By Toni Hopper
The Marlow Review
The east half of the alley on the north side of the football field will be closed while work is being done on the fieldhouse. Marlow City Council approved the item, based on the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation.
The west half of the alley will remain open. City Administrator Jason McPherson said Superintendent Corey Holland extended his regrets that he could not attend Tuesday’s meeting for this matter.
In other matters connected to the school district was the approval to ratify the contract for services of the School Resource Officer for FY25.
“It went up slightly. He’s (SRO Branch) has been there the whole school year. He came in more experienced than we thought, and we couldn’t be happier,” McPherson said. The contract is about a 60/40 split between the city and the school for his services.
Megan McCurley, director of the Safe Center, was present for two proclamations as designated by Mayor Jeff Prater to declare April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Child Abuse Prevention Month. McCurley said that April and October are their busiest months. A display lines the lawn at Duncan Public Library on US-81, with 155 child silhouettes in various colors. That number represents children abused in the last year, she said.
In reviewing old ordinances, McPherson said it was discovered that the city needed to adopt Ordinance 461 amending the public ways and property title of the Marlow Code of Ordinances and tree trimming policy. He found the outdated ordinance from the 1980s that gives the city permission to come in and trim trees up to 25 feet over powerlines. “(Re)liability starts with tree trimming and keeping them off the power lines.” He told The Review that he realizes some people might not be happy with that action.
Another action that might not sit well is the stoplight at the “Y”. The council agreed to accept a right-of-way, public utility and encroachment agreement between the City and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation for project No. NHPP-011N(117) FP.
This is a $350,000 project and the city’s portion for moving those utilities would only be $1,800. McPherson said he has fought against it but because of the minimal cost involved to the city, it was time to consider accepting it.
“We’ll take maintenance,” he said.
Utility companies mentioned were AT&T and Cotton Electric. Council approved the item. Neal Moore, Nuell Brown and Greg Brooks, along with Prater and McPherson were the only members at the meeting.
Another maintenance issue regarding ODOT, and traffic, is Project No. HSIPG299s(421) Part 3 TR which is the installation of school zone and rectangular rapid flashing beacons at Arapahoe and Broadway (Donut Shop and Gina’s Buzz-Thru). Council approved the item. McPherson said this was a result of a concerned citizen noticing that children were having a difficult time crossing at that area on their way to and from school. McPherson said he also contacted ODOT on the same issue. Police Chief Ronnie Smith who attended the meeting also suggested they look into Kiowa St. and US-81 (Hop & Sack) for the older students who make that trek during lunch hour.
Other items approved Tuesday:
• Resolution 492 to declare April as Fair Housing Month; Purchasing a tractor and front loader from Great Plains Kubota of Duncan for $21,516.88 for the Cemetery Department. This will allow the department to cover sunken graves using a lighter vehicle and less damage to the ground;
• Resolution 493 setting rates for building permits and partnering with Okie Safety Consulting for certain plan reviews and building inspections. There will be a flat $50 fee collected.
• Resolution 494 to apply for the Municipal Roads Drilling Activity Fund for $500,000, for road work on 9th Street between Nabor and Caddo with a City share of approximately $140,000.
• Resolution 495 ratifying sanitation rates beginning with May 1, 2024 billing which increases rates by just over three percent.
• Accepting a Lease Agreement and Operation and Maintenance Contract between the City and Marlow Municipal Authority on a 40-year term, with an auto-renew when it expires. The previous lease expired in 2022, and was another one of those items that McPherson and his staff discovered.