Julie Yates
Pryor City Council hashed out, again, the location and size of a new park building in Tuesday’s council meeting.
The current park building sits in the floodway and is violating city regulations. Park Superintendent Frank Powell, who has been working two years to get a new facility to house the park offices and equipment, requested a building 50 feet x 150 feet in size.
Powell told the council he gave the list of park equipment to the architect, who said a building 60 x 150 would be needed to fit everything. The estimated cost is $300,000.
The city has budgeted $100,000 this year for the facility.
Mayor Jimmy Tramel said the city can do the work on the foundation, offices and storage. The city will have to hire workers for the electrical and plumbing work and the installation of sprinkler systems.
Tramel said the facility will have to be built on a two-year plan.
Councilman Roy Ray said the building plans need to go before the park board before being presented to council.
“I think we need to start moving on this,” said Councilwoman Carolyn Wise.
Stott asked if the building could be scrunched down to lower costs. The floor plan was drawn to accomodate parking areas for a pickup, flatbed and dump truck. The architect drew the parking area large enough so the dump truck could be parked in any of the three places.
“Build it right the first time,” said Councilman Tony Smith. “If you start adding on, change things around, it will start costing more then.”
Stott and Ray insisted the building plans should be approved by the park board before coming to council.
“This the second stall-off and we don’t need any more,” Wise said.
Council voted four to three to table the building plans and send them to the park board.
“Most critical thing right now is the location,” said Tramel.
“No more critical than paying for it,” commented Councilman Garry Harris.
Ray said the location of the new building also needs to go to the park board.
“They have approved it in the past,” said Powell, who has been working to get a new building for two years.
Tramel said the recommendation is to place the new park building east of the east tennis courts on the open grassy area.
“It don’t need to be there,” said Ray. Ray had suggested the city put the building at the cemetery, on old Highway 20.
Tramel said it would not be efficient to build the park facilities at the cemetery because of fuel costs required to transport equipment back and forth to the parks.
“Would you want this building across the street from your house, Frank?” Ray asked.
“If it looked nice I wouldn’t mind,” replied Powell.
Tramel said the city will try not to make the building “look like the blight of the earth.”
Council took a vote and the motion carried, with Ray and Harris voting against it. The new park building will be built east of the tennis courts on Park Street.
Council also approved spending $8,534 for new drain covers for the city pool. Federal law now requires new mandatory drain covers on all pools, whether public or privately owned. Safari Aquatics will install the new drain covers.
The city budget/personnel committee recommended council approval to construct a water feature at the cemetery, not to exceed $10,000.
