Construction is continuing rapidly in downtown Sapulpa as the Dewey Streetscape project enters what is supposed to be its final month. Earlier this week, we saw workers installing hand-cut bricks into the new sidewalks, a welcome change from the rumors we’d heard of stamped concrete:
Speaking of rumors, people keep asking if the project will wrap up in time for the Route 66 Christmas Chute. We know we’ll have to say it again, but folks, there’s not going to be a Route 66 Christmas Chute for 2025. We talked about it again in our Timeloop show this morning:
The rumor about a 2025 Christmas Chute persists, even though the Chute Committee itself has been forthright about what would happen this holiday season since shortly after the last season wrapped.
The critical thing to remember is that though a City of Sapulpa GO Bond (partially) funded the new Dewey Streetscape, the project is actually managed and under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. That means the City and the Christmas Chute were all under the timetable of ODOT, and there was no way to know or control how quickly this project could be completed. Though it appears to be going swimmingly—even without the Gulf of Dewey—it’s simply not the City’s call to make.
Church Gets Approval From City Council
The Church of Christ, which had purchased a former dispensary building on the north east side of town, finally had its Specific Use Permit approved after six city councilors asked to have the motion added back on to agenda.
According to the Sapulpa Herald, the Sapulpa Planning Commission—essentially the first group to see a request of this kind, unanimously approved the SUP, but when brought before the City Council, it failed in a 4-3 vote. Councilors appeared to be concerned about the church being located so close to a bar, and also cited a loss of taxable revenue in an area that was supposed to be reserved for businesses, not non-profit organizations.
After the City Council voted down the issue in early September, a letter was sent to City Manager Joan Riley from a non-profit firm called First Liberty Institute, which describes itself as “a non-profit law firm dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty for all Americans.”
In the letter, they stated that the “right to purchase and use the Property for religious purposes is fully and clearly protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments.” According to the Herald, City Attorney David Widdoes summed up the letter’s arguments as that “there needs to be a clear, arbitrary, non-governmental interest to be advanced, and must be advanced in the least restrictive manner possible, in order for that SUP to survive strict scrutiny under the analysis that a court would entertain.”
Six city councilors requested to have the item reinstated on the agenda for a discussiona and possible action. After several minutes of discussion and a hearing on public comments, a motion to table the vote was made, but it was struck down in a 5-4 vote. Another motion was made to approve the SUP, which passed in a 5-4 vote.
In a press release from First Liberty commended the City Council for their vote, Senior Counselor Ryan Gardner, said “We are grateful for the five councilmembers who upheld the Church’s religious liberty by approving its permit, ensuring that the Church can proceed with meeting together and serving the community.”
Other Sapulpa News You Might’ve Missed:
- Former Chieftain basketball star Stailee Heard has been unanimously selected as a member of the All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball Preseason Team with the announcement of the league’s preseason awards yesterday.
- Friday night is the 5th Annual Hobson Hops free live music event, but there’s plenty happening on Saturday as well, including an art show and a free creator fair. See the details and more here.
- An 18-year-old teenager has opted to forego college or trade school and will jump right into business with the opening of Sapulpa’s newest antique mall.
