A hoped-for medical facility will not be built in Henryetta. At least not this year.
The East Central Oklahoma Family Health Center (ECOFHC) had been hoping to receive a $1 million grant to build a 5,600 square foot facility at the Shurden-Leist Industrial park.
ECOFHC executive director Donna Dyer said that grant application was not approved by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA).
She said there were six other applicants in Oklahoma and none of those received any federal help.
If it had been approved, the new facility would have employed up to 20 people.
Dyer said she was disappointed the grant application was not approved and was unable to say what would happen to those plans in the future.
"it's a tragedy that our state did not get any federal grant funding to help promote quality affordable care to our communities," said mayor Jennifer Clason. "I was looking forward to seeing a much larger health benefit to our citizens. I am very saddened by the news."
In July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had given the city a Certificate of Completion designating the site ready to be used for such a facility.
There were several people in the community that had opposed the location claiming there was still pollution from the old smelter site. Several emails alleging the site is still polluted have been sent to several agencies in an effort to get the grant from being approved. Those claims have been refuted by both EPA and ODEQ.
That opposition prompted a public meeting in August with EPA and Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality representatives.
During that public meeting, representatives from both agencies met with local residents saying the site was suitable to be used for a medical facility.

See related story: Old smelter site ready for re-use