OKEENE, Okla. (KFOR) – An Okeene dive bar fights for its future after being closed for months. Bar ownership blames the city after an asphalt project led to flooding.
It was the hottest spot for a cold beer in Blaine County for decades.
But business at the Galvanized Palace has cooled of late. The “Gal Pal” has been closed now for months.
Owner Amy Reames claims a big part of the closing is out of her control.
With every rain comes flooding through the west wall and back door. It’s a by-product of city construction, after asphalt work on the back alley.
City leadership, years ago, agreed to build a berm to slow the flow.
That fix, though, fell flat, making matters worse, says Amy.
“That’s all they were willing to do,” she said. “They were done.”
He told our team he was largely unaware of the bar’s issues, having not been contacted before, but would be willing to help find a fix.
“It’s a bad deal for the town,” said Richard. “We’re so reliant on sales tax we hate to lose any business.”
Now, in November, a new Gal Pal city project is recently completed.
“[The city] were going to do a project that created a three-foot swell, or ditch, with a little bit of a grade on it,” Amy said. “[The city] was hoping would flow that water to the south instead of coming in the bar.”
Amy tells our team she was excited by the progress, but disappointed in a lack of communication.
Just days after completion, the project faced its first rainfall, and much to Amy’s chagrin the flooding continued.
“I think it did help a little bit,” she noted. “But we’re still having flooding even with a half-inch rain.”
So, it’s back to the drawing board, and back to city hall for the Gal Pal.
Ownership is optimistic a fix will be found on the next round.
“Wish we could really work together to try and get this resolved,” added Amy.
Richard Raupe tells KFOR he hasn’t had a chance to see the project following the most recent rain.
He says he was confident his project would help fix the situation, but is willing to take another look if it proves ineffective.
