Lawton City Council ready to find a concessionaire to operate School House Slough

Action to create a new city entity to manage city lakes is expected to dovetail with operations at School House Slough as city officials move forward with plans to find a new operator for the concession area.

The City of Lawton has been managing the area since Jan. 1 after long-time concessionaire Kent Waller ended his tenure Dec. 31, 2022. While City Council members have been talking since fall about the issue, there hasn’t been much movement in deciding how the concession area would operate, beyond direction last month to seek bids for an automated fueling system for those who use the lake.

The existing fueling system has been closed since the nearby general store closed, leaving boaters without an option to refuel without leaving the lake. And, the interest in those amenities definitely is there, as a busy July 4 proved.

The shoreline in School House Slough was crowded, with vehicles and boats waiting in line to get on and off the water, despite the fact the general store has not opened this season and the gas pumps were shuttered because there is no one to operate them. The sign in the store window directed people to other locations to obtain the permits they need for lake activities.

Rance Huddleston and Jeremy Woodward said the closures have definitely made an impact on boaters.

“There’s no fuel. It’s closed,” Huddleston said, adding boaters must leave the water when they need gas for their watercraft, or even something as simple as snacks and drinks for hungry and thirsty passengers.

Both men were intrigued by the possibility of another operator taking over the School House Slough concession and returning the store and fuel pumps to operation, putting the variety of things once available at the store back within easy reach.

“You’ve got to leave the water,” Woodward said, of the only real option now for those who don’t bring enough to last the day or who run out of supplies or gas.

Parks and Recreation Director Christine James said there is a decided interest in operating the popular concession area: she said 17 entities and individuals have expressed an interest. But there are details that still must be decided.

Ward 4 Councilman George Gill said the city is “in a situation with the pre-signee (School House Slough Inc.)” about the transfer of assets that Waller added during his tenure. Interim City Attorney Tim Wilson said under the terms of the lease, the new concessionaire must purchase all buildings and improvements built by Waller, based on the structural value of those assets. Wilson said city officials are waiting for the last of the three appraisals the city requires to determine structural value.

Gill said that provision will be an issue that will prompt some people to drop their interest, predicting that when some see the value of those structural assets, “they will run.”

James said city staff intends to have the Requests For Proposals (RFPs) from interested entities back by Aug. 15 so the process can be accomplished quickly.

“Time is of the essence,” Gill said.