City Responds to COVID-19 Guidelines
To reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the City of McAlester is implementing temporary precautionary measures at city properties effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020 until Sunday, April 5, 2020. There are no known cases of COVID-19 in Pittsburg County at the time of this release.
The J.I. Stipe Center at 801 N. 9th Street will be closed and all activities at the site are canceled through Sunday, April 5, 2020. The meals served through the Senior Nutrition Program will be distributed through pick-up and delivery services.
The Carl Albert Building at 301 E. Carl Albert Parkway will be closed at 5:00 pm on March 17, 2020, to non-essential visitors and municipal court procedures are postponed. Any citizen needing in-person assistance at the Carl Albert Building from police or dispatchers should call 918-423-1212 for direction. In case of an emergency, call 911. Anyone needing to make payments to the Municipal Court Office is advised to pay through the mail, online, or by phone at 918-421-4939, if possible.
McAlester City Hall will be closed to the public except for open meetings effective 8:00 pm on March 17, 2020. Anyone needing to make payments to the Utility Billing Office is advised to pay through the mail, online, or by phone at 918-423-9300 or through payment kiosks located at Pruett’s Grocery at 601 E. Wyandotte Ave. or the Choctaw Nation Travel Plaza at 1640 S. George Nigh Expressway.
Meetings of the McAlester City Council, Planning Commission, and other boards will continue as planned and citizens are encouraged to take advantage of “virtual” attendance such as watching live streaming on social media rather than attending in person. Customers are urged to conduct business with the city through telephone, email, and the website at www.cityofmcalester.com. The public can stay informed through the city’s official Facebook page and resources from the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
“Our top priorities are to protect the citizens of our community and ensure that our staff is able to provide critical services,” said City Manager Pete Stasiak. “The more we do to protect everyone now, the better our outcomes will be.”
Other temporary closures and cancelations in effect include the McAlester Public Library, the McAlester Expo Center, and the McAlester Tourism Office. Additionally, all recreational programs and senior citizen activities will cease until April 5, 2020.
City staff continues to closely monitor updates and recommendations from county, state, and federal officials. “We are making decisions every hour to address the real and perceived threats from the Coronavirus,” said Stasiak. “We encourage everyone to heed the warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and practice social distancing to mitigate the impact on our community.”