help but feel like I’m leaving something out but have tried to hit the 2018 highlights. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and I look forward to the opportunities 2019 will bring us!