I was asked the other day what I thought would improve upon the quality of life in Enid, so I am asking you. What would make Enid a better place to live, what projects would improve the quality of life and entice business to wish to locate in Enid? Sometimes it’s the little things that add up in big ways, such as the splash pads. Low cost compared to most city projects yet with a large impact on quality of life. The folks in city government read these forums, lets give them some ideas.

And please, please lets keep this a positive conversation. There is plenty of negativity on other topics here; lets keep this one upbeat and constructive. Please.

Perhaps better transportation would help. At present there is no way to travel to Enid unless it is by automobile. There is no airline, no trains and no bus service. In the late fifties and early sixties Enid had all three. Passenger service was available by train, there were two flights into Woodring airport every day, and Greyhound ran a regular bus service into the city.

Well i will give you the fact its been about 3 years since I have been in Enid but what I have thought many times what Enid needs. There is not just one thing Enid needs, there is a lot. Looking at it away from the commercial aspect there still is a lot i can see:
1: Consideration is great thing. Enid has a happy abundance of small minded, low goal, (oft thought by me inbred)but many are admittingly lower intelligence, and really are lazy. More people I know are on SSI, etc and REFUSE To look for work because they would rather lay around than work an honest day. Essentially leeching for no reason beyond lack of means to push themselves out of bed or atleast past the couch (Small consensus taken at work by our cellular providers ((big breach of some rightes but alteast they didnt take the names))about employed vs ssi/welfare that was taken and well there were 68% of our customers were on it.)There needs to be more work and more people needed to work. I am around 50-80% disabled by the VA and I plan on immediately going to work when I can right as soon as I can go into to the force after my PT can clear me for some jobs (probably desk jobs i'm my future since i have a crippled foot and the other one getting well onto its way to be bad because of my weakened one.)

2)The mass transportation is a good thing public buses running a route would be a great idea. Certain routes could be established, that with a stop at main stops (walmart, strip malls, (maybe the mall if it has picked up from the dead)but certainly as well areas for education like the library, hastings(for its books...god when i worked there and people looking for a movie about a book to do book reports and such....ugh gave me headaches.), etc.

3. Community care. This is something that people will have to do one on one more than the government helping. Enid is a very selfish town with a few good ones that almost looks like (not to be the poetic type) but like a night sky with clouds. You have the few starts you can see but most are just darkness.

4.More selection of shops but the problem with #4 you need #1 we can help if we all actually try to help each other.

5. Stronger police force that isn't as crooked (sorry for those good cops out there) I know of one that was a friend of a drug dealing, woman beating, pile of drunken trash and he would ALWAYS get away with it because of his friend. God do I wish he gets caught by the good cops there before he hurts someone else..

more ideas but yeah meds kicking in.

Nothing will happen without growth type jobs. I haven't looked but my guess is that most jobs in the enid classifieds will be healthcare jobs or service related including restaurants and fast food jobs.
Those are symptoms of a non-productive area and if so the area will merely continue to languish and die.
Without manufacturing jobs, no other businesses will find favor in the area. When manufacturing thrives, small support businesses thrive, transportation business thrives and all service related industries grow as well.

I looked at jobs in NW Arkansas which has experienced some of the fastest economic growth of any area in the country the past 30 years. Here are some of the Job postings (as you read through the listings you see signs of growth in a wide spectrum of industries including manufacturing. Without manufacturing, there is no growth, just consumption. All purely consumption regions will eventually be all welfare regions. Look what happened to detroit when manufacturing died. Same in all dead cities. While Muskogee has fallen back in to a city with nothing but health care and fast food jobs, there was a period where a group of men worked diligently to bring manufacturing to Muskogee. During that time the population that had languished around 30,000 for 60 years jumped to 50,000 in 10 years. Those men are dead now and the new city leaders would rather have a new restaurant or retailer than a factory because all they can see is sales tax but if there are no other jobs, who can spend money to generate sales tax? :
NW Ark job listings:
Professional
Employer: Not Given
Job Title Welders
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: WELDERS, TIG & MIG exp. Weekends Req. Apply M-Th 9:45am-2:30pm, 1064 E. Henry De Tonti, Tontitown. 361-5898.


