Here's a look beyond the dirt and cones
 Elam Park is a brand-new park that is coming to southwest Broken Arrow that will be opening soon.
Project updates for August 2024
This month's Broken Arrow in Motion update includes information about the new 23rd Street bridge, a new park that’s coming to south Broken Arrow, and many other infrastructure improvements underway for the amphitheater project.
Quality of Life improvements—
- Elam Park in south Broken Arrow is nearing completion and almost ready for your family to enjoy. The trees have been planted, and the installation of the sod is wrapping up. The restroom fixtures look great, and the contractor is installing the slides and the final pieces of the playground. Electricity is expected to be connected at the park near the end of this month. Once the final landscaping is finished, the park will be ready for its grand opening!
- The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority approved a new connection to the Creek Turnpike from inside Events Park. The button hook loop will allow driver access to the northbound Creek Turnpike without exiting the park. This new connection will be one of four access points to exit Events Park to help quickly, efficiently, and safely clear the parking lots after events at the amphitheater. Plus, grading for the parking lots and detention ponds is also underway. The sanitary sewer lines and waterline interconnections are being installed. Preparation for the new pedestrian bridge connection at the park’s entry is underway. And the electrical package installation has just been awarded.
- The City’s Streets paving crew has laid three lifts of asphalt on 43rd Street next to Rosewood Elementary. This is the new road that will connect Events Park to Washington Street where it intersects Highway 51. The asphalt part of this roadway is completed. The Stormwater crew will now begin pouring the concrete approach off Gary Street. Striping begins this week, and then the south end of this new street will be completed. The Stormwater crew will be shaping the shoulders and drainage ditches and laying the sod to wrap up this portion of the project.
Connectivity improvements—
- On 23rd Street, also known as County Line Road, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation project from Houston to Kenosha is nearing completion. The new bridge over State Highway 51 is finished and the drainage structures are all in place. The contractor is finishing up the asphalt for the remainder of the project. ODOT anticipates they will be wrapping up this project by the end of August.
- Also, on County Line Road, the resurfacing project from Albany to Kenosha finished just in time for the start of school. There are a few small items to check off before the project is fully complete, but it is open and drivable now. The Broken Arrow Tiger's first football game is August 30th versus Springdale Har-Ber, and it should be a smooth drive for everyone heading to the game.
- Heading east, the new waterline on the 37th Street widening project from Albany to Kenosha is complete. Now, we are widening the northwest portion of the roadway. Southbound traffic will be closed for 90 days, but the northbound traffic lane is still open. The construction doesn't impact access to Walmart.
- A new project will begin in mid to late September on Houston Street, from Olive to Garnett. The roadway will be widened from three to five lanes and a 10-foot-wide trail will be added on the north side of the street. This project will also connect the existing sidewalk on the south side because connectivity is crucial. As we improve our roadways around the City, we are making an effort to improve our sidewalks and trails system so that walking can be a viable mode of transportation for residents if they choose.
Clean water and drinking water improvements—
- Speaking of trails, the Utilities Construction crew is installing a new 8-inch water line for the Broken Arrow Creek Trail II project and is 50 percent complete. We are replacing an 8-inch water main that was put into service back in 1911 to make way for the new biking trail along First Place between Washington Street and New Orleans Avenue.
- Over at Camino Villa, the installation of a new sanitary sewer pipe is more than halfway complete. Once that is finished, manhole repairs and installation will begin. We anticipate this project finishing around Thanksgiving.
For more, watch Broken Arrow in Motion with City Manager Michael Spurgeon.
Streets and Stormwater Director Tim Wilson
The City of Broken Arrow has a new Streets and Stormwater Department Director. City Manager Michael Spurgeon announced that Tim Wilson, who has been serving as the interim director since March, has been promoted to full-time director.
Wilson has worked at the City of Broken Arrow for five and a half years and served as the Assistant Director under former Director Rocky Henkel. Wilson became the interim director of Streets and Stormwater when Henkel became the Community Development Director.
