Police department remodel, expansion project grows

The Sallisaw Police Department is growing.

Not necessarily in terms of the number of employees and officers, but rather the size of the building, according to an amendment to the city’s remodel and expansion project approved by the City Commissioners at their Monday night meeting.

Originally planned as a 4,100-squarefoot remodel and expansion of the current police department, the project has almost doubled since Risley Architects of Fort Smith was chosen in July 2022 to provide architectural and engineering services.

The amendment to the professional services agreement between the city and Risley Architects covers additional design costs, and addresses the increased cost of $32,000. The city originally agreed to a contract with Risley Architects with a price tag of $97,805. With the additional cost detailed in the amendment, which will be paid from the city’s capital improvement fund, the new cost for Risley Architects services is $129,805.

Estimated construction costs for the original project was $1,504,700.

The remodel and expansion project now encompasses 7,500 square feet. The additional space will accommodate a break room, locker rooms and a fitness facility. Sallisaw City Manager Keith Skelton told commissioners that the new square footage “will ensure ad- equate space for the police department for years to come.”

In a Dec. 6 letter to Skelton from Risley Architects partner Thomas E. “Rett” Howard Jr., Howard addressed the project growth.

“All projects have a little scope creep, and we always anticipate this in all of our projects,” Howard wrote to Skelton. “However, this project has grown substantially, and per our discussion, we want to stay within your budget and still give your project what it needs to succeed.

“We now feel that the plan fits your needs and will accommodate your goals.”

When the city commissioners approved the project in July 2022, it included demolition of the old city hall and civic center complex, as well as re-skinning the exterior of the current police department building, which was built about 1990.

The architectural and engineering services with which Risley Architects is tasked includes schematic drawings, design development, construction documents, bidding services and construction administration.

Other business

The city commissioners received a presentation from Brent Black, chief executive officer for CREOKS Health Services, regarding rezoning property at 1108 N. Wheeler which would have paved the way for creating a crisis treatment center in a residential neighborhood. But the commissioners declined to reverse a decision made last week by the city planning commission when the request was denied.

The commissioners also approved:

• An administrative policy establishing written guidance on how the city will respond to weather events that affect city operations. Key aspects of the policy are that it defines emergency response employees, essential employees and non-essential employees. In addition, it provides guidance to city employees during weather events, as well as when limited operations are announced for the city. It also provides guidance on snow and ice removal, as well as how widespread utility outages are addressed.

• A request to declare as surplus two mobile home office trailers located at the landfill facility, and authorized staff to trade, sell or destroy the surplus items. The trailers were purchased as surplus in 2011 and used as police training rooms. The trailers are no longer usable.

• Reinvestment of a General Fund certificate of deposit with Firstar Bank for 182 days at 3.55% interest.

The commissioners also scheduled a special meeting for 11 a.m. Feb. 2 in Council Chambers to discuss the FY 2022 utility study, code enforcement items and FY 2024 budget preparations.

Administrative report Skelton told the commissioners about several projects currently active or in the planning process.

“Staff continues to work with architects on the police department remodel/ expansion, as well as the new pool complex. Our new side-load sanitation truck continues to work well. We are currently exploring the purchase of a smaller side-load for the FY 2024 budget. With a smaller unit, we would be able to serve the whole community with two side-loads,” Skelton said.

He then detailed work recently done at the south substation by the Grand River Dam Authority.

“On January 3, GRDA began repairs on the high side of the south substation. These repairs are slated to last at least two weeks. While repairs are being made, all electric load for the city is going through the north substation,” Skelton told the commissioners.

“On December 22, GRDA was performing repairs to distribution lines coming into the south substation. While repairs were taking place, GRDA had one main circuit shut off to Sallisaw. During this time, the weather became quite cold, which increased our electric load on the south substation. This led to the city curtailing some electric load in order to keep the substation operational. Although the planning for this work was not the best, GRDA did dispatch crews to assist in energizing the circuit once we saw it was causing issues. I have asked GRDA to review this event and ensure better planning takes place in the future.”

Sallisaw Municipal Authority Immediately following the city commissioners’ meeting, the board for the Sallisaw Municipal Authority convened. The board approved the reinvestment of a certificate of deposit with Firstar Bank for 182 days at 3.55% interest.

The board also received an update on the GRDA power cost adjustment (PCA). Skelton reported that the GRDA’s PCA rate trends in conjunction with the natural gas index. The cost of natural gas continues to be a main factor in the GRDA PCA costs passed on to GRDA customers. But he told the board that lower cost of natural gas is expected to mean lower PCA for February and March.

Sallisaw City