City Council Rewind of meetings held on Sept. 5, 2023

From the return of the outdoor ice rink in the Rose District to presentations about the 2023 Rooster Days Festival and updates on recent projects of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, there is plenty to unpack from the meetings of Broken Arrow City Council, Municipal Authority, and Economic Development Authority on September 5, 2023.

Here is a recap of the meetings on Tuesday night.

The ice rink at the Rose District Pavilion is scheduled to open for business on Nov. 10, 2023, after City Council approved the promotional license agreement with Ice Challenge Enterprises, LLC. Setup is expected to begin November 1.

Council authorized the City to receive $406,225 in Community Development Block Grant funds allocated to provide a suitable living environment for income-eligible persons and expand economic opportunities. The City’s Homeowner Emergency Repair Assistance Program will receive $50,000 while the remaining $356,225 will go toward street rehabilitation improvements on Iola Street between Elm Place and 1st Street. The contract for the CDBG funds can be found here.

The purchase of a 2020 Transit T-350 passenger all-electric van was approved. The van is equipped with seven seats, a wheelchair area, and side-mounted lift. The van will be used for the microtransit program that will be launched in Broken Arrow in 2024.

Want to know more about the ice rink, the Homeowner Emergency Repair Assistance Program, and the microtransit program? Here's the City Council Rewind featuring Mayor Debra Wimpee.

Broken Arrow Fire Department was given approval to change vendors for its EMS billing services. The contract with Digitech Computer LLC commences on October 1, 2023, and will provide an immediate savings in the cost of services billed to BAFD.

Broken Arrow Police Department will purchase two new BMW motorcycles for its traffic division following City Council’s approval. BAPD has added two new motorcycle officer positions. 5th Gear Cycles of Broken Arrow was awarded the sale following its $56,266.10 bid.

City Council was briefed about the success of the 2023 Rooster Days Festival that was held May 18 through 21 at Central Park. The Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce reported that 31,500 visitors were in attendance, 14 food vendors, more than 120 marketplace vendors, 70 parade participants, and more than 250 participants in the run. You can hear more about this year’s event by watching the meeting here. Save the dates! The 2024 Rooster Days Festival is scheduled for May 16 through 19.

A representative of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority provided an updated on recent projects to the Council. You review the OTA's website Access Oklahoma for more information or listen to the entire update here.

A $323,611 construction contract was awarded to Ground Level, LLC for improvements to the detention ponds in The Park on Florence 2nd subdivision. This project is intended to mitigate potential flooding issues from inadequately sized detention pond systems built during the original development. More information can be found here.

You may view the full agenda of the City Council meeting here.

Broken Arrow Municipal Authority Meeting

The Utilities Department received the go-ahead to purchase two Hydro Vacuum Excavators. These units precisely excavate soil around buried utilities which reduces the risk of damaging utilities, minimizing service disruptions, and ensuring the safety of both workers and the public. The cost of the excavators is $193,600.

The trustees received the Water Supply Report and Wastewater Discharge Monitoring Report for the month of July. The total amount of water treated at the Verdigris River Water Treatment Plant in July was 517.0 million gallons. The total amount of wastewater collected, treated and discharged at the Lynn Lane Wastewater Treatment Plant was 165.927 million gallons.

You may view the full agenda of the BAMA meeting here.

Broken Arrow Economic Development Authority Meeting

At the request of the Authority for a monthly update on the progress of the Aspen Ridge Development, the trustees were provided a report for the month of August. The developer is compliant with the terms of the Economic Development Agreement, Kum & Go has indicated a goal to be open at the end of 2023, and Chipotle broke ground on its building. To see the entire report, download the memorandum attached to the agenda item here.

The trustees were presented with an executive summary and proposed layout of the Innovation District. No action was taken as a final layout will be presented for consideration of approval at a meeting later this year. The proposed layout is attached to the agenda item and may be viewed here.

You may view the full agenda of the BAEDA meeting here.

The next regular meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, 2023.