Work is ongoing with the new building at 301 N. Fourth Ave. for the District Attorney’s Office and county commissioners recently met with architect Shane Knight about the project.
“He let us look at some paint colors or some flooring colors and some tile colors and he really hasn’t given an update on when the completion’s going to be, but we’re moving right along,” said District No. 3 commissioner Brandon Carr, who added that dry weather has helped with the project.
The D.A.’s office is in the former Plaza movie theater, a building that is in poor condition. Southeastern Oklahoma State University was once interested in the building to renovate as a downtown event center when Dr. Thomas Newsom was president, but Carr does not think that is on the table anymore. At one time, there was talk of donating the building to Southeastern, who would then have remodeled it.
“I think since Thomas moved on, I think we’re just probably going to sell the old building,” Carr said. “I don’t think it’s on the board anymore.
“As a county, we carried over $20,000 last year and we’re trying to recoup some money because our premiums keep going up.”
Commissioners estimated the District Attorney’s Office can move in by the first of the year. Current District Attorney Tim Webster did not seek reelection, so Assistant District Attorney Whitney Kerr will be sworn in as district attorney next year.
In other projects in the county, plans to replace the bridge over the Blue River in Armstrong are moving forward. The county received a $3 million grant for that project.
“But in that fund, it did not include design and right of way and utility relocation,” Carr said. “The (Choctaw) tribe agreed to pay for that … We have three years to complete it. It usually takes around 12 to 14 months to do design and then you got to do the right of way and acquisition, utility relocation and environmental, so I would say construction should start in about 18 months.”
Carr said that bridge is expected to be completed in three years.
In other bridge projects, a new bridge on South Chickasaw Road, south of River Road, has been completed. District No. 2 Commissioner Justin Boone said it is now in the 28-day curing time for the concrete and it should be open to the public on approximately Aug. 6.
That bridge is replacing an old and dilapidated wooden bridge that became a safety hazard.
Boone said the county obtained steel long beams to use on the project for free that were from the I-40 bridge project in Oklahoma City several years ago.
“That saved the county, I’m going to venture and say $100,000 by having those beams available for free,” Boone said.
Other bridges slated to be replaced are the one on Old Highway 70 at Blue and another one on Caddo Creek.
“Caddo Creek has got preliminary design completed,” Carr said. “They should start construction next year. Right now, we’re on environmentals and acquisition of right of way. The one on Blue River, we actually are meeting to pick the engineering firm to design and build that bridge.”
He expects the Caddo Creek bridge to be finished in 2029 or 2030 and estimated that the new Blue River bridge on the old highway will be completed in 2030 or 2031.