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Professional
Employer: Not Given
Job Title Fabrication Technician
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: FABRICATION TECHNICIAN � Level I & II Aerospace Co., Rogers, AR - CNC Bending/Fabrication /Sheet metal � Strong Mechanical & Math Skills. Full benefits. accounting@mundo-tech.com


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Professional
Employer: Clack Corp.
Job Title Maintenance Supervisor
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: Maintenance Supervisor Clack Corporation, a manufacturer of water treatment products and custom blow molded and injection molded parts is seeking a Maintenance Supervisor that will be responsible for the daily activities of facility and equipment maintenance with the following qualifications: �Associates degree in a related maintenance field or equivalent professional experience �Working knowledge with hydraulic, pneumatic and electronics troubleshooting a must Ability to read and understand blue prints, wiring prints, specs, etc. �Plastic molding maintenance, set-up and trouble shooting experience desired �Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude �Proven project management skills �Ability to work independently with multiple projects �Excellent organizational and communication skills �Solid troubleshooting skills on variety of production/facility equipment including mechanical, electrical and electronics If you are a self-motivated individual with work related experience Clack Corporation is interested reviewing your credentials. Send resume with salary history to: Clack Corporation 4600 North 2nd Street Rogers Arkansas, 72756 newton@clackcorp.com Equal Opportunity Employer


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Professional
Employer: Not Given
Job Title Inspector
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: INSPECTOR- Aerospace Co. Rogers, AR. CAD experience & CMM operation is a plus. Experience with calipers, height gauges and blueprint reading. Full benefts. accounting@mundo-tech.com


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Professional
Employer: Tyson Foods
Job Title Industrial Maintenance
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE/ Electrical experience preferred. Minimum one year experience required. 2nd shift, 2:00pm-10:30pm. Weekend work required. $14.35/hr. Excellent benefit package. Contact: Tyson Foods, Inc. NLR 501-945-7131.EOE M/F/V/D


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Professional
Employer: Benton County
Job Title Communications Supv.
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: Benton County has an opening for Communications Supervisor: Must have a High School Diploma or GED. 3 or more years as a Telecommunicator, at least one year or more experience as a supervisor and complete knowledge of terminal functions preferred. Fill out the Central Communitions application and send to:Josh Bills, 215 E. Central Ave. Bentonville, AR 72712


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Sales
Employer: Not Given
Job Title Digital Media Sales Rep
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: DIGITAL MEDIA SALES REP (2 positions) for Little Rock or NWA territories. 2+ yrs of B2B sales exp, media sales exp in desired territory preferred. Valid state driver�s license, proof of insurance, good driving record required. Relevant exp must be within last 5 yrs and excludes retail sales exp. Send resume with summary of sales exp to: contactus@flynhog.com. We will only consider applicants that meet exp qualifications.


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Sales
Employer: Best Buy Pay Here
Job Title Sales Associate
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: Start a New Career at Best Buy Here Pay Here! SALES ASSOCIATES GREAT Pay, GREAT Benefits! 5 Day Work Week in a fun environment! Call 479-725-2378 3724 W. Sunset Ave. in Springdale


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Sales
Employer: AT&T
Job Title Sales
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: Know how far technology can take you? Then you want a career with AT&T. On the front lines in our Retail stores, 100% customer satisfaction is your job, and we make it easy with the coolest, most advanced communications and entertainment products anywhere. If you know sales and love technology, take a look and discover amazing training and benefits � not to mention the real career potential only a company with our history can offer. How far will you go with AT&T? We have the following opportunities available at our Fayetteville, Rogers & Springdale Retail Stores. RETAIL SALES CONSULTANT (Full Time or Part Time) SALES SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE (Full Time or Part Time) For your next step, think AT&T, the world's largest communications company. You will find yourself connecting communications and technology with opportunities that will take you to places you never imagined. Discover all of the options that AT&T can offer you. Visit http://connect.att.jobs/arkansas/retail to apply


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Teaching
Employer: Not Given
Job Title Head Start Teacher
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: HEAD START TEACHER for Child & Family Development. Full-Time school year position, Fayetteville/Springdale area. AA in ECE, or BA in ECE, or BS in HES $12.62/hr. Insurance, 401K, Paid Holidays. Loan Forgiveness Program after 1st year. Resume required. E-mail resume to hire4hs@gmail.com, or mail to PO box 1823, Fayetteville, AR 72701. EOA/EOE.


