By Conrad Dudderar
Associate Editor
New pedestrian bridges at two Yukon parks and drainage repairs at a third park were officially funded this week.
The Yukon City Council, at its regular meeting Tuesday night inside the Centennial Building, approved spending $99,685.55 for Brewer Construction to build the bridges and make the repairs.
The park projects are:
- Pedestrian bridge at Taylor Park to connect the soccer fields to the new restroom. Cost $45,230.93.
- Pedestrian bridge on the nature trail at Yukon City Park. Cost $45,230.93.
- Drainage repairs at Ranchwood Park to include a five-foot concrete flume. Cost $9,223.69.
Yukon Parks & Recreation Director Jan Scott outlined the projects at the three city parks in Jan. 18 memos to Yukon City Manager Jim Crosby.
A pedestrian bridge at Taylor Park will provide access to the restroom “when rainy weather makes it impossible to cross over the creek safely from the soccer fields to the restroom facilities,” Scott wrote.
A new pedestrian bridge on the Copelin Nature Trail (east side of Jim Watson Drive) at Yukon City Park was needed after the bridge washed away due to heavy rains.
“It is the main crossing to the other side of the creek to an adjoining trail,” Scott said in the memo. “(This project) is necessary for safe crossing of the creek to the connecting trail on the other side.”
Meanwhile, Yukon’s Parks & Recreation director explained drainage repairs were needed at Ranchwood Park because its east parking lot holds large amounts of water during heavy rains.
“(T)he water comes off the elevated east side of the neighborhood and sits in the parking lot,” she wrote in her memo. “A concrete flume is needed to carry the water out of the parking lot through the field to the north, which will solve the problem of standing water, a safety concern, and will cut out mud build-up in the parking lot at the northwest corner.”
Scott believes the concrete flume will keep the parking lot drained and free of the mud build-up while also keeping water flowing out of the parking lot to the north.
The City of Yukon is paying Brewer Construction for the three park projects based on bid unit prices through the 2020 concrete and asphalt paving, drainage, water and sewer contract.
INSTALLING FIBER OPTIC CABLE
In other business at Tuesday night’s meeting, the city council approved permits to allow NX Utilities, on behalf of MCI Metro Access Transmission Services, to construct a directional bore within right-of-way to install fiber optic cable parallel to stretches of S Yukon Parkway and N.W. 10th.
Melissa Wood of NX Utilities, DBA Verizon Business, said her company will attach to an OG&E pole to bring fiber optics to the Yukon community as part of Verizon’s 5G project.
“We will not be blocking any roadways or having any road closures,” Wood said. “We’re just going to be staying in that right-of-way. If we do have to be in the road, we’ll of course have some cones up, flashing lights and all the safety measures.
“There will be supervisors on site with the team.”
In other action, council members approved:
- A budget amendment for fiscal year 2020. The change is due to the City of Oklahoma City reimbursing the City of Yukon $570,000 for Wilshire Road bridge replacement and Frisco Road capital improvement projects.
- A change order with a credit of $7,079 for the City of Yukon animal control facility project, for cabinets, additional parking, electrical items, sod, sinks, omitting partial demolition of existing shelter, and unused project allowances. New contract amount is $2,033,370. An open house is Saturday, Jan. 25 for the new animal control facility, 701 Inla – Unit A.
- A planned unit development (PUD) and final plat for property in the West End Pointe Addition off West End Pointe Drive north of N.W. 10th. The project will feature a new Atwood’s Ranch & Home store, restaurant and other retailers on four proposed lots west of Yukon’s AMC movie theater.
