Edmond Life & Leisure May 21, 2015 Page 25

Aquatic center
hiring 100-plus
Pelican Bay Aquatic Center is
seeking to hire over 100 staff
members to operate for the summer season. Lifeguarding,
Cashier, and Caf positions are
all available and pay rates range
from $8.00-$12.25 per hour. Interested candidates should apply
via the link on the City of Edmonds Pelican Bay Aquatic Center website. We are looking for
motivated, energetic individuals
who are focused on safety and
providing a memorable experience for our guests, said Nicole
Van Winkle, a member of the
Pelican Bay Aquatic Center management team.
Pelican Bay Aquatic Center is located in Edmond and provides fun,
family entertainment during the
summer. The center features waterslides, a lap pool, kids play
zone, spray features, water vortex,
and a continuous river. Swim lessons, season passes, and other programming such as pool parties and
cabana rentals will be available for
booking on May 22 onsite and online at www.Store.PelicanBayAquatics.com.
Pelican Bay Aquatic Center will
be operated by the Sports Facilities Management and Counsilman Hunsaker team. Together,
SFA|SFM and Counsilman-Hunsaker bring innovative solutions,
new budgeting and strategic approaches, improved program
plans, and management services
with a proven track record and
decades of experience.

AT&T hosts Chamber Legislative Session

RAY HIBBARD

AT&T hosted a legislative breakfast earlier this month at Oak Tree. It gave Edmond state lawmakers a chance to brief
Edmond Chamber members on the many bills and laws affecting business this legislative session. On hand for the
breakfast were, from left, State Sen. Greg Treat, event moderator and state treasurer Ken Miller, State Rep. Randy
McDaniel, Jan Moran, area manager of AT&T External Affairs and breakfast host, State Sen. A.J. Griffin, State Rep.
Kevin Calvey, State Rep. Randy Grau and State Rep. Lewis Moore.

Longtime Arledge employee retires

Mona McCool has seen monumental change during her three
decades at Arledge & Associates, including the firms growth from a
one-man office to Edmonds largest accounting firm.
When Mona was hired as the firms first employee, she worked
from the kitchen table at the founders home. Now, more than 30
years later, Mona will be reaping the rewards of retirement as she
closes in on her final day with the firm.
Mona is retiring from her position as the firms bookkeeping services director, a job that has her working with a variety of clients on issues that include payroll, payroll taxes and unaudited financial
statements. A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, McCool has a bachelors degree in accounting.
A friend, a trusted person, a colleague and a firm leader for more
than three decades, Mona will leave a great gap with her retirement,
Managing Partner Jim Denton said. We will all miss her greatly and
we certainly wish her the best.
Mona plans to spend more time with her two granddaughters, her
husband of 44 years, family, friends and her dogs. She also intends to
enjoy her hobbies as a gardener, cook and avid crafter.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Arledge and Associates recently honored retiring

bookkeeping services director Mona McCool with
a reception at the firms Edmond office. From
left are partner LaDonna Sinning, Mona McCool,
Partner Kelly Schwarz, managing partner Jim Denton and partner Andy Cromer.

Tips on retiring that annoying student loan debt

Struggling with student loans? Youre not alone.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports
that U.S. student loan debt exceeds $1 trillion and
student loan debt among seniors 65 years and
older has climbed 600 percent in the last decade.
If youre stressed to pay off or manage a mountain
of student loan debt, the Oklahoma Society of
Certified Public Accountants recommends five easy
strategies to help you climb out of the red.
1. Start now. Student loan debt is not going
away, and the longer you put it off, the more interest youll pay. The best option is to start making
payments as soon as you graduate. Set your
monthly payments as high as you can afford to
pay, so you are debt-free as soon as possible.
2. Lower your payments. If you cant afford your
monthly payments, try reducing them. See if you
can increase the amount of time you have to pay
the loan. Extending the term means youll pay
more interest over time, but reducing your
monthly expenses may be your top priority now.
You can always increase your monthly payments
once you land a big raise or promotion.
3. Consolidate your bills. Many students receive
several loans to help finance their education, which
means that you need to pay a number of different

lenders each month. To make life easier, consider

consolidating your loans so you make just one payment each month. When you consolidate, you
take out a new loan thats equivalent to your total
debt, and you use it to pay your existing balances.
If you decide to pursue this option, make sure your
loan terms wont end up costing you more money.
4. Pay more than the minimum. The longer your
loan term, the more interest you accrue. While it

might not be possible to pay more than the minimum due every month, try to put any extra money
you earn (from a bonus, raise, etc.) to your student loans. Youll pay less in the long run, and
youll be out of debt faster than if you paid the
minimum due each month.
5. Budget. Youll never get out of the red if you
continue to build debt after graduation. Set a strict
cash budget, so you know where your money is
going each month. Hold off on big purchases, such
as a new car or vacation, until youve paid down
your debt. Remember that debt is stress, and life is
easier when you dont have stress.
Whether youre looking to reduce your regular
payments or manage your student loans debt, your
local CPA can help you understand student loan
debt. Be sure to contact him or her with all of your
financial questions and concerns. If you dont have
one, get a free referral and free 30-minute consultation at www.FindYourCPA.com. For more information on paying off student loan debt, grab a
2015 OSCPA Financial Fitness Kit at an Oklahoma
public library and review the Starting Out chapter.
You can also get a free kit online (and try out debt
pay-off calculators or sign up for a free monthly enewsletter) at www.KnowWhatCounts.org.