The Ponca City Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau held their regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 23. Brad Fox called the meeting to order.

At the top of the meeting, Zack Trantham shared information on the February financial statement.

Total operating expenses for the month of February was $21,341.52, these expenses being the result of having two trade shows and a full page ad in the Oklahoma Travel Guide in the same month.

Trantham also provided tourism updates and the Chamber update.

Trantham advised that the Chamber put together a foxhunt theme basket for Leadership Oklahoma during their visit to Ponca City in the first weekend in March.

The Chamber put together a “Made in Ponca City” basket for the Ponca City Police Department’s award banquet as a door prize. They have also put together a basket for Marland’s Place’s new CEO.

The Chamber has put together several baskets for the Southwest Bonanza Fly-In held on Saturday, March 18 at the Ponca City Airport.

Certified Folders picked up 3000 visitor guides from the Chamber last week. 1500 of those will be sent to travel information centers in surrounding states.

This month the Chamber received visitors from California, Iowa and all over Oklahoma.

There is a tour group looking to come into Ponca City in May.

The “What’s Happening Ponca City” video for March is doing well and will have a new host, Jenna Wynes, starting in April.

The Chamber has submitted their full page ad for the May/ June issue of Oklahoma Today highlight the rodeo, Herb Festival, and other events. This ad will also be in the May issue of the Ponca City Monthly.

The Chamber also placed an ad with the Oklahoma Fishing Trail.

Trantham presented their budget to the city on Monday.

Leadership Oklahoma Arts will be in Ponca City on April 27 and Trantham will be on a panel discussing tourism in Ponca City.

The last two trade shows of the year for the Chamber will be in April for the Rogers, Arkansas Home and Garden Show, and the Wichita Working Women’s Show.

Philips 66 hosted the March Business After Hours at the Conoco Museum on Thursday, March 23.

Ponca Politics will also host a legislative update forum with Senator Bill Coleman and Representatives Ken Luttrell and John Pfeiffer on Friday, March 24 at City Hall at noon.

A ribbon cutting will be held for IF Welding on Thursday, March 30 at the Chamber Office at 11 am.

A Cash Mob will be held on Thursday, April 6 at Frazier’s Osage Restaurant at 11:30 am.

A lunch and learn on public speaking with Mayor Homer Nicholson will be held on Tuesday, April 11 from 11:30 am to 1 pm at the Pioneer Technology Center Conference Center. The lunch and learn is $10, call the Chamber to reserve a spot. Lunch is included.

The Chamber is collecting door prizes for their Support Staff Reception that will be held on Thursday, April 13 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Chamber Office.

A ribbon cutting will be held for US Cellular on Friday, May 5 at 10 am.

Pioneer Technology Center (PTC) will be holding an event called “The Hero Effect” with motivational speaker Kevin Brown on Wednesday, May 24 from 11 am to 1 pm in the Pioneer Technology Center Conference Center. Tickets are $20 and the price includes lunch.

Bureau members then provided their updates.

Terri Sherbon shared the Veterans Day Parade will be the first Saturday in November.

Susanne Devinney with Devinney Properties shared she has had several tourists utilize her AirBnBs.

Dawn Brakey with Pioneer Technology Center (PTC) shared an update.

There are several upcoming events at PTC including Exterior Offensive Fire Attack and Structural Fire Scene Size-up on Saturday, April 22; Manager’s Tool Belt is underway; Brook Lindsay is hosting a Facebook Business Suite: Putting it to use for you course on April 19 from 10 am to 12 pm.

There will also be a DISC assessment test available on Tuesday, May 9. This course is $75.

A mindful leadership class will be on Tuesday, May 23, and is $50.

Mayor Homer Nicholson provided an update.

Mayor Nicholson was in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma History Museum accepting an award for his auction house, which is on the national register for historic buildings. The building use to be a Coca-Cola bottling plant.

City staff is working on the budget. The current budget is $125 million, and estimates project the new budget somewhere between $130 to $135 million. There will be some increases to utility rates in some areas.

The city has ordered a new ambulance with delivery anticipated for 2024.

The city is getting ready to do mill and overlay in several places around town, one of those being Mockingbird, east of Pecan.

1st Street from Highland to 1st is expected to be milled and overlaid sometime this year.

Sue Lunsford provided an update, Marland’s Place has sold out for their Cocktails for a Cause event on April 21 at Osage Casino. They are currently speaking with the casino to see about adding more tables to sell additional tickets.

Marland’s Place is also in the process of hiring a new CEO, whom won’t start officially until the end of March.

Community Health Foundation’s Meals to Heal will be on April 22 and tickets are still available.