April 2021

Improvements will be made at El Reno parks and recreation courts after the city agreed to build several new pavilions and resurface basketball and tennis courts throughout town. Also, two pickleball courts will be added to the recreation inventory.

At the April city council meeting, the elected board agreed to spend $125,070 to build pavilions at Frank Knight Park, Legion Park, Burton Park, Gadberry Park, Adams Park and at Lake El Reno.

The Lake El Reno project will actually make improvements to the fishing pier. The pavilions at all the parks are to be lighted.

Elected leaders from Canadian County and El Reno are in talks to improve a stretch of road leading to the new Canadian County Expo and Event Center.

The new county fairgrounds complex is due to be finished this summer on a 50-acre site at Jensen and Alfadale, south of Interstate 40 just east of El Reno.

Lingo Construction is construction manager for the $15.2 million multi-use Expo Center.

April 20 will be remembered as a historical day in Oklahoma for Indigenous people.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 172 into law, named Ida’s Law.

Rep. Mickey Dollens first submitted Ida’s Law in December 2019 for the 2020 legislative session.

The bill passed the Judiciary Committee and House of Representatives, but due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the bill never made it out of the Senate.

Kent Lagaly, former El Reno fire chief and now assistant city manager, was honored recently by the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association with the J Ray Pence Award.

The award is presented to one fire chief a year in Oklahoma and recognizes the commitment that person has made in helping to improve fire safety and prevention in their community as well as their fire administrative abilities.

Lagaly served as fire chief for El Reno from 2002 to March of 2020 before being named assistant city manager.

The Catholic Daughters of America donated 14 new car seats to El Reno’s Love the Children Center Inc. to be given to new parents to help keep their newborns safe while in a vehicle.