The Chandler City Council voted to approve a Master Service Agreement - contingent on some changes - with a new firm to take over the McClanahan Park project in its monthly meeting on Nov. 12.
City Manager Jason Orr said the firm the City has been using—Kimley Horn—hasn’t been moving as quickly as the City would like, considering the park should be completed for the Route 66 Centennial in 2026.
“A lot of these firms are busy with ARPA money… They’re all busy, so after the comp plan, they didn’t really anticipate all these projects that we tried to throw at them,” Orr said in the meeting. “So this would be just an opportunity for us to work with another firm that has time to start on it right away.”
City Attorney Larry Lenora and Vice-Mayor Rick Evans both agreed there should be some adjustments in the agreement’s language and some questions that should be answered, but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be worked out easily. The agreement is with Halff and Associates.
Kimley Horn is still slated to work on Reed Park. Orr said they have the construction documents ready to bid out.
The Council and Municipal Authority approved amendments to the Employee Retirement System Defined Plan, which are made every five years and update IRS definitions.
Dale Hester of Oklahoma City, who owns property on Bell Cow Lake, spoke during Citizens to be Heard at the Council meeting, requesting that they consider allowing trout lines at the lake. Currently, they do not, but as it is a city ordinance, Game Warden Jacob Harriet can’t ticket people who use them. Another point brought up during the new business section of the meeting was a request from Councilmember David Burgess to look into improvements on Cleveland and 10th Street so that people can get out of the area during bad weather.
The Council also approved claims paid in October of $303,012.61.
The Chandler Municipal Authority approved an invoice from Cowan Group Engineering, LLC for $2,156 for Reed Park, to be paid from the CAP Fund, and another from Great Plains Land & Tree Service for $3,655 for Imel Park, also to be paid from the CAP Fund.
The Authority also approved claims paid in October of $630,570.90.