By John Dobberstein, Editor
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will be hosting a public open house this week to discuss major transportation projects that will affect Coweta.
A new connection for State Highway 51 into the Muskogee Turnpike is being proposed by ODOT, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Federal Highway Administration near Coweta and Broken Arrow in Wagoner County.
Three design options were previously evaluated and a virtual open houses were held in 2021 seeking input. The preferred option provides a new turnpike Interchange at S. 273d E. Avenue, a new bridge located to the northwest of the current location and a new connection on new alignment to provide 4-lane divided connection from SH-51 to Muskogee Turnpike (SH-351).
Three roundabouts would be included between the turnpike and SH-51.
The open house is Feb. 29 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Coweta Assembly of God Church, 29707 E. Hwy 51.
The agencies said it will be a “come and go” meeting with no formal presentation. Following the meeting, materials will be available at the ODOT public meeting website: http://www.odot.org/publicmeetings.
The meeting will present the proposed design for the project and provide an opportunity to provide input. Results of the detailed environmental studies conducted for the project will also be available.
Those with questions regarding the project, should email environment@odot.org, or call 405-325-3269 and leave a detailed message.
New Appointments Process
Interim City Manager Lisa Taylor said a new application process for board/commission appointments has been launched. Taylor said the new process will be “a more transparent and inclusive process for volunteers wishing to get involved with the City of Coweta. “
Appointments will continue to be conducted per existing ordinances, but the process will give the mayor and council members a greater pool of candidates from which to choose.
The application can be found on the City of Coweta website at cityofcoweta-ok.gov under “Boards & Commissions Coweta OK.
City Manager Hunt Continues
The job description and listing for the position of city manager has been updated and Taylor says it has been shared on various job board sites and with municipal partners across the state. Taylor is expected to provide information regarding applicants during the next council meeting.
Taylor recently said she was interested in the position but she does not live in Coweta and she determined taking the job full-time would not be an option.
“When I was asked to fill in as interim city manager for the City of Coweta, the intention was to stay until a permanent manager could be recruited to the position,” Taylor said recently.
“Somewhere along the way, I started growing fond of this community and of our team, to the point I wanted to stick around as city manager for years to come. After much discussion with my family, I have come to the conclusion that I simply cannot move to Coweta.”
Taylor’s contract is set to expire April 8 but Taylor says she promised to “help keep things moving in a positive direction and work to recruit a suitable city manager to the position.”
Sanitation Woes Continue
Taylor told City Council members the Sanitation Department is struggling to complete service due to It an aging fleet of trucks suffering from constant breakdowns, Taylor says. All three trucks owned by the city need repairs.
The city is currently renting a truck from American Waste Control and running a truck and trailer for trash pickups.
“Repairs have been a huge, unexpected burden on our budget this year,” Taylor says, noting service to residents hasn’t been reliable due to job vacancies and dated equipment. “Looking into the next budget year, we will need to plan for costly new equipment and/ or repairs.“
The city has considered outsourcing trash pickup in the past and it may be time to rekindle those discussions, Taylor says.
Leave a Reply