PC Commission March 13 meeting minutes

PONCA CITY — The Ponca City Board of Commissioner met in regular session on March 13.  Mayor Homer Nicholson called the meeting to order, which was followed by the pledge of allegiance. Commissioners Robert Bodick, Garrett Bowers, Paul Taylor, and Kelsey Wagner were present. 

Bodick was elected Vice-Mayor, in accordance with provisions of Section 60 of the City Charter.

Consent Agenda

Under the Consent Agenda, commissioners approved the minutes of the  Feb. 27 minutes; a resolution appropriating money for the payment of claims against the City; a resolution appointing members to various boards and commissions and establishing the terms of office; and a resolution amending the operating budget of various funds for Fiscal Year 2022-23.

Reports

Under Reports, City Manager Craig Stephenson reported that installation of the rodeo arena bleachers is nearing completion. Once completed, sidewalk connections will be constructed and ADA parking.

Stephenson said that a work session will be held in the Commission Chamber of City Hall on March 20 at 2 p.m. and that Ponca Politics will be held on March 17 and March 24 in the Commission Chamber of City Hall, from noon to 1 p.m. 

The March 17 forum will feature school board candidates Rod Whol and Judy Throop. The March 24 forum will feature legislative updates from Sen. Bill Coleman, Rep. Ken Luttrell and Rep. John Pfeiffer. 

Stephenson reminded the public that Ponca City’s Annual Spring Cleanup will be held April 22 thru April 29 for Ponca City residents and Ponca City’s City-Wide Garage Sale will be held on Saturday, April 22.

He announced that the Ponca City Police Department held their annual awards banquet, with Sgt. Caleb Landis receiving 2022 Officer of the Year; Records Specialist Dolley Rolland receiving 2022 Civilian Employee of the Year; Patrolman Evan Tom receiving 2022 Patrolman of the Year; and Det. Sgt. Cory Vincent receiving 2022 Detective of the Year. 

New Business

Under New Business, commissioners approved a proposal for services from Sikes Abernathie Architects for architectural and engineering services for improvements to the Santa Fe Depot in the amount of $168,550.

The City of Ponca City was notified in March 2022, that the Ponca City Multi-Modal Transportation Infrastructure Project was one of the earmark projects selected for funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. 

City staff has been working with Oklahoma Department of Transportation as the agency from whom this federal funding is flowing. 

On Dec. 26, 2022, the Mayor and Commissioners approved the State of Oklahoma, Project Maintenance, Financing and Right-of-Way Agreement with ODOT for the renovations of the Santa Fe Depot. 

The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On Jan. 11, 2023, ODOT, in partnership with the City of Ponca City, sent out a solicitation of interest to five engineering and architectural firms for their services. ODOT and the City set up interview dates with five firms for Feb 8. 

Three of the firms that had initially set up interviews decided not to participate in their respective interviews. 

The remaining two firms were interviewed, ranked, and rated by the panel. It was the panel’s unanimous decision to ask Sikes Abernathie Architects to submit a proposal for services for the project. On Feb. 21 an initial proposal was received and reviewed by the panel. 

A few minor clarifications were requested to be made on the proposal. 

The panel received the final proposal on March 2. The panel recommended proceeding with the proposal for services submitted by Sikes Abernathie Architects. Sikes Abernathie Architects has provided architectural services for renovations at Marland’s Grand Home, Senior Center, and the Marland Mansion; has a close working relationship with the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office; has been recognized at numerous SHPO conferences for their work on historic structures; and has a vision that aligns with the panel’s vision for this project.

Commissioners conducted an executive session for the purposes of confidential communication between the Commission and its Attorney on pending litigation and for the purposes of discussing negotiations with the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Fraternal Order of Police.

PONCA CITY UTILITY AUTHORITY

Under the PCUA Consent Agenda, the PCUA Trustees approved the minutes of the PCUA regular session held Feb. 27; a resolution appropriating money for the payment of claims against PCUA; and a resolution amending the operating budget of various PCUA funds for Fiscal Year 2022-23. 

The PCUA Trustees also approved an amended development agreement with Prestige Worldwide PC, LLC for the rehabilitation of the former Pioneer Apartment Complex, located at 715 Monument Road. 

In June of 2021 the PCDA Board of Trustees approved a resolution that re-established a financial housing incentive program (HIP 2.0) for the purpose of spurring housing activity in Ponca City. HIP 2.0 provides incentives to developers of projects that result in the new construction or rehabilitation of housing units of all types, where the older programs were limited to builders of new single-family units only. A total of $300,000 was initially set aside to fund the program. Concurrent with the approval of the resolution, Prestige Worldwide PC, LLC purchased the former Pioneer Place apartments on Monument Road. The complex, originally constructed in 1976, had become a public nuisance to area residents and the City had initiated abatement proceedings against the owner beginning in March of 2020. Prestige Worldwide became the first entity to apply for HIP 2.0 funds in August of 2021 and negotiated a financial incentive of $200,000 for the rehabilitation of the complex, consisting of 62 units. The development agreement with the City was executed in October of 2021. The development agreement was for a period of 18 months, or until April of 2023. The amended agreement extends construction for an additional 12 months from the day of execution.