The last big piece of the 2020 GO Bond puzzle settled into place at the Monday, November 17th City Council meeting as the councilors voted unanimously to award the construction bid to start on the new Booker T. Washington Community Center.
The new BTW Center was the last of the major community-driven construction projects of the 2020 GO Bond that had not made any tangible, measurable progress since it was voted on in November of 2019. For years, the project sat in limbo as the City worked with design firms and a management team to discuss how to raise the additional funds needed after the 2020 pandemic raised prices for materials and labor across the board.
In April of 2021, consultations and presentations yielded concrete desires and expectations for the project, including opportunities to change how those outside Sapulpa saw the center as a place for special events and essential amenities.
Vice-Mayor Carla Gunn said at the time, “For my mother, this place was her school. For me and my generation, this was a gathering place. We want to create something special here for the next generation to have, also.”
Ultimately, the original plans for the building were scaled back to something the City believed would yield bids in line with the project’s budget.
After the bidding finally opened in late October of 2025, the City received bids from ten agencies. Of those, Hoey Construction was the low bidder, and following a detailed review, the architect and City Staff recommended to City Council that the project be awarded to Hoey.
The Council agreed and ultimately awarded the bid to Hoey Construction in the amount of $6,268,000.00.
In September, the City demolished two houses adjacent to the BTW property:
A start date for construction has not been set, but city officials say construction could happen as soon as December of 2025.
