Construction on several taxpayer-funded, multi-phase projects are underway while others are in the planning stages or set to begin soon, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers told City Beat this week.
Ongoing projects include the Price Fields Sport Complex Renovation Project, for which planning began in 2008 and Phase 1 construction was completed in 2013, the $6 million Bartlesville Public Safety Center, approved by voters in the 2012 General Obligation bond election, and the Johnstone Pavilion, funded almost exclusively with federal grants administered by the State of Oklahoma and matching City dollars and in-kind services.
Several street improvements are set to begin soon as well, Siemers said.
Price Fields, Phase 2
Price Fields, Phase 2Recent rains have stalled progress on the citizen-driven Price Fields Renovation Project, a multi-phase project that includes the construction of new fields at the complex, located on Tuxedo Boulevard just west of Silver Lake Road.
The project is currently in Phase 2 of the renovation, which involves the construction of a new quadrant of youth baseball/softball fields in the northwest corner of the complex, 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.
According to Siemers, sod on the fields was installed prior to the rains, which prevented the Phase 2 work from getting further behind.
“The early warm weather has given it a head start over a typical spring, so as soon as the backstops and fence are complete we will be close to finishing the project,” Siemers said.
“If the weather will cooperate, we should be able to complete the project by the end of April. Games are scheduled to begin April 22, so they might miss a few weeks of the first part of the season on those fields, but hopefully they will be ready for the remainder of the season.
“It all depends on the progress of the sod and whether it is established well enough to use them.”
Siemers said the common areas are still primarily dirt and will take more time to establish grass.
“We have to hold off installing sod or seeding the remaining common areas until all of the other work is finished, since they are still using large equipment to do some of the fence work,” 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. 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.
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.
Johnstone Pavilion, Phase 3
Contract crews are set to put the finishing touches on Phase 2 of the Johnstone Pavilion project with the installation of a rock border on the rest-room near the facility. The Bartlesville City Council voted Monday to award a contract for the work to McAnaw Construction for $11,500.
The pavilion, located near the south entrance of Johnstone Park, is a 6,000 square foot, open-sided facility that is available for rental and community events. The project is being paid for with Community Development Block Grant Small Cities Set-Aside program funds, matched by City dollars and services.
The third phase of the project is currently out for bid. Returned bids will be opened on April 10, with construction likely to begin in the first couple of weeks in May. Phase 3 of the project will include a brick paver plaza on the south side of the pavilion, a perimeter 10-foot wide sidewalk along Hensley, Cherokee and First Street, and decorative lighting for the plaza area.
The pavilion will remain open for use during Phase 3 of the project; however, construction will be active on the west, south and east sides of the pavilion, Siemers said.
Bartlesville Public Safety Complex
Construction on the new Bartlesville Public Safety Complex, which consists of an expansion of the existing Central Fire Station and a new police facility, is complete — with the exception of a few “punch list” items that contract crews are working to finish, Siemers said recently.
Firefighters moved in the expanded living quarters at Central Fire Station several months ago, but delays have kept police at their current location of 100 E. Hensley. Fire administration, currently housed at City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave., is set to move into the new Central location as well.
“The punch list work is 85 percent complete, though there are some items that need to be addressed prior to (police) moving in,” Siemers said. “The controlled access is scheduled to be complete this week, which has been one of the items that has delayed our move.
“The actual move-in date has not been selected, but we will evaluate the progress at the end of this week.”
Funding for the safety complex was approved by voters in the 2012 General Obligation bond election. The cost of the facility is approximately $6 million.
Street Improvement Projects
Camelot Drive Rehabilitation
Camelot Drive RehabilitationA contract for work on the Camelot Drive concrete panel replacement has been awarded by the City Council, and April 17 has been set as the official construction start date. Forty working days have been allocated for the project and, pending weather conditions, it should last about eight weeks, Siemers said.
The project consists of concrete panel replacement between U.S. Highway 75 and Candlestick Court. Traffic will remain open for the majority of the project, though it may be narrowed to one lane at times.
Sirocco, Moonlight & Skyline Rehabilitation
This is another concrete panel replacement project that is currently advertised for bid. Returned bids will be opened April 24, with construction likely to begin in the last half of May.
Osage, Spruce, Rogers, Penn & Lannom Rehabilitation
This is a mill and overlay project that is currently out for bid. Returned bids on this project will also be opened April 24, with construction likely to begin in the last half of May as well.
“Spruce, Rogers, Penn and Lannom are all in the vicinity of schools, so the intent is to complete the project while school is closed for summer break and before beginning again in August,” Siemers said.