Unemployment Rate in Oklahoma, Lower than National Rate

Employment is an important topic, not just for individuals but also for the economy at large. With the majority of people working and having a stable job, more people have the capacity to spend with businesses and the economy benefitting from the trend. Therefore, it is important to have a lower unemployment rate in the state.

In the recent unemployment rate report, Oklahoma has earned one of the better rates in the country. Its unemployment rate has, and continues to dip below less than 5% for the month of April. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission reported that the state had decreased its rate of unemployment from last month with a rate of 4.9%. A one-tenth of a percentage point was reduced with previous rates within the flat 5%.

The commission further indicates that the rate for Oklahoma unemployment is much lower than  that of other states. Based on the report, Oklahoma’s 4.9% is lower than the national average rate of 7.5%.

What reduced the unemployment rate is the increase in the employment in several job sectors. Non-farm employment rose by 1,800, while professional and business sector earned an increase of 1,300 jobs. Though leisure and hospitality sector dropped its employment rate by 2,000, this sector still shown to be one of the highest increasing sectors in employment by 5,900 jobs between April 2012 and April 2013.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

12th Annual Mayor’s Development Roundtable in OKC

Each year in Oklahoma City, development experts, local officials, and interested members of the public gather to discuss existing and future development for the area.  Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett will be hosting the Annual Mayor’s Development Roundtable, which occurs every spring, to discuss economic growth for the city. It is a half-day event, and everyone is invited to join in the discussion and become more updated on what is going on in the city.

This is the 12th year the event will be taking place, and it will be held at the Great Hall C of the Cox Convention Center. Walter Hood, a California-based environmental designer, will be the event’s kick-off speaker. He is known for his projects that focus on environmental designs, and  he was awarded the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Design.

The developmental presentations will be divided into two 20/20 lightning rounds, where speakers will present 20 slides in 20 seconds per slides. Speakers for the first lightning round are Russell Claus, giving a preview of planokc; Mark Kranenburd, talking around the eastside development of Will Rogers; Elaine Lyons, presenting the I-240 Urban Land Institute Study; and Jane Jenkins, speaking about the increase in housing and hotels in the downtown area and Bricktown.

For the second lightning round, speakers will be discussing developments and local leadership in different districts of the city. Devery Youngblood will speak about the Adventure District; Carl Milam will talk about Western Avenue; Mike Knopp will offer a presentation on the Boathouse District; and Keith Paul for Uptown 23^rd Street.

The Mayor’s Development Roundtable is open to the public, and those who want to attend the event can register for $75, which includes lunch.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

OCU Plans Program to Give Back to the Community

In 2008, the Student Government Association of Oklahoma City University launched a community service program called OneGive that promotes environmental conservation awareness throughout the entire campus and community. OneGive is a campus-wide and community-wide service initiative that takes place for an entire day, and this year’s Student Association plans to continue the tradition by bringing back the program on April 19.

According to the OCU Student Association, there will be five activities taking place throughout the day. They include ChunkIT!, an Ultimate tournament; ImagineIT!, a recyclable art contest; DumpIT!, a trash bin search game; PlantIT!, a student volunteer project where participants plant trees around the campus; and DimIT!, an outdoor performance without any electricity inside the campus.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Benefits of Using Home Fire Sprinkler Systems

Many homeowners may ask themselves, “Do I need a home fire sprinkler system?” While you may think that sprinkler systems are simply an added cost on your expense list, that may not always be the case. In fact, many homeowners find home sprinkler systems to be functional and reliable, especially in instances of possible house fires.

Home sprinklers work when there are signs of possible fire inside the house. This will reduce fire inside the house and eventually stop it from spreading around. Though it does require an added cost, the main benefits of having one is worth it.

Below are several benefits of using a home fire sprinkler system:

• Saves you from fire – At the start of a house fire, our lives and those of the people inside the house are at risk. Turning the home sprinkler on can help reduce fire that may cause us harm. It also gives us enough time to get out of the house.
• Reduces property damage – Fire can cause huge property damage. If fire occurs, but it is extinguished, then only a small amount of your property will be damaged.  Installing a fire sprinkler can help stop fire before it destroys everything in your home.
• Saves water – The amount of water used by firemen is staggering.  But, with a home sprinkler, a small fire inside the house can immediately be extinguished with only a small amount of water. Basically, home sprinklers have low water requirements, so you can always save water.
• Eliminate toxic gases in the area – Once there is smoke, it can give off toxic gases in the air and can cause harm to our body and the environment. But, with a functional home sprinkler, smoke is reduced, which consequently reduces toxic gases from entering the air.
• Low cost and maintenance – Although there is added cost when installing a home fire sprinkler, the cost of purchasing one is less expensive. In addition, there is minimal maintenance needed, so there are no huge costs in the future.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Edmond Fire Department Creates Five-Year Plan to Better Serve

Fires injure thousands of people and homes each year, and for that reason, it is crucial that fire departments be equipped with the right tools, strategies, and people on the job to provide a high quality of service, especially during a fire.

That is why the Edmond Fire Department is creating a strategic plan for the next five years. The five-year plan will help improve the department’s overall system, including their tools and equipment and response procedures.  The plan has been passing through the reviewing and approval processes, and a printed copy will be available in the next three weeks.

According to Fire Chief Jake Rhoades, the five-year plan will focus on becoming more effective and efficient by making the right decisions. They will not focus on just the lowest price when it comes to equipment, but rather on what is cost worthy and beneficial.

