LAWTON Okla_ Lawton Mayor Fred
Fitch said too many kids are growing up and moving away from the area, and he
wants to change that.
Today, more than
200 young people gathered at Cameron University to create a vision for change in Lawton. It's called the Mayor's
Youth Summit and it was the final installment of four that Mayor Fitch has held
in order to get community input.
The city will
take the input from all 4 forums and use it to create a different kind of CIP,
or capital improvement program, for the future. Mayor Fitch said he wants
support for that to be headed up by the next generation.
Many of Lawton's brightest youth,
like Alex Cox, have plans too big to stay home.
"I am
looking at majoring in engineering," Cox said. "There are not really many jobs
in the engineering field."
Junior Caleb Sleet
said it's not just about the jobs, though. It's also about crime and the
overall "look" of Lawton.
"It's
about a cleaner city," Sleet said. "When you go down Cache Road and Gore Boulevard, it doesn't seem clean."
They both agree
that Lawton is
boring.
"There's
not much to do here for the kids," Sleet said.
Mayor Fitch
wants to change the kids' minds before they leave. To do that, he has to
deviate from the normal "Under the Ground CIP".
"We need something
that is above the ground that people can touch feel and utilize," Fitch
said. "We need to have things in this community that are better for the
quality of life."
Mayor Fitch said
he is determined to stay on top of the problem until it's fixed. He said one
possible way of doing that is breaking ground on more retail areas in the
community. Not only will that provide more jobs for people, it will provide things
like more money.
"So, we
will keep those tax dollars here," Fitch said. "It will give us more in our
operating budget to do more things for the quality of life in this
community."
Depending on
the feedback, he said improvements could also include more restaurants and
things to do, better parks, and opportunities for better paying jobs with an
emphasis on building businesses. He said that would make for a happier next
generation.
"I like
shopping so retail is good," Sleet said.
"If I
could have a career here, then that would change my mind a lot," Cox said.
Mayor Fitch said the summits have been very informative and helpful. He said
interestingly enough, most of the groups he has talked to are on the same page
and want to see similar changes in Lawton.
