Projects Update: Phase 2 wraps up at Price Fields Complex

Street rehabilitation projects to get underway soon

Construction on several projects are underway while others are in the planning stages or set to begin soon, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers told City Beat recently. (To subscribe to City Beat, the City of Bartlesville’s weekly e-newsletter, see City Beat Sign-up.)

Price Fields Sports Complex Renovation Project, Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Price Fields Renovation Project is 99 percent complete, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers said recently.

This phase involves the construction of a new quadrant of youth baseball/softball fields in the northwest corner and a new asphalt parking lot along the east side of the complex, the relocation of restrooms, re-working two of the Phase 1 fields to be used for softball, utility relocations and addressing drainage issues from the Phase 1 quad.

Siemers said the new quad is complete and in use.

“This phase of the project is wrapping up, with the installation of the four new fields in the northwest corner and the expanded, asphalt parking lot on the east side of the complex,” Siemers said. “People may remember there were some old T-Ball fields at that location that were in disrepair. Those have been replaced with new fields that are lighted, with backstops, bleachers and shade structures.

“They’ve been playing on the new fields for a couple of months now,” he said.

The 2015 Price Fields Renovation Master Plan identifies two additional phases of construction with primary access coming from Tuxedo Boulevard rather than Young Avenue, which runs along the west side of the complex.

Phase 3 would consist of five 300-foot fields with two practice infields immediately south of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 quadrants, and Phase 4 of three 350-foot fields and one practice infield just south of that, Siemers said.

Future phases will include three playgrounds centrally located to each phase, batting cages, storage buildings, restrooms and concessions. The construction of Phases 3 and 4 are estimated at $8.8 million, when calculated using 2015 costs.

“At this point, the phasing will be dependent upon what is approved in upcoming bond elections,” Siemers said. “The City Council will provide direction on how much of the project will be proposed.”

The multi-phase project is funded through the half-cent Capital Improvement Projects tax. In 2013, voters approved extending the CIP tax for seven years.

Johnstone Pavilion Phase 3

Phase 3 work on the Johnstone Park Pavilion started recently, which includes a 10-foot- wide perimeter sidewalk on three sides of the plaza, a brick-paved plaza on the south side and area lighting.

Phase 1 of the project consisted of the construction of the 6,000-foot open-sided pavilion and nearby restrooms, as well as the construction of additional parking spaces on the north side of the pavilion and concrete work.

Siemers said bricks for the new plaza are being relocated from Centennial Park, located on Frank Phillips Boulevard near Dewey Avenue. Centennial Park was constructed as a

temporary monument in 1997 to celebrate the city’s anniversary.

Siemers said Phase 3 of the pavilion project is underway and should take about three months to complete.

“The site will be re-graded to facilitate the new plaza and sidewalks,” he said. “Extra material from the earthwork will be placed so that the site will have some small hills and contours to make it more of a park-like setting. The entire site will be sodded once the plaza, sidewalks and grading work is complete.”

The pavilion project is funded through the Community Development Block Grant-Small Cities Set Aside program with matching funds from the City’s half-cent Capital Improvement Projects tax.

Sirocco, Moonlight & Skyline Rehabilitation Projects

Concrete panel replacements are planned on Sirocco, Moonlight and Skyline. Pre-construction meetings are set for this week and work is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks, Siemers said Monday.

“I’m not sure which street the contractor, Triangle Construction & Utility, will start on first, but motorists can expect to see some lane closures on these streets in the near future,” he said.

Siemers said including the projects under one bid brought the cost down and will likely result in the ability to do more at each location.

“The projects were combined as opposed to bidding two separate projects in hopes of getting a better value on the bids,” he said.

“The bids came in under the available budget, so we can make the money go further than we initially expected and will likely add to the projects once under construction.”

Siemers said the projects consist of replacing concrete panels on Sirocco between Oak Park Road and Virginia Avenue and on Skyline/Moonlight, which intertwine between Silver Lake Road and Hillcrest Drive in the Hillcrest Heights neighborhood.

Work on these street projects should be complete in late September, Siemers said.

Osage, Spruce, Rogers, Penn & Lannom Rehabilitation

One bid was awarded by the City Council in May for a mill and overlay on several city streets located near elementary schools. The streets set for rehabilitation projects are Osage, Spruce, Rogers, Penn and Lannom.

“These streets are located near elementary schools so our goal is to get these projects completed as quickly as possible — hopefully before classes resume in August,” Siemers said.

The projects consist of removing two inches of asphalt from the top and replacing it, Siemers said.

“There are a few areas, particularly on Penn, that will require full-depth repair of the paving,” he said. “The subgrade has failed and will be removed, along with the paving. The subgrade will be re-compacted, new aggregate brought in and compacted for base material, and then an entirely new paving section relaid. The majority of the work, however, will be a two-inch mill and overlay of the existing paving.”

What’s Next: Tuxedo Boulevard & Price Road projects

Other projects planned that will be in the design stage soon include rehabilitation on Tuxedo Boulevard between Madison Boulevard and the Caney River, and on Price Road between U.S. Highway 75 and the roundabout at Silver Lake Road.

“The Tuxedo Boulevard rehabilitation consists of an asphalt mill and overlay,” Siemers said. “There are a few locations that may require full-depth repair, but the majority of the two miles of work with be mill and overlay.

“The Price Road project is a dowel-joint retrofit, similar to what the State has done on a lot of concrete highways in this part of the state the past few years. The concrete paving is in pretty good condition, but there is a washboard effect due to differential settlement of the joints. The joints will be reinforced with steel dowels, and once that is complete, they will diamond grind the surface to make it smooth.”

Siemers said the project also includes the addition of asphalt shoulders to Price Road to improve safety.

“Again, some of these projects need to be designed, and should come online later in 2017 or the first half of 2018,” he said.