Zombie Turnpike Deal Revived: CZAR Darrel Pyle Brings Controversial 'Partnership Resolution' Back to Life

Activate PIKE OFF OTA fighters. Here we go again.

I got a text late on Friday night that said “Here we go again.” You know.. the Friday night of Fall Break. The time when I’m supposed to be taking a *break* from grading papers, taxi driving for my kids…. and maybe even a short break from fighting turnpikes.

Well, I thought wrong. A Zombie is rising from the dead.

The text was alerting me to an upcoming City Council Study Session at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, October 15th. Item #3 on the agenda was the d&*m “Partnership Resolution” with the OTA again.

The resolution that got VOTED DOWN on August 27th with a vote of 9-0. That was less than TWO MONTHS AGO folks.

It’s not even worth reading or detailing here because WE ALREADY VOTED IT DOWN and it hasn’t changed much except to pull out any mention of the southern extension.

Mr. Pyle wrote an email to the Council Members and Management Team Friday afternoon that said

“Good afternoon, Council,

Attached please find a revised draft resolution requesting frontage roads, access points, multi-modal pathways and wetlands improvements along the Indian Hills Corridor ONLY.

This draft came together at the request of several Council Members after hearing from the property owners along Indian Hills Road. [emphasis mine] This will be a discussion item at next Tuesday’s Study Session. We are working on a map to serve as an appendix to the resolution showing the limitations to Indian Hills alignment ONLY.”

See you all next week,

Darrel

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You already know about all the conflicts-of-interest the City of Norman staff have, and that they stack their committees with consultants and developers mixed in with regular citizens creating the illusion that we are engaging in a working constitutional republic, while really the outcome is predetermined.

I hope you also know that Norman has a strong City Manager/weak Mayor form of government. Darrel Pyle is constitutionally the unelected Chief Executive Officer and President of the City of Norman.

Darrel Pyle also has a pretty lengthy pro-development track record and keeping relevant information away from council members.

So, do you believe that “the draft came together at the request of several Council Members after hearing from the property owners along Indian Hills Road?”

Or do you think this “Indian-Hills only” resolution was again pushed by the OTA to try and get more local revenue stream by adding more interchanges and then dutifully carried out by our captured Mr. Pyle?

Because if the residents are saying they want more access points, I’m pretty sure they do not understand the big picture - which I’m going to discuss in detail TOMORROW.

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Cost of the Proposed Access Points

As a chilling preview, Pike OFF OTA has created a startling presentation on the staggering costs the City of Norman will face over the next five years for service roads, interchanges, and infrastructure upgrades. But the burden doesn't stop there—our children and grandchildren will be shackled with the long-term maintenance of this infrastructure for generations to come.

The City of Norman can’t even pay to maintain and upgrade the streets it has now. How is it going to infuse seven figures into the budget in five years? The City of Norman can’t print fiat money, can it? I’ll let you all chew on this for a day and then I’ll present the rest of the information on why allowing the OTA to access our City Streets is NOT good for anyone.

NO MORE TURNPIKES

The east-west connector turnpike through Norman is a complete disaster. It’s UNNECESSARY and a blatant waste. It won't solve the traffic problems on I-35—instead, it will make them far worse. By funneling traffic from Newcastle over a 7,000-foot bridge they have the audacity to build without a permit, they'll dump thousands more vehicles onto I-35 at Indian Hills, creating a traffic nightmare for everyone. This is reckless, and Norman deserves better!

But this is the game.

This is the corrupt cycle of public-private partnerships and government at its worst. They manufacture the problem, only to swoop in with their so-called "solution"—which, of course, is always more lanes and more roads. It's a never-ending grift that benefits a select few, while the rest of us are left to deal with the consequences. This isn’t about fixing anything; it’s about lining pockets at the expense of our communities, our environment, and our future.

Call to Action

It’s time to remind our council members that we’ve already voted this down once, and it deserves to be rejected again. This so-called "partnership resolution" is absurd, and we’ve had enough of it rising from the dead. Let them know we won’t stand for it—this zombie plan needs to stay buried for good. After all, Halloween is just around the corner.

City Council Members

Mayor - Larry Heikkila; mayor@normanok.gov or 405-876-9216

Ward 1 - Austin Ball; ward1@normanok.gov or 405-876-9170

Ward 2 - Matthew Peacock; ward2@normanok.gov or 405-876-9196

Ward 3 - Bree Montoya; ward3@normanok.gov or 405-876-3143

Ward 4 - Helen Grant; ward4@normanok.gov or 405-876-9237

Ward 5 - Michael Nash; ward5@normanok.gov or 405-876-9239

Ward 6 - Joshua A. Hinkle; ward6@normanok.gov or 405-876-9262

Ward 7 - Stephen Tyler Holman; ward7@normanok.gov or 405-876-9263

Ward 8 - Scott Dixon - ward8@normanok.gov or 405-876-9166

All City Council Members: city_council_members@normanok.gov

City Manager

Darrel Pyle - darrel.pyle@normanok.gov or 405-366-5402

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