Business View Magazine | September 2020

272 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 entities in science and technology outside the gates of their installations. For the City of Lawton and Fort Sill, that call was a significant opportunity that could not be missed. Lawton City Council moved forward in approving the FISTA trust authority in August. The Lawton Economic Development Corporation and the City Council already approved a budget that is to be funded with a $2.5 million allocation of CIP dollars, which has a special funding category for industrial economic development. FISTAs activities are slated to include defense-related industrial space for research and development, science and technology laboratory rooms, and an initial prototyping integrating facility. The authority and City leadership are currently scouting locations for development of a facility or facilities that will allow for this. Booker says the FISTA will be a new economic driver in Lawton, as the federal government is expected to award contracts to defense and technology firms for research and development in many fields. “The citizens of Lawton put forth their hard-earned tax dollars to move this city forward; they have faith in their community and are willing to invest in it to move it towards the future,” he exclaims. “There will be high tech jobs in support of the CFTs. Many exciting happenings are in the works.” City Manager Michael Cleghorn values the relationship that the City of Lawton shares with Fort Sill, as well as the support of many partner agencies that continuously work together to grow and improve the Lawton community. “The CIP and the FISTA are geared toward moving the Lawton Fort Sill community toward the future and that includes providing jobs based in science, technology and engineering,” Cleghorn notes. The local education sector supports such endeavors and places an emphasis on studies that reflect that mission. Lawton has been named a STEM City of Oklahoma due to its Mayor, Stan Booker