Funding plan gets projects moving

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July 28, 2012

Funding plan gets projects moving

Anonymous The Muskogee Phoenix Sat Jul 28, 2012, 12:42 AM CDT

— Muskogee city councilors’ approval of an alternative funding plan will fast-track two road improvement projects and save the city money, too.

The city has determined three areas are in need of work:

• South York Street;

• Martin Luther King Street; and

• North 24th Street.

A committee that oversees the city’s long-range street improvements program identified South York Street as its priority.

Because funds were directed toward South York Street, the northwest Muskogee projects were put on hold once most of the design work was completed.

Waiting to improve the streets in northwest Muskogee makes Ward IV residents feel slighted.

Delaying those projects also allows the costs to soar from original estimates.

When planning began in 2010:

• The projected cost of widening South York Street was expected to be about $4.5 million. The projected cost of the project now exceeds $6 million.

• The estimated costs of the 24th Street improvements totaled $2 million. Now it is estimated the project will cost about $3.25 million.

• The Martin Luther King Street project grew from a projected cost of $1.5 million to $4 million.

The council approved a plan to issue bonds secured by revenue from a sales tax dedicated to the city’s long-range streets plan. The change will give the city immediate access to almost $10.65 million.

Approximately $4.5 million will be used on the South York Street project, while the remaining will go toward the northwest projects.

The alternative funding plan will get these projects moving — possibly beginning by the end of the year — and keep costs down.

It’s a win-win.

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