By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
EL RENO – Canadian County Commissioners have dedicated $144,195 in funding for a public trust created to oversee the county’s new domestic violence center.
Commissioners approved the funding for the Cardinal Point family justice center at their Oct. 19th weekly meeting.
The board previously approved the creation of the Cardinal Point public trust.
The trust will “administer, maintain, operate, and conduct public health and safety intervention, prevention programs and services related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse, and human trafficking for the benefit of citizens of Canadian County,” County Commission Chairman Marc Hader said, reading from a resolution.
The trust indenture allows Canadian County Commissioners, as the trust beneficiary, to dedicate funds to Cardinal Point to help with its operations.
Canadian County will have Oklahoma’s fourth family justice center to help domestic violence survivors.
The commissioners previously committed to supporting Cardinal Point’s coordinator position, Assistant District Attorney Tommy Humphries noted.
During recent budget talks, they agreed to include $94,000 in the annual Canadian County budget to help kick-start the project.
Cardinal Point expects to receive a federal Victims of Crime Act grant that would help provide sustainable funding for Canadian County’s domestic violence center.
“We believe, after talking with VOCA (representatives), we’re going to be able to move that grant we’ve discussed over January 1,” Humphries said. “So that’s six months ($50,000) of that commitment to that salary plus the budget.”
Cardinal Point is expected to open this fall once construction is finished at the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center.
Cardinal Point will occupy a renovated 5,000 square foot space inside the juvenile center, 7905 E Hwy 66 in El Reno.
Coordinator Kristie Chandler and her staff will work with resource partners to provide services to help Canadian County survivors.
Appointed last week as Cardinal Point’s trustees were: District Attorney Mike Fields, District 2 Canadian County Commissioner Dave Anderson, Canadian County Undersheriff Kevin Ward, Jacqueline Steyn, and Heidi Oliver.
TIGHTEN SECURITY
Also at their Monday morning meeting, Canadian County Commissioners awarded a $75,534 “lump sum” bid to Security Solutions to provide security access management systems at county buildings.
Security Solutions was the lone bidder. The company will enhance security access at the commissioners’ district shops, county administration building, courthouse, assessor’s office, and election board office.
“All of us are hoping to move forward with a more uniform system for our security, ingress and egress, things of that nature,” Chairman Hader said. “While we have some decent equipment, it’s kind of dated.”
If the county’s current building security access equipment breaks down, Hader said it would be difficult to replace.
In other business, commissioners approved:
• A proposal for the Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority to lease-purchase a John Deere articulating truck from Community National Bank, at a rate of 5.2% for 120 months with a $6,254.69 monthly payment.
• An agreement between Canadian County District 1 and Herc Rental to rent a large tree trimming truck.
• A resolution authorizing District 2 to apply for Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) funding to improve a one-mile road east of the county landfill near Union City.
• A resolution approving the name “Campbell Lane” for a new street in District 1 in the northeast corner of the county.
District 3 Commissioner Jack Stewart on Monday presented the weekly report of the county jail population. There were 170 inmates in-house at the county jail and a total of 202 in-custody with 15 awaiting state Department of Corrections’ transport.
