Published: February 25, 2008 11:19 pm         

City seeks $39 million G.O. bond issue, sales tax extension for major street repairs

Editor’ note: This is one of a series of articles concerning the March 4 city of Enid bond issue and sales tax election. This article deals with street improvements to be made under the proposed plan.



There is hardly a street in Enid that can be driven without hitting bumps or potholes. Some streets have been in poor condition for more than 20 years. Things just never seem to be fixed.

City leaders say those and other complaints will be resolved if a $39 million general obligation bond issue passes March 4 and a sales tax extension and expansion is passed. Another bond issue will provide $7 million for bridge repairs.

With passage of the street repair bond issue, city officials say they will be able to begin some major repair work that will address arterial street problems and ease traffic congestion on Garriott, the main east-west street through Enid.

Garriott currently is undergoing construction, which causes congestion. The only other east-west thoroughfare in Enid is Randolph, and the bond issue calls for widening Randolph to four lanes from Garland to 30th.

Some residents along Randolph have objected to the project because of what they believe is the amount of property it will take from their homes and yards and how close traffic will be to their front doors.

Cecil Dur-heim, of Dur-heim Appli-ance at 1302 W. Randolph, said his store has been in business since his father bought it in 1971.

“I wish they’d tell us how it will affect us. They will knock down 20 houses, but they won’t say what they have in mind. I don’t know why this is so necessary at this time,” Dur-heim said.

He has not been looking for another building because he said he does not know the time frame for the widening project. If 20 structures are knocked down, he said, it would go just to the west of his store. How-ever, he said city officials are not giving him any definite answers.

City officials have said they know they will remove 20 structures along West Randolph and James, from Johnson to Van Buren, but until the design is completed, they do not know exactly how many.

Durheim said there are seven people working in his store.

“I really don’t want to leave here, that’s for sure. I have no idea what a fair price would be. I think about the time I’ve been here,” he said.

Stan Willoughby, a Randolph resident, says 10 feet will be taken from his yard, moving speeding traffic closer to his front door. He also said it will create problems for residents backing onto Randolph. Willoughby said the proposed bond issues represent a 16 percent tax increase. However, Willoughby said the issue goes deeper than taxes.

“Taxes are not really the big issue, but the quality of life on Randolph is,” he said.

Ward 5 Commissioner Daron Rudy said Randolph, while it always has been slated for widening, was chosen after exhaustive study of Enid streets.

“We looked at streets at least three months. We went through and through and through all the different alternatives,” said Rudy, who heads up the bond issue drive for the city.

Enid city commissioners have tried to ease residents’ concerns by passing policies addressing ways to ease negative effects on residents.

However, a group of Randolph residents believe increased traffic on the street will cause their property values to go down.

“What other through street is there that goes clear across town?” Rudy asked.

Rudy said Broadway is not a through street, and Willow ends at the city limits at Oakwood.

“Half the road (Willow) from Oakwood to Garland is county road, we can’t do that,” he said.

“We need something that’s a good alternative and, logically, that’s Randolph,” he said.

The recent rebuilding of a bridge on Randolph also includes a foundation that will allow the bridge to be expanded to four lanes.

City staff members had recommended making the bridge four lanes to begin with, but the city commission decided not to pay for the extra expense at the time. Commissioners did, however, plan for the bridge to eventually handle four lanes of traffic.

“That bridge was designed for expansion,” City Manager Eric Benson said. “It won’t even have to be closed for expansion.”

The bond issue also calls for expanding several other streets from two-lane to four-lane. Five intersections also will be rebuilt. More than $22 million of the $39 million from the bond issue will be used on widening Randolph.

Fifteen miles of new, rebuilt and repaired primary and secondary arterial streets will be included in the plan, as well as turn lanes at some intersections, pullover lanes, dropoffs at schools and bike and walking lanes in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Oklahoma Department of Transportation requirements.

If the bond issues and sales tax issue pass, city officials said more money will be freed up for additional repair of neighborhood streets.

City leaders said they can put another $1.5 million toward street repairs if voters approve the sales tax extension and expansion. The plan is to extend and expand a current 1-cent sales tax currently dedicated to water issues.

City commissioners discussed the bond election for several months, then argued and discussed which streets would be involved in the issue. Rudy did not know how many streets were looked at, but said “many, many” were considered.

“We had to look at every arterial street about what needed to be done. We want to make traffic safer. That’s a priority,” he said.

Rudy said he objected to some reports that characterized Enid as having the highest property taxes in the state. Comparisons show Enid is near the bottom, he said, and if the bond issue passes will rise to about the middle of comparable communities in the state.

Looking into the future, Benson said Enid’s streets will not last if they are not improved soon. If Enid grows and more people move into town, he said, the streets will become increasingly busy and deteriorate even more rapidly.

Benson thinks the bond issue is a key element in positioning Enid for future growth. Without that growth, he said, Enid cannot continue to survive at its present level and certainly cannot grow.

“We’re seeing negative growth now. We must look like a progressive city. Employers in town can’t recruit people because we don’t have nice streets and infrastructure, because we look like a rundown town,” Rudy said.

Rudy said one employer told him he has brought prospective executives to Enid at night so they will not see how bad the city looks.

“We’re trying to provide better traffic flow and safety and also look like the city is progressing and that we’re investing in ourselves. It’s important for companies,” he said.

If a company tries to recruit an executive, what part of town would they drive them to show them how neat things are in Enid, Rudy asked.

“It’s important for folks to know the roads and bridges are big safety items. If they wonder how safe it is on their street, then drive down Garriott and try to get through all the construction. That shows why we need an alternate route,” he said.

Rudy is optimistic the people of Enid will approve the bond proposal.

“If we want a thriving town for our children and grandchildren to come home to, we must do something to make it that way,” he said.