The creation of the department’s five-year plan is being cooperated with the members of the community as well as members of the Fire Department. Participants were given the chance to provide feedback and comments about the department and other specific details such as emergency medical services, fire prevention, and basic rescue and technical responses to disasters. Members of the department have gathered for three days to discuss the feedback of members from the community and revise their goals. They, in turn, send their revisions to a focus group.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Oklahoma City Council Approves Downtown Improvement Projects

Street improvements are important for providing better pedestrian accessibility, road access to vehicles, and an improved aesthetic look.  That is why the Oklahoma City Council recently approved a $38 million budget for improving streets around the downtown area.

This will extend the street improvement projects that have already begun in other major areas of the city. The biggest allocation of the budget will be for the improvement of streets downtown that start in the Myriad Botanical Gardens area. Some of the streets that will start construction this year are the E.K. Gaylord, NW 6 north of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Dean A. McGee, W. Main, N. Robinson, and Robert S. Kerr. The total budget for those will be $26 million.

About $4 million will also be allocated for the renovation of the Oklahoma County Annex Building, $2.9 million for additional parking and commercial or office space at the Century Center, and 2.25 million for parking garage renovations.

Other projects include the $1.5 million construction of The Oklahoma Publishing Company, $750,000 in improvements at Bricktown, $500,000 for the renovation of the Mideke warehouse, and another $500,000 for  improvements in the resident alley of the Cottage District.

According to City Council, the budget will be taken from the Downtown and Devon Tower tax increment financing districts. Not only will it help improve the downtown area, but it will also help promote economic development in the city.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Oklahoma Troopers and Correctional Officers to Receive Salary Increase

Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers and prison correctional officers will soon enjoy a salary increase. Two bills were recently approved by the House committee that would increase the salaries of existing officers and produce higher starting salaries for new ones.  Both bills have also been approved by the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee and are now awaiting evaluation and approval by the full House Appropriations Committee.

According to the bills, the salary increase of prison officers would cost the state $12.2 million per year, and the increase for state troopers would cost $7.3 million per year.  For state prison workers, the starting salary would increase from $11.83 per hour to $14 per hour, and other employees at the Department of Corrections would see a salary increase of 5 percent. State troopers would also receive a starting salary increase from $33,192 to $38,602.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Annual Book Fair at OKC State Fair Park This Weekend

Book enthusiasts in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas are getting excited because, this weekend, the area’s annual book fair will be held at the OKC State Fair Park. More than 600,000 books will be for sale, and everyone is welcome to come and participate.

The Friends of the Metropolitan Library will once again host the book fair in Oklahoma City, which has been occurring annually since 1981.  The book fair is known to have wider options at a lesser price, and most books will be sold for $1.00 or less.

The non-profit organization originally formed the annual book sale in order to raise money for library expenses and needs. The money from the book sale will be used to fund projects or improvements in the library.  Thanks to sales in recent years, the organization has been able to donate  millions of dollars to the Metropolitan Library System for equipment expenses and special programs.

This year’s book sale will be held on Saturday, February 23, and Sunday, February 24. It will be free and open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For members of the organization, a presale will be held on Friday, February 22, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Different books will be available for $1.00   in hardback and  $0.50 in paperback. Other items on sale will include videos and DVDs.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Edmond Police Department Increases Presence in Public Schools

The safety of students is the top priority of teachers and parents who have children in school. It is important that students passing through school doors are well guarded from possible threats caused by intruders or other unauthorized people.

To better enhance the security inside public schools, the Edmond Police Department is assigning several officers to report to each school campus each day. The added officers will be able to provide additional security for the schools and create visibility to deter potential threats or intrusions.

According to the Edmond Police Department, five school resource officers will be assigned full time to middle schools and high schools in the city. The officers will end their afternoon shifts at their designated school campuses to help improve security among the students. It will also help them become more familiar with the campuses in case emergency response should ever be required.

Aside from enhancing the security of the schools, the added police presence will also boost the confidence of parents. The  police department is currently shooting a video about their plan to increase the number of police officers in schools, so families can feel more confident about the safety of their children. Videos will be posted online and also sent to parents directly.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031

Edmond to Implement Efforts to Reduce Vehicle Fuel and Maintenance Costs

The increase in fuel costs for the past few weeks has significantly affected a number of consumers, especially those that have long commutes each week. In Oklahoma alone, nearly $0.40 has been added to the average price of a gallon of fuel, which creates a budget challenge for many Americans.

To find ways to manage overall fuel costs, city officials in Edmond are implementing ways to reduce total fuel costs for public vehicles and fleets.  Between 400 and 500 vehicles and pieces of equipment are maintained by the city, which creates a huge cost for total fuel consumption. With the increase in gas prices, it would require a larger government budget to sustain all of them.

To help reduce total fuel costs, the city plans to convert several vehicles to CNG or compressed natural gasses. Prices for CNG are below $2, which can generate a huge savings over several gallons, and it is also more environmentally friendly. Around six Citylink transit buses are already being processed for fuel conversion.

In addition, city officials are also planning to reduce the cost of maintenance on public vehicles. These efforts include the installation and maintenance of GPS, which will be more effective in cases of emergencies, and using NAPA Auto Parts, or in-house parts distributors, to reduce the number of vehicles downtown since vehicle parts are easily accessible.

Jennifer Fields
Oklahoma City & Edmond Real Estate Agent
405.330.0031