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Teaching
Employer: Eureka Springs School District
Job Title Teacher
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: TEACHER: Eureka Springs School District is accepting applications for the following position: High School Physical Science, Physics and Chemistry Teacher. Contact Kathy Lavender 479-253-8875. EOE.


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Transportation
Employer: Not Given
Job Title CDL Driver
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: SPRINGDALE STAINLESS steel distributor seeks driver with CDL A, 5+ years exp, and clean MVR. Call 800-222-5501 for more information.


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Transportation
Employer: Decco
Job Title CDL Truck Drivers
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: CDL TRUCK DRIVERS NEEDED: MVR Required. Must have updated DOT physical. Apply in person at Decco Contractors Paving Inc., 2000 S. 1st St. in Rogers. 479-636-5516.


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Transportation
Employer: Fayetteville Public Schools
Job Title School Bus Drivers
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: FAYETTEVILLE PUBLIC Schools Transportation now taking applications for school bus drivers. Please call (479) 444-3095 ext. 10 for more information.


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Transportation
Employer: Not Given
Job Title OTR Drivers
Posted on 06/26/11
Details: OTR DRIVERS NEEDED �Consistent Miles �Home Time �Competitive Starting Pay �Major Medical & Dental �Rider Program �Direct Deposit �Safety Bonuses �Nice Equipment Call Janice at 800-237-1769 Or apply online at dmtservicesinc.com


I googled Enid jobs and just as I thought pretty much all healthcare and retail. Nothing to create growth at all (muskogee is about the same as industrial operations die off now) I'd hate to know the percentage of people in Muskogee on welfare or ssi it would depress me greatly (it takes a pretty good proposal to get industry to locate to an area where the workforce would rather draw a gov check but contrary to the shortsighted retail sales tax crowd, more sales tax is generated by a company with a payroll than a dozen stores or restaurants):

http://enid.jobs.topusajobs.com/

quote:

2)The mass transportation is a good thing public buses running a route would be a great idea. Certain routes could be established, that with a stop at main stops (walmart, strip malls, (maybe the mall if it has picked up from the dead)but certainly as well areas for education like the library, hastings(for its books...god when i worked there and people looking for a movie about a book to do book reports and such....ugh gave me headaches.), etc.

Just for the record, we do have this.

It's funny to me that people comment that we're not doing anything to promote growth but everything that gets done to promote growth gets thwarted or complained about.

I have a perspective as someone who was new to the community about 10 years ago. Coming in, I saw a lot of things to be concerned about. Many of the surface issues have been addressed: School renovations and additions, street repairs (yes there have been hundreds of miles of them), more housing development, a major focus on addressing downtown development (still in the works, as we all know).

That is what has happened in the last 10 years.

What has been harder to change has been the town's most prevailing problem, in my opinion -- Attitude.

I'm not going to lay blame or make excuses for the continued poor attitude by many of our citizens about our community. Yet, it is still an internal problem that folks who work so hard to promote this community must continue to address. I know it often seems to those folks as if they are banging their heads against a brick wall. Yet, it took probably 20 or more years to create this poor attitude and it will probably take another 20 to reverse it. As far as I can see, we're now in year 10 of that effort.

quote:

Originally posted by ENE Editor:
I have a perspective as someone who was new to the community about 10 years ago. Coming in, I saw a lot of things to be concerned about. Many of the surface issues have been addressed: School renovations and additions, street repairs (yes there have been hundreds of miles of them), more housing development, a major focus on addressing downtown development (still in the works, as we all know).

That is what has happened in the last 10 years.

What has been harder to change has been the town's most prevailing problem, in my opinion -- Attitude.