"With Tim's get-things-done attitude and dedication to the City of Broken Arrow organization, he has earned this promotion," Spurgeon said. "Assistant City Manager of Operations Kenny Schwab and I are excited for Tim to officially take the helm of the department. We know he will proudly continue the Council and the Administration's vision of great service to the citizens of Broken Arrow."
Wilson says he is excited about the opportunity to serve in the new role.
"Broken Arrow is growing, and I love being a part of that growth," he said. "I have two passions in life; one is to serve others, and the other is to improve things. In this role, I get to do both."
While Wilson may be new to this position, he has extensive experience in local government in northeastern Oklahoma. He worked for four years as the Public Works Director, four years as the Superintendent of Streets and Solid Waste, served two years as the Interim City Manager, and three years as the Assistant City Manager, all for the City of Miami. In addition, Wilson also served as the Mayor of Quapaw and as the second Chief of the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.
In the private sector, Wilson has owned and operated an asphalt paving company, where he built parking lots and paved numerous city streets and highways in a four-state area.
"I have always been around construction in some form or fashion, and as I mentioned earlier, I love improving things," he said. "Turning a rough, faded street into a black, smooth street with new reflective striping fulfills my passion."
Wilson's goals for the Streets and Stormwater Department include:
—Enhancing the stormwater maintenance program.
—Improving the quality of striping.
—Getting aggressive on preventive street maintenance.
For more, go to City names new Streets and Stormwater Director.
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A loan agreement with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) will finance parts of 21 water utility improvement projects in the City of Broken Arrow, totaling $20.2 million.
The low-interest loan will be used for Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Improvement Projects as part of the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Programs.
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Broken Arrow City Council approved Resolution No. 1597, which authorizes the Broken Arrow Municipal Authority (BAMA) to issue, sell, and deliver its Series 2024A Promissory Note to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. It also authorizes the loan's acceptance and the issuance of a promissory note not exceeding $21,450,000.
"The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has been there ever since I can remember, and they are there for the communities to provide safe drinking water and sanitary sewer water for the cities," said City Councilor Johnnie Parks.
The program will finance 11 Clean Water projects to improve the sanitary sewer system, totaling just over $12 million.
Two of the projects to be funded through the loan are at the Haikey Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (HCWWTP). The plant services Broken Arrow and Tulsa and is a part of the Regional Metropolitan Utility Authority (RMUA). The RMUA is a joint venture between the cities of Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, and Owasso. Its purpose is to maintain, operate, and provide water supply, wastewater, and pollution control facilities.
One of the HCWWTP projects is a composting facility, that is expected to cost more than $30 million to build. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $9 million toward the project, which leaves approximately $24 million to be split evenly between the City of Tulsa and the BAMA. The plan is to fund the project with OWRB loans over the next two years.
"We try to look after the environment and the ecology with everything the City does," Parks said. "Really, the water is better when we empty it back into the Arkansas River than when we take it out of the river."
Another 10 projects, estimated to cost $8.2 million, will improve the City's drinking water infrastructure. For example, funds from the Safe Drinking Water (SDW) Loan Program will provide $870,000 to design the Oklahoma Ordinance Works Authority (OOWA)/Grand River Line Connection, which, when the entire project is completed will give the City an additional water source besides the Verdigris River.
The Safe Drinking Water project list also includes a 2-million-gallon (MG) water tank restoration project at Tiger Hill, estimated to cost $1.6 million to design and construct.
For a complete list of projects to be funded through the Clean Water Loan Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program go to$21.45 million for water improvements in FY25.
 The City of Broken Arrow has a Homeowner Emergency Repair Assistance Program available to residents of owner-occupied homes for repairs to housing items which pose an immediate threat to the health and safety of the occupants.
The program is funded through a Community Development Block Grant with the purpose of remediating immediate safety concerns to improve living conditions and energy efficiency for low and moderate-income occupants of single-family homes.
The City will provide the funds to pay the contractor for the emergency repairs; there is no cost to the qualified homeowner.
Terms and conditions apply, go to Homeowner Emergency Repair Assistance for more information.
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