Durant City Council in its regular meeting last week voted to apply for a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant funding request from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
If awarded, the City would conduct a procurement process to contract a professional engineer consultant to work with staff and conduct community engagement to develop the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan.
The plan will identify existing roadway and safety deficiencies in the community to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users.
Tiffany Steele, assistant grant coordinator for the city, said the council approved an application for this last year, but unfortunately, it was never submitted.
“It is extremely competitive, however, the requirements are is that you have a high fatality rate,” Steele said. “They consider a high fatality rate at 17 persons per 100,000. Durant is actually 28.4, so we’re in that bracket that we should hopefully get approved.”
Mark Mesiti-Miller, chair of the Durant Sustainability Coalition, explained the program in an email. DSC recently had two workshops to discuss ideas to improve Main Street.
“The council agreed to authorize (City Manager) Pamela Polk to apply for a Planning and Demonstration Grant under the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program as administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation,” Mesiti-Miller said. “The council also agreed to provide $51,030 for the 20% matching funds needed to fund the $255,150 total cost of preparing a Safety Action Plan. The SS4A program will provide 80% of the cost of preparing the SAP.”
According to Mesiti-Miller, the Safety Action Plan (SAP) will empower the city to then apply for an implementation grant under the same SS4A program.
“Should an implementation grant be funded, the SS4A program will then pay 80% of the cost of the design and construction of any project to improve safety in Durant identified in the SAP,” Mesiti-Miller said. “In my opinion, the regular flooding of Main Street and the abysmal lack of pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian actuated signals, are a few examples of the type of improvements that would be eligible under the SS4A program.
“Bottom line, the City will be well served to seek SS4A funding for all street improvement projects but especially along West Main Street. It is quite likely, the City could get $15 million worth of improvements completed for only $3 million. The SS4A program is particularly beneficial as it will pay 80% of the cost of both design and construction while most grant programs will only pay 80% of the cost for construction leaving the city to pay for all the design costs out of local funds.”
In other action, the council approved a $456,089.20 street improvement project from J & L Paving.
Public Works Director Phillip Hightower said the funding is from money leftover from the budget and the project will be for milling, overlaying and striping of streets. “We picked West University to 49th,” Hightower said. “There are some curbs we have issues with. We’re going to put in new curbs there. We’re going to pave and mill over to 49th and then from 49th to Main Street south. This all came in under bid. We only had one bidder.”
Hightower said J & L Paving is the same company that worked on Rodeo Road last year and that this company works very quickly.
Council members approved an offer from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to purchase property in the amount of $18,280.00 for the Highway 78 project.
Hightower said this property is an easement and ODOT is going to widen First Avenue and Gerlach in front of the former highway patrol station.
In a divided vote, the council appointed Scott DeWald to the Durant Industrial Authority Board.
DeWald’s daughter, Grace Rudolf, currently serves on that board and Vice Mayor Mike Simulescu asked if it could be a conflict of interest because of another family member being on the board.
Mayor Martin Tucker said it is a non-paid position and it has been researched.
“There is no conflict but I understand your concern,” Tucker said.
Tucker and council members Danny Sherrer and Humphrey Miller voted for the appointment. Simulescu and council member Lauran Fuller voted no.
The council approved City Manager Polk to represent the city as an authorized representative for grant-related matters, which is something that had to be approved since she is the new city manager.
The council also voted on the following agenda items: - Approved rezoning property at 301 N. 16th Ave. from Residential-2 to Commercial- 1 for a proposed daycare facility.
- Approved a rezone and replat request for property at 4332 N. Washington Ave. from Agriculture-1 to Residential-1 for a new residence at the front of the property.
- Approved a replat request for property 175 feet north of the San Angelo Lane and Washington Avenue intersection to divide the parcel in half and use a shared driveway.