Nov. 15 has been set as the official start date for the voter-approved Sooner Pool Expansion Project, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers said this week.
A discretionary project included on the 2013 Half-cent Sales Tax extension ballot, the expansion involves the construction of two 45-foot slides, group shelters and other general improvements to the existing Sooner Pool facilities located in Sooner Park, 420 S.E. Madison Blvd.
“We had a pre-construction meeting for this project last week and have set the official start date as Nov. 15,” Siemers said Monday. “Their target date for completion is July 5. We anticipate the pool will open for the summer season as it normally does in May, as the new elements of the project will be constructed adjacent to the existing pool deck so work will be ongoing as we approach that July 5 deadline.”
The project overall, which also includes a resurfacing of the pool, is expected to cost approximately $2.8 million. Funding resources include voter-approved Half-cent Capital Improvement Project Sales Tax and General Obligation Bond funds (for the parking lot repair portion).
Siemers said contract crews will begin work on the parking lot in the pool area in the first leg of the project, then move toward the slides, tower and concrete deck installation.
“We know a lot of people are excited about this project, and we’re looking forward to getting it started,” he said.
Bartlesville Community Center
Two voter-approved projects underway at the Bartlesville Community Center — the concrete repair project and the auditorium renovation — continue to progress nicely.
Auditorium renovation: The seats
The auditorium renovation is still ongoing but contract crews have begun the installation of new seats and will continue to progress on a weekly basis, Siemers said
“The new seats are going in and they look great,” he said. “(Contract crews) came in Monday and they got the first four or five sections of seats installed. They’ll come back this week with an even larger crew and install more. It’s a process, but the goal is for them to have as many seats as possible installed for the BCC’s larger events coming up through the holiday season.”
Auditorium renovation: ADA modernization
In September, the City Council approved funding for a project that will help modernize ADA seating at the BCC auditorium. Using money left over from ongoing BCC projects, some standard seating has been installed in the space designated for wheelchairs to allow seating for both in the same area.
“The original building did not have any wheelchair accessible seating areas, so years ago existing seating was removed in the bottom right portion of the auditorium and an elevated deck was constructed to provide space for around five wheelchairs,” Siemers said, noting that a wall was constructed to provide a barrier between the chairs and the row of seating above.
“While this provides a space for wheelchairs, it does not provide the option for someone in a wheelchair to sit next to a friend or family member who does not have a wheelchair.”
Siemers said the wheelchair accessible deck has been extended and standard auditorium seating has been installed with spaces next to them for wheelchairs — “more similar to what you would see in modern movie theaters, stadiums and auditoriums,” he said.
Concrete repairs
Contract crews began construction at the beginning of August to rehabilitate the concrete drive on the west side of the BCC. Funding for the project comes from the 2013 Half-cent Capital Improvement Projects Sales tax. Construction is wrapping up this week or next, Siemers said Monday.
“We just poured the final section of concrete on Friday and, other than a couple of light wells that need to be poured, once the concrete cures it should be up and running,” he said. “We still have to seal the joints, but that shouldn’t take long at all. I expect this project to be wrapped up in the week or two.”
Photo courtesy of the Bartlesville Community Center
Frank Phillips Water Line
The Frank Phillips Water Line Replacement Project underway along Frank Phillips between U.S. Highway 75 and Silver Lake Road is nearing completion.
The project, which got underway in February, involves replacing two 60-plus-year-old water lines with a 20-inch line. The line is one of the main feeds for the nearby hospital and for the City’s “Hot, Warm and Cold” tanks.
“This project has been ongoing for some time but is getting close to completion,” Siemers said this week. “We did the tie-ins yesterday at Silver Lake Road for the main 20-inch tie-in, and should start another one today near Birch Avenue. The last one we’ll do is near CVS, west of U.S. Highway 75. After those tie-ins are complete they’ll start laying sod and cleaning up to just finish the restoration portion of the project. We anticipate the project being complete in another couple of weeks.”
Woodland Drainage Project
Approved by voters in the 2018 General Obligation Bond Election, the Quail Place Tributary Project, often referred to as the Woodland Drainage Project, got underway in November 2020.
The project consists of improvements to the drainage system in the Woodland Park area, which has experienced flooding issues in recent years. Work on the tributary will essentially increase the size and capacity of the existing concrete-lined drainage channel and the box culvert under Cherokee Hills Drive.
Work got underway on the west end of the project at Cherokee Hills Drive near the end of the year in 2020, and several issues have caused delays beyond anyone’s control, Siemers has said recently of the project.
“Unfortunately, we are still laboring through this one. It’s about 50 percent complete,” he said Monday. “Basically, three things conspired to slow down this project. First, the project was slow to get started because of heavy rainfall. Another problem — and by far the most significant in terms of delays — is that we hit solid rock. These issues, combined with the fact that they’re working in such a confined space, have caused this project to progress much more slowly than we would have liked.”
Siemers said he is hopeful the most tedious portion of the project, chipping out rock, has already been completed and that the next portions will move more quickly.
“What I’m hoping is that the harder portion of it is the one that’s already done — the Cherokee Hills section,” he said. “So, if that’s the case, we’re looking at another three months to get this project wrapped up. We realize it’s an inconvenience for the neighbors, but hopefully they can hang with us a little bit longer. We are making progress, so that is good news.”