I'm not going to lay blame or make excuses for the continued poor attitude by many of our citizens about our community. Yet, it is still an internal problem that folks who work so hard to promote this community must continue to address. I know it often seems to those folks as if they are banging their heads against a brick wall. Yet, it took probably 20 or more years to create this poor attitude and it will probably take another 20 to reverse it. As far as I can see, we're now in year 10 of that effort.

SOME PEOPLE WILL NEVER CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDES CINDY. FOR A LONG TIME I WAS ONE OF THOSE HEADBANGERS, BUT I'M STARTING TO SEE THE PROGRESS AND HAVE QUIT HEADBANGING. REMEMBER ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE THAT WAIT AND ARE PATIENT.

quote:

Originally posted by tammylynwilson:

quote:

2)The mass transportation is a good thing public buses running a route would be a great idea. Certain routes could be established, that with a stop at main stops (walmart, strip malls, (maybe the mall if it has picked up from the dead)but certainly as well areas for education like the library, hastings(for its books...god when i worked there and people looking for a movie about a book to do book reports and such....ugh gave me headaches.), etc.

Just for the record, we do have this.

Unless its changed only thing i remember is that enidtransit that mostly is for the benefit of those who cant drive. If its not then get it advertised more. It would be a good thing to also cut down emissions from Enid and make it a more green community

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JM,

They have fixed routes now.

You can see the routes, maps, schedules and fares here.

quote:

If its not then get it advertised more.

I think most people that live here know about it due to the bus stop signs all over town.

The bus routes and information could be advertised more; however, there are some things that need to be done before Enid can say it really has a transit system.

First and foremost, there need to be shelters built, at least at some of the major stops. Just having shelters will be an advertisement in itself that there is a transit system in Enid. (and shelters also usually have advertising space in them, so the city could make a little revenue from that advertising)

Also, a complaint I hear is that the buses don't run on time; I think there may be some improvement in that area, but having the buses run exactly on schedule is key.

Enid has done some big improvements in providing transit. These improvements I mention would make it even better.

Speaking of Enid being progressive, Internet downtown. Wow just wow. Other cities hold themselves cheap for they don’t provide such service! I have used it on many occasions, thank you city of Enid!

quote:

Originally posted by ENE Editor:
The bus routes and information could be advertised more; however, there are some things that need to be done before Enid can say it really has a transit system.

First and foremost, there need to be shelters built, at least at some of the major stops. Just having shelters will be an advertisement in itself that there is a transit system in Enid. (and shelters also usually have advertising space in them, so the city could make a little revenue from that advertising)

Also, a complaint I hear is that the buses don't run on time; I think there may be some improvement in that area, but having the buses run exactly on schedule is key.

Enid has done some big improvements in providing transit. These improvements I mention would make it even better.

Please not MORE advertising.
Computer pop ups , TV and the newspaper is enough to make your eyes glaze over.

http://tinyurl.com/3n37x2j

Maybe.... if the local artists in town were commissioned to make the bus stops.
Lets promote the local arts.

quote:

Originally posted by John Galtism:

quote:

Originally posted by ENE Editor:
The bus routes and information could be advertised more; however, there are some things that need to be done before Enid can say it really has a transit system.

First and foremost, there need to be shelters built, at least at some of the major stops. Just having shelters will be an advertisement in itself that there is a transit system in Enid. (and shelters also usually have advertising space in them, so the city could make a little revenue from that advertising)

Also, a complaint I hear is that the buses don't run on time; I think there may be some improvement in that area, but having the buses run exactly on schedule is key.

Enid has done some big improvements in providing transit. These improvements I mention would make it even better.

Please not MORE advertising.
Computer pop ups , TV and the newspaper is enough to make your eyes glaze over.

http://tinyurl.com/3n37x2j

Maybe.... if the local artists in town were commissioned to make the bus stops.
Lets promote the local arts.

GOOD POINT, BUT SOME TYPE OF GUIDLINES WOULD NEED TO BE IN PLACE. JUST WONDERING WHY SOME OF THE BUILDING,S THAT HAVE BARE SIDES COULD LET SOME ARTIST PAINT LIKE A MURAL ON THE BUILDING, THAT WOUD GO ALONG WAY TO PROMOTING COMMUNITY PRIDE AND SPIRIT.