Editor’s note: the various projects will be examined in order of priority set by NODA. This article outlines the desirable projects only.
The Northern Oklahoma Development Authority, or NODA, has issued a plan for capital improvements in the city of Watonga.
That plan designates the various projects as being mandatory, meaning the city’s hand is being forced by public health needs or state or federal requirements. Those projects were outlined two weeks ago in the Watonga Republican. Other projects are considered essential, necessary to maintain health and welfare of the residents although no immediate risk is noted. Those projects were reviewed in last week’s edition of the Watonga Republican. This week we look at desirable projects, indicating they will be needed within the next few years to prevent systems from becoming obsolete and provide for future growth. Lastly, we will examine deferrable projects, which means there is no set time for the need to be addressed. The four categories together represent a combined cost of $44.34 million.
The desirable projects basically keep the town infrastructure updated and allow for municipal growth.
The projects lumped together add up to $8.87 million in estimated costs and cover everything from sewage treatment to dump trucks.
One need is an emergency generator for city hall. It would be employed in the event of an emergency/power outage and is expected to cost $60,000. The city should also acquire an ambulance, expected to cost $350,000.
An upgrade to the poles in Legion Park is an anticipated need in the next five years. The 12 poles in need of upgrade would cost some $500,000.
To keep the city utilities up-to-date, the city needs two utility trucks with an annual cost of $70,000. A backhoe, another desirable project, would cost about $100,000. A standby 25 horsepower pump for the lift station at the sewage treatment facility comes in at about $25,000.
Also at the sewage treatment facility, a 40’x50’ barn ought to be constructed to house the department office, lab and additional space for a dog pound. The existing pound will have to be relocated as part of a update at the plant currently underway. The barn would cost $25,000. The old city water tower should be removed at a cost of $90,000.
The second phase of remediation of a sewage line behind the Dollar General store would replace 500 feet of line and include an underground highway crossing with a price tag of $400,000.
Replacing the old sewage line from the treatment plant to the edge of the city – about 1.5 miles – with a manhole every 500 feet, and a line buried 12-15 feet deep will cost about $7 million. Three pumps at the treatment plant will cost about $100,000.
These projects, in a perfect world, would be undertaken in the next three to five years, even as the mandatory and essential projects are ongoing. And the cost estimates are just that, estimates. The true costs could change significantly as prices change or alternative means, such as purchasing used equipment, are applied.
The capital improvement plan also indicates the city could access funding by means of municipal loans, use of cash reserves or seeking grants. The plan itself was paid for through a grant and creates a plan to address the needs of the community. It also provides a basis for the town to build an actual capital improvement plan. With the broad-brush capital improvement plan from NODA, the city has a leg up on state and areawide grant applications that could be used to help meet the costs of the improvements outlined in the plan.