Many of Marlow’s downtown district buildings have been around since the late 1800s. While some have been maintained and still serve as usable spaces, the building at 109 W. Main hasn’t fared so well.
Currently owned by Lance Cramton, the building is merely partial walls and is more than an aesthetic concern. It has been on the city’s watch list for a while.
“Lance approached the city staff and said he is determined to either work on, or sell, the property. Two other projects have him locked down at the time, including the expansion of the building leased by Survival Flight on W. Gilkey,” said City Administrator Jason McPherson. “The tear down of the property will be complicated. Removing the front wall of the building will affect, in some manner, the party wall that connects Lance’s building and the building that Blue Rock Wellness inhabits.”
And because of that, it was determined time to hold a condemnation hearing to settle the issue. McPherson said the council (which met Jan. 23) followed the recommendation of staff to work with Cramton on a timeline not to exceed two years on getting something going on the property. Blue Rock representatives were present at the meeting and agreed.
“The demolition is too risky and could disrupt operations of the neighboring property (Blue Rock), which is not the ideal situation. Lance indicated that his plans include building a metal building to the brick storefront, or selling the property,” McPherson said.
The city and property owner continue to work toward an end result.
Also, in the first meeting of the year, Council approved a commitment of a $4,000 cash match for the Southwest Oklahoma Regional Transportation Organization (SORTPO) planning grant. The use of the grant, if successful, would be to update the October 2016 Street Inventory and include planning of major street repairs in future years to include use of the Municipal Roads Drilling Activity Fund (MRDAF), noted McPherson. “The current street inventory had a 10-year plan for major road repair, but the end of that plan is in sight. The city is seeking a $20,000 grant.”
In other business:
- Council officially accepted the JAG Grant. Marlow was awarded $9,961 to purchase equipment and software to in- stall the GeoSafe system. The system will serve as a tracking system to enhance police officer and firefighter safety while on duty.
- Council approved temporary establishment of a municipal court amnesty plan through March 31. The bulk of the warrants are aged 7 to 10 years and involve out of city defendants. In most cases, the warrants have not been cost effective to seek “extradition.” This program allows payment of 50% to have the warrant removed from their record. This is a one-time offering.
- Council approved the contract with Chisholm Trail Consulting for the FY24-25 Street Resurfacing Project. CTC’s contract would not exceed $9,000.
- Council approved the seeking of the bids for the project that plan to include 6th street from Main to Caddo, 2nd street from Memorial to Ballpark, Jack and Legion Streets, 4th from Gilkey to Jarboe and 7th from Nabor to Payne. Cost will play a factor in how much of this project can be complete.
In the Marlow Municipal Authority meeting, trustees approved both agenda items, which focused on the same thing. In regards to becoming a Journey Line Worker for Electric Distribution, one must complete a 4-year pro- gram of books, testing and on-the-job experience. The program, offered through Municipal Electric Systems of Oklahoma (MESO) includes a $3,700 initial investment by the city, McPherson said. The trustees approved the implementation of an agreement between the city and the employee on a commitment to working with the city for a time period of 2 years once the program is completed, or pay back the initial investment once the employee has left.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 20.