Julie Yates
Pryor Fire Chief Tim Thompson presented a request for gates on South Elliott Street at the Mayes County Commissioners
meeting Monday.
Thompson asked commissioners to work toward getting gates for both ends of the flooding section. Thompson said in normal rain South Elliott Street floods on the north end, but water usually doesn’t cover the south end.
In Friday’s flood, the road was flooded from the south end of the bridge to just south of the last driveway on the north end. Local resident Kimberlyn Kendrick, 49, died Saturday after her car was swept off South Elliott Street into the open pasture. Thompson said local resident Bruce Taylor brought his personal helicopter and began a search by air for Kendrick’s car Saturday night. Taylor’s helicopter was joined by rescue boats from Pryor, Chouteau, Locust Grove and Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Tulsa Police Air Support. The submerged vehicle was discovered after midnight following a search of nearly five hours.
When heavy rain falls, Thompson said the water starts building up on the north end and begins running over South Elliott Street. The creek backs up and creates deep flooding across the road.
Thompson said his preliminary thoughts are to place a gate south of the bridge and a second gate on the north end of the road, just south of the last driveway.
The gates would allow emergency officials to close the road during flooding. Thompson said the barricades would require locks to prevent people from opening the gates and driving into the floodwater.
Commissioners all agreed on the idea and will look into acquiring the gates.
Thompson said he knows many other roads in the county flood quickly, but he pointed out that South Elliott is a “highly traveled road.”
District 2 Commissioner Darrell Yoder applauded the fire department and emergency personnel for their work and rescues during Friday’s flood.
“You folks have done a wonderful job,” Yoder said.
Yoder reported seeing a fireman pull a woman out of her car near the intersection of Elliott Street and old Highway 20. Yoder said “she had no more got her feet on the ground, than her car was swept off into the culvert.”
Commissioners disagreed on the selection of an engineering firm to inspect county bridges.
Commissioners select an engineer every two years for bridge inspections. The engineering companies are chosen through a selection process in which they score on availability, experience, current work loads and more.
The three companies up for selection this year were EST Engineering, Guy Engineering and Wingfield Engineering.
“Wingfield’s been doing our bridges in the past,” said District 1 Commissioner Alva Martin.
Martin said Wingfield has been inspecting the county bridges for six years. He said Wingfield has files built on all the county bridges.
“They know our bridges,” he said.
District 2 Commissioner Melvin Pritchett made a motion to accept Guy Engineering for the inspections.
Martin stated that Guy Engineering made a mistake on roadwork, causing $150,000 of pipes to collapse.
“I vote no,” he said.
District 2 Commissioner Darrell Yoder voted yes to approve Guy Engineering for the county bridge inspections. Yoder later stated that Wingfield does not get back with him like he asks them.
“Wingfield is not professional enough,” said Yoder. “I have to call them.”
Yoder said he would change engineers if Wingfield did not start doing a better job on the Elliott Street project.
Martin maintained his reasons for not choosing Guy. Martin said Guy Engineering cost the county $300,000 on the Lindsey Mayes Road because they did not
figure the dirt work
correctly.
Commissioners are at liberty to choose their own companies for engineering work on their district bridges. All county bridge inspections must be performed by a single engineering firm chosen by the commissioners.
Mayes County Sheriff Frank Cantey reported leaks Friday at the Mayes County Jail. He called the roof issues “an on-going problem.
“At some point, we are going to have to do something,” said Cantey. “The jail has been open for nine years and it’s leaked for nine years.”
Cantey said after the recent roof work of over $100,000, “it’s not leaking as bad but it still didn’t solve the problem.”
• The commissioners awarded a bid for a new fuel tank for District 1. The bid went to Petroleum Marketing, who submitted an offer of $51,178.98. The 12,000 gallon fuel tank will be purchased with a Rural Economic Action Plan grant of $50,000. Martin said the tank should arrive within six weeks.
• The commissioners requested materials from Circuit Engineering District 1. Yoder said District 2 is going to triple chip and seal 430 Road between county roads 530 and 540. The county will lay three-fourths inch of rock on the first layer and one-half inch of chips on the second and third
layers.
• District 2 is requesting lake access road funds to overlay four miles of asphalt on Boatman Road.
• Mayes County Community Service raised their financial assistance for courthouse utilities to $500. Mayes County Sheriff’s Office withdrew their agreement to provide assistance for utility
payments.
• The county will continue to use Advantage Testing for CDL drug
testing.
• The commissioners approved a yearly juvenile detention agreement with Osage County and Sac and Fox Nation in Lincoln County.
• The commissioners named the week of May 4 Oklahoma Home and Community Education week.
