Hearing to start eminent domain process for 92-year-old woman’s Ponca City home
The Ponca City Board of Education says it needs the land her house sits on to build a new multi-purpose indoor athletic facility and soccer fields
The Ponca City Board of Education says it needs the land her house sits on to build a new multi-purpose indoor athletic facility and soccer fields
The Ponca City Board of Education says it needs the land her house sits on to build a new multi-purpose indoor athletic facility and soccer fields
A hearing will begin Thursday in a controversial battle for possession of a 92-year-old woman's Ponca City home.
| MORE | Family of 92-year-old woman fight to keep her home in Ponca City
The Ponca City Board of Education is suing a 92-year-old woman with dementia, saying they need the land her house sits on to build a new multi-purpose indoor athletic facility and soccer fields.
Frances Welch's attorney said he plans to ask the court to dismiss the eminent domain petition.
"We don't know why she would need to be forced out of her home at this time," attorney Harlen Hentges told KOCO 5 earlier in the week.
Ponca City Public Schools released a statement saying: "We understand the process of eminent domain will be a hardship for the families involved; however, we are trying to make this process as convenient as possible for the property owners. The district has willingly made generous offers to ensure improved accommodations for the families and we are following a methodical process to accomplish this task."
Hentges said money isn't the issue.
"Money cannot protect her from the damage to her quality of life during the short time she has left," Hentges said. "This is not about money. This is about a family, a society, a community’s responsibility for their most vulnerable members."