The article in City Beat about the lead/copper/galvanized water lines (City takes steps to comply with lead, copper rule) indicates that homes found with the aforementioned pipes on the consumer side will have to be replaced at the homeowner’s expense (but financing options may be available). Do we expect there to be a LOT of homes that will fall into that category? Is there a date range during which homes built in that time frame are more likely to have lead/copper/galvanized water pipes?
We really don’t know how many homes could have these pipes. The purpose of contracting with HBK Engineering for the first phase of this project is so they can identify these homes so that the necessary actions can be taken.
According to Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen, homes built prior to 1970 have the most potential to have these lines, as there were no state or federal regulations restricting the use of these materials prior to that time.
“As a clarification, if a lead or galvanized service line is discovered on the customers side of the water meter, at this point there is no requirement for the customer to replace their portion of the service line,” Lauritsen said. “However, if the customer chooses to replace their portion of the service line, and the City’s portion of the service line is lead or galvanized, then the City must also replace the City’s portion of the water service line.”
Did they pay that?
Is Buffalo Roam meeting the deadlines set forth in the agreement with the City on the film school at the First Christian Church? Has the City given them funds and are they now at risk of losing the investment?
As permitted via the contract, the City has extended deadlines for this project. Buffalo Roam, the film institute that took over use of the former First Christian Church after the church was donated to the City in 2022, is in frequent contact with City staff, and the project continues to move forward.
Regarding funds, the City has not given any funds to this project. The City has committed funds, but they will not be available to Buffalo Roam until the company has secured the required financing and will only be paid out as matching funds as Buffalo Roam expends funds on the project.
Did they sell that?
Is it true that the company that was buying the old Washington County Courthouse has backed out and is not coming to Bartlesville? Did the City lose any incentive funds on this?
There were no incentives paid to Herasoft, the owners of which purchased the former courthouse in 2021. There were incentives made available to the employees of Herasoft if they moved to Bartlesville, but none were paid. Herasoft’s owners have sold the former courthouse but have not announced their plans for Herasoft. The owners still live here and reportedly are involved with other business interests in Bartlesville.
State website question
Regarding the issue of whether contractors are licensed, I went to the website referenced but was confused because they only listed plumbing, electrical, roofing, and something they called “mechanical” categories. It was also difficult to search on this site. For example, you can’t search by city. The site did NOT mention construction, paint/drywall, tree trimming, concrete, fencing, lawn/landscapers, and many other professions. I was very surprised by the narrow scope of the site. Did I just search in the wrong place on their site?
The reason you are only seeing plumbing, electrical, mechanical and roofing categories listed on the website, which is a State of Oklahoma site, is because those are the only specialty trade contractors required to hold a State license from the Construction Industries Board. For general construction and the other services you listed, you could contact the City’s Community Development Department at 918.338.4238, or email mmsanford@cityofbartlesville.org, to see if they have a business license.