Editor’s note: the various projects will be examined in order of priority set by NODA. This article outlines the mandatory 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; others are considered essential, necessary to maintain health and welfare of the residents although no immediate risk is noted; desirable, indicating it will be needed within the next five years to prevent systems from becoming obsolete and provide for future growth; and deferrable, 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 mandatory items, highest in priority, are 19% of the city’s needs outlined in the plan and are estimated to cost $8.32 million.
The needed projects include new radios for police, fire departments and EMS. That cost comes in at $150,000.
Another need is the reconstruction of the highway south of town for two miles past the four-way intersection. Cost on that resurfacing is about $230,000.
New water wells with ion exchange units to remove unhealthy substances that might or might not be in the water are expected to cost $8 million. The wells, three of them, are described as being east of the high school on city-owned property.
The NODA plan suggests the city pay for the projects through municipal loans or by utilizing its general fund balances to pay outright for the work. There are grants tailored to this type of capital improvement, such as the Community Block Development Grant – CBDG- and the Rural Economic Action Plan Grant, or REAP. However, those grants are in high demand and a city or town is only eligible for them when it has completed the work paid for by previous grants from these programs.