The Bartlesville City Council is set to consider the proposed donation of First Christian Church, located at 520 S. Osage Ave., during the council’s regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. The church is north of the Bartlesville Community Center and east of the Price Tower and the taxpayer-funded Unity Square Park.
The council will consider approval of a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines terms of the donation, which includes the City initially leasing the facility for $1 per year plus operation and maintenance costs, with final acceptance of the donation contingent upon securing financing to renovate the facility before July 1, 2023.
“If approved by the council on Monday, this will initially be a lease of the facility during the renovation planning phase,” said City Manager Mike Bailey. “If financing for the renovation is obtained by July 1, 2023, FCC will transfer the title to the City; otherwise, control will revert back to FCC.”
Bailey said while some ideas for the facility are under discussion, nothing has been decided.
“Obviously, there has been some discussion of possible uses for the facility,” he said. “But this is a multi-step process, and we are only on the first step. The council may or may not utilize their option to approve the MOU on Monday, so nothing beyond that has been determined. If the council votes to approve the proposal, the next step would be to determine future use for the building and then, if necessary, to put the funding matter before voters to decide.”
The council will also consider authorizing City staff to issue a request for proposals for a consultant to complete a conference center feasibility study during the same meeting. As part of that study, and if the council accepts the donation, the consultant would be asked to evaluate the FCC building as a possible location for a conference center.
The proposed MOU calls for the City to establish a design committee to oversee the renovation and to keep and maintain two existing columbaria on the property. It also requires the City to “strongly consider” including at least one former church member on the design committee, and to allow the words “First Christian Church,” currently etched on the exterior of the building, to remain “to the extent possible.”
The public is invited to attend the council meeting, which will be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave., and live-streamed on the City’s website. See next week’s City Beat for updates on this story.
Photo by Kelcey Nobles