They say if you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait a minute and it’ll change. We are no strangers to extreme weather and this spring and summer have proven that. Unfortunately, while our part of the state usually avoids damaging weather, we weren’t so lucky with this latest round. Far Eastern Osage County and the part of our Senate district in Tulsa County got hit hard and sustained substantial damage and some areas are still without power.If you’re among the families that have been impacted and you need any help locating resources or other assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our office. You can also call 2-1-1, which is a statewide program that connects people to various charities or services to meet their needs. They can get you connected with local charities offering meals, groceries, clothes, toiletries, assistance with utilities and so forth.I want to give a huge thank you to our first responders and line workers who have been working around the clock to ensure everyone’s safe, clear trees and other debris and get power restored as quickly as possible. These heroes work tirelessly, and we are so grateful for their dedication, as well as that of all the volunteers who have given their time to help their neighbors.On Wednesday, I returned to the Capitol for a meeting of the Jim Thorpe Building Repair Expenditure Oversight Committee. Much like the Capitol had before it’s incredible renovation, the 84-yearold Jim Thorpe building has fallen into disarray over the decades and needs to be repaired and remodeled to meet the needs of today’s workforce. The Legislature approved a $70 million bond issue last year for the extensive renovations. The building houses mostly the state Corporation Commission, but also has some staff from the Department of Public Safety, the American Legion, the Arts Council, and the OMES Training Center, along with storage for the Attorney General’s Office and the State Election Board. The building has nearly 159,000 net rentable square feet, of which 13,000 is vacant. It was built in 1938, during the administration of Gov. Ernest Whitworth Marland, an oilman and former congressman.Construction hasn’t started yet but will be getting underway this year, and the project is expected to be completed in early 2026. Unlike the Capitol renovation that went floor by floor shuffling staff from one area to another throughout construction, the Jim Thorpe Building will be completely ...
