By Caleb Wortz
Sapulpa City Council was given a presentation on a newly proposed industrial and business park during Monday’s study session. The vote for the industrial park was tabled till the next council meeting for more time to review the contract.
Dan Keithline, owner of Keithline Engineering Group, expressed excitement for the project during his presentation. Keithline’s most recent notable work is the development of the Polson Industrial Park in Tulsa.
“The SITES program is to support industrial transformation and economic success in local communities,” Keithline said. “This is a new thinking that they’re trying to get trades and manufacturing back in the US.”
Sapulpa received $6.3 million in funding through grants from the SITES program which the Department of Commerce operates, according to City Attorney David Widdoes. The industrial park would be on a 90-acre plot at 8701 Frankoma Road.
“In large part, I and others were impressed with the work that (Dan) was able to do for the Polson Industrial Park, which is just up the road from this location,” Widdoes said. “It’s twice the size of this and I don’t think there’s any availability of one lot left, they really did a great job.”
Keithline gave examples of what the Polson park accomplished such as 800-900 jobs and somewhere over $30 million in local income being spent there. His presentation outlined various planning and local floodplain maps, discussed lot layout and the three phases of the project.
“Essentially if it’s adjacent to Route 66, one of the slogans we might use is calling it a Route 66 business or industrial park,“ Keithline said. “It will probably be, more than likely, light industrial as well as light business and development.”
City Council also awarded the Dewey and Mayfield street improvement project to Diversified Civil Contractors LLC, who was the lowest responsible bidder at just under $2.1 million. This project is the latest of the 2020 GO Bond projects to be awarded.
They also heard from Sapulpa Police Chief Mike Reed about a proposed contract with Flock Group Inc. for the installation of six “Flock” cameras.
“The purpose of these Flock cameras is to allow us to retroactively search and resolve a crime,” Reed said. “It allows us to search for stolen vehicles as well as those that are associated with amber alerts for missing children or silver alerts for missing elderly.”
The cameras don’t necessarily need license plate information as they can input the color or description and match results to the suspect vehicle according to Chief Reed. Council member Sherry Capps expressed privacy concerns which were addressed by David Widdoes.
“I know people don’t like the fact that they can be photographed or on video when they are out in a public area or space, but the law is pretty clear,” Widdoes said. “No one has an individual right to privacy when they are voluntarily out in public so I don’t feel that there should be a lot of concern about it.”
Council approved the installation of the Flock cameras with Capps being the only dissenting vote.
Council also heard an emotionally charged public comment from Miranda, a Sapulpa resident, who has been dealing with troublesome neighbors, who she describes as “crack heads”. She explained several issues such as trash piled on their property causing snakes, holes in their home and a generator running 90% of the day.
“Then who’s gonna pay for my house because you (neighbors) do a rig on your house, now my house catches on fire?” Miranda said. “Now I’m out a house because they’re not going to cover it, they don’t work.”
She also mentioned having to move her kids out of their room because their window faced that direction where she saw an arrest involving a firearm and drug paraphernalia. Widdoes and others expressed understanding of the situation and that there would be an appropriate response.
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