Pryor, OK — Last Tuesday, Pryor City Council voted down a guaranteed maximum price amendment for the new city hall adding $691,556.54 to the $2.5 million price tag bringing it to $3,191,556.54. The vote was four to three.

Mayor Jimmy Tramel was not at the meeting. He is in Louisiana outside of New Orleans where he said he is helping in the clean-up of his son’s home after Hurricane Isaac.

“I wasn’t there to explain the deducts to them, I’ll take the blame for that,” Tramel said in a phone interview. Tramel said the city hall project is $80,661.96 over what it was supposed to cost. The project had to be insured through bond insurance at a cost of $46,122.64. Architect and contractor fees come to $137,435.45 each, according to Tramel. Voters approved a $7 million bond issue June 14, 2011 to continue the city bond after the rec center was paid off.

The $7 million is to be divided, with $500,000 going for repairs to the Pryor Creek Recreation Center. So far, $200,000 of that amount has been spent for the roof. There is a $25,000 contingency for the rec center. Estimates on the cost of repairs to the patio are $150,000. The total amount for the rec center is estimated to be $375,000.

Four million dollars is going to streets and two and a half million was earmarked to build and furnish city hall.

Here are the numbers for city hall. To complete the project, the city needs to spend $3,191,556.54. The Municipal Utility Board will pay $183,558.54 for the generator. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted the city $134,000 for an emergency control center. The room is supposed to be able to withstand an F-5 tornado. There is a contingency fee of $143,238.02. Tramel said, “Any overages we’ll have will be taken out of contingency.”

Tramel says additional costs to be removed are $150,000 for some windows, five vault doors and tile that is not needed. Tramel said the city can landscape the building. “If we have to put in some sweat equity to get this done we will.”

Other costs not included in the $2.5 million price are furniture and computers. “I’m working on a grant to get us new furniture but if we can’t get it, we will use the furniture we already have,” Tramel said. Regarding computers, Tramel said that if a computer works there is no need to get a new one.

Streets that have been repaired are Gaither Street, N.W. 5th Street, Clayton Street and 430 Road. Tramel said he had the street department do those repairs themselves rather than bid them out. Tramel said the city has probably saved half the cost of having a bid contractor do the work.

Future projects for street repairs are North Elliott Street and Park Street. Other streets to be repaired will be determined at a later date. A total of $3.2 million  is earmarked for streets repairs; $750,000 per ward (there are four wards) and $200,000 special project as identified for street repairs. The contingency fund for street repairs is $800,000. The old dog pound southwest of town will be used for materials so that contractors do not have to haul them in from other areas saving additional funds, according to Tramel.

Tramel said if there is any money left over from the building of city hall and from repairs to the rec center, it will go toward streets.

“Four million dollars can’t do all the streets,” Tramel said.

“We are under budget as defined by election of the people,” Tramel wrote in an e-mail. “The ballot did not define the amount per project. It is a total dollar amount. To come within one percent of city hall projected cost says a lot for Chris Ball and Graber and Associates.”