Maybe that’s not a good idea

The Route 66 town of Depew, Okla., is considering the annexation of 107 acres of land west of town that includes Charlie Elliott’s Route 66 Biker Park, according to the Sapulpa Daily Herald.

A public hearing on the proposal will be held 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at the Depew Town Hall. Three of the town’s five trustees must vote in favor for the annexation to pass.

According to the newspaper, Mayor Robert Talley wants the annexation:

Talley is on record as supporting the annexation of the biker rally camp, noting the extra revenues from sales taxes the town would receive from events held on the Elliott property.

Perhaps that’s true. However, Talley and the trustees had better think long and hard about this.

Several years ago, Elliott’s Route 66 Biker Park hosted such raucous parties — including topless karaoke — that neighbors complained. (Elliott’s property sits in a rural area.) Creek County authorities stepped in and ended the big bashes there.

Elliott even made the highly dubious claim that his business was a church and that it wasn’t subject to county rules regarding large gatherings. He made equally dubious and outrageous claims against the county (this MySpace page will give you a taste).

Until they were banned, Elliott’s supporters showed up on this site and obnoxiously lambasted his critics.

So this proposal essentially would allow Elliott to skirt county rules, because his property would fall under Depew jurisdiction.

Yes, Depew might gain extra money from Elliott’s operations. But the town also would gain someone who’s been shown to be — at the least — a bad neighbor. One would have to question whether that’s a good trade-off.

2 thoughts on “Maybe that’s not a good idea

  1. Property values are high and people, it seems, do not care about what was there and its meaning. I really hope three smart people vote against it.

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