The Oklahoma Centennial Commission was established to help commemorate Oklahoma's 100th year of statehood in 2007. Various projects are in the commission's plan, including the restoration of historic properties in time for the state's centennial, according to the commission's Web site.
A new heritage center at Dwight Mission is on the list of centennial projects that have been approved.
Allison Beavers, mission program director, said funding for the mission will be used to refurbish one of the mission's buildings into a heritage center. She said the building was the mission's old administration building and later an old school building. Built in 1917, the facility has classrooms and a 200-seat auditorium that is no longer in use. Beavers said the building is now dilapidated and the inside is used only for storage.
Beavers said the mission's goal would be to use the centennial money to refurbish the building so several rooms could be used as meeting areas. She said part of the building would also be turned into a heritage center, which would be a type of museum of Dwight Mission that would include state and mission history and artifacts.
The mission is now waiting to hear if they will get the necessary funding for the center.
"We're waiting anxiously just as many others are," Haan Phelps, mission executive director, said. Phelps said the mission requested $1 million for the project in 1999.
The mission, which was originally founded in 1820, is a year-round conference, retreat, and camping center that is located on 176 acres. The mission offers a full summer camp program and sponsors retreats during the year. The mission is also available to outside groups for church retreats and family reunions.
Beavers said the mission is at a disadvantage now because when guests visit the staff can tell them about the mission and give them printed information, but there is no good place at the mission to display artifacts.
Dwight Mission was one of the 40 mission schools for Indians that the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. had in what is now Oklahoma and was the last of these schools to be closed. It is currently under the direction of the Agency for Dwight Mission, a volunteer board elected from within the three Presbyteries in Oklahoma, according to the mission's Web site.
Jeanie Edney, deputy director of the Centennial Commission, said the state governor, president pro tem and the speaker have released a unity letter in support of funding for the centennial projects.
Edney said funding is indicated to be $16 million, with $4 million going to Oklahoma City, $4 million to Tulsa, and $8 million for communities outside of Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
She said it is up to legislators to approve the funding, a move the commission is now waiting for.
"We do not have that funding because the legislative session hasn't started," Edney said.
She said when the legislative session begins Feb. 6 and the commission sees how much funding they will receive, then the commission will be looking at distributing the funds.
Edney said approved projects must have at least one-third matching funds for the program.
She said the governor's letter indicated support for supplemental funding, which Edney said is funding that comes during the session so there is no delay. With supplemental funding, the commission can make sure funds are distributed to communities quickly so projects can be dedicated in the centennial year, 2007.
"We're excited if this happens," Edney said. "The next step is working with legislators to get funding."
State Rep. Glen "Bud" Smithson (D-Sallisaw) is one local legislator who supports the funding. He said he pushed for the centennial funding last year, but it wasn't approved during the session.
Smithson said two programs he is interested in are Dwight Mission and Sequoyah's Home northeast of Sallisaw. He said he and other legislators would like to carryover some funding to Sequoyah's Home since it is essentially operated by one person and is in need of improvements.
Smithson said they attempted to have a special session over the summer to help fund the Department of Corrections, and they were also going to address centennial funding, but that didn't happen.
"It's very important to me," Smithson said of the projects.
While Smithson said he hasn't been able to get very far with obtaining the funding, he said he has high hopes.
"We have the governor's support this year," Smithson said, noting that the governor also indicated that he supported the funding last year.
Smithson said the state should have extra revenue to draw from this year. He said while he hasn't seen all the projects requested, he said he knows the ones in his area are important.
"That's our history," Smithson said. "We're letting them sit here and deteriorate."
Smithson said those who visit Dwight Mission or Sequoyah's Home bring revenue to the area by eating at local restaurants and buying gas.
"Our county doesn't have a lot of things, other than the lakes, to draw in people," he said. "These are two of the few things we do have that are very special to the county. I'd like to take care of them."
Smithson said the full legislative session begins the first Monday in February, and the pre-session starts the last Monday in January.
