Haskell City Councilman Sid Burgess, 24, is a passionate guy.
It's his passion that many in town say has helped fuel tremendous growth in this bedroom community south of Tulsa.
"I'm just a supporter. It's a citywide effort," Burgess said. "Our town has changed quite a bit in a short period of time. Haskell has just made a 180 (degree turn) in the last couple of years."
Haskell Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Janet Dyer and others around town say Burgess is a huge reason for the improving quality of life in Haskell.
"It's great to get a young person in there at the helm with lots of energy. There's a lot of momentum going here," she said.
Julie Arrowood, Haskell News managing editor, said Burgess has been a driving force and a good motivator.
Burgess left his hometown in 2004 for Iraq as part of the Oklahoma National Guard 120th engineer battalion. He saw images in the war-torn country that made him grateful for what he has in Oklahoma.
"I saw a lot of stuff overseas . . . people with no friends, no family, no nothing." Burgess said. "I always knew I wanted to get involved. I always had the passion and drive to make a difference. But like most people, I just talked the talk until I came home."
Many young families are fleeing the bigger cities and building big houses in the Haskell countryside, the chamber's Dyer said.
In response to the community's needs, Haskell got high-speed Internet service about a year ago, she said
Haskell has begun the Broadway Initiative, a downtown revitalization
project that Burgess refers to as his "baby project."
"We're having to pinch pennies, but it's important that we start somewhere," Burgess said.
With $100,000 from the town's general fund, Haskell has begun putting in new sidewalks and street lamps along the main strip. Decorative street signs, awnings and landscaping will follow.
An estimated 8,500 automobiles pass through town on Broadway Street daily.
"I want people to be awestruck by the beauty of our downtown," Burgess said. "Part of my goal and the city's goal is to create a really nice bedroom community and to preserve the small-town feeling."
Burgess said Haskell's property size has tripled since 2000, from three square miles to nine square miles, as the city has annexed property to provide services outside its original borders.
The 2000 U.S. Census put Haskell's population at 1,765, but Burgess estimates the population inside the city limits now is around 2,500.
With nearly 1,000 students enrolled in Haskell Public Schools, he estimates the area population at around 5,000.
Growth hasn't always been easy. Recently, Haskell officials scored a victory when the community finalized a deal to get a Sonic Drive-In restaurant franchise at the corner of Oklahoma highways 72 and 64.
City officials and franchisee Carl Martin broke ground for the new restaurant on Oct. 2.
Dyer said it took three years to get the Sonic deal done. A Federal Emergency Management Agency plan had defined the proposed Sonic site as a floodplain based on records from the early 1900s that showed flooding in the area. That had to be resolved, and the land had to be rezoned for commercial use.
"We had to jump through a lot of hoops," Dyer said.
But now the project is rolling. A Sonic official said he plans to get the state-of-the-art facility built in 75 days so it will be ready in time for Christmas.
Generally, it takes 90 days to build a Sonic, he said.
While the Sonic deal was under way, a Subway sandwich shop moved into town, another indication of the demand for development Haskell is seeing, Dyer said. In fact, Burgess manages that Subway shop.
"That's how I make my money," he laughed, adding, "The town hasn't been held back by the people. We were just kind of tripping on our own hesitance to pick up a shovel and start doing it. We've got really good people here. It's amazing what can happen when you inject a little passion."
