Guymon takes over former Elks Lodge, begins work on public park site

Guymon has taken ownership of the former B.P.O. Elks Lodge No. 1885 property and crews are already on site clearing, landscaping and doing general maintenance to prepare it for public use.

City officials said the work is aimed at turning the property into usable park space, a change that could give west-side neighborhoods another place to gather outdoors while also addressing the look and condition of a prominent parcel on Sunset Dr. The city said the improvements are meant to make the site safer, more attractive and easier to access, with work expected to continue over the coming weeks.

The property carries a long local history. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks lists Guymon Lodge No. 1885 as having been instituted in 1953, with the lodge located at 6000 Sunset Dr., Guymon, OK 73942-5811. The lodge listing also shows 28 current members. What was once a private lodge is now headed toward public use, giving the city a chance to reuse existing land rather than develop new ground elsewhere in town.

That matters in Guymon, where the city already operates 13 parks covering about 160 acres. Adding another public green space would build on that system, not replace it, and could have a noticeable impact in Texas County, which had a population of 21,384 in the 2020 census. In a community of that size, even a single new park can shape where families walk, where children play and how residents use nearby streets and parking.

Public input is part of the process as well. The city is asking residents to weigh in on what the former Elks site should become through a survey, and the public can also speak at Guymon City Council meetings, which are held at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The city says residents are invited to comment on both agenda and non-agenda items.

Guymon’s Parks Board also has open positions listed on the city’s website, giving residents another route into the discussion as the property is transformed. For now, the focus is on cleanup and access, but the larger question is whether the former lodge can become a park that fits the neighborhood around it and serves the city for years to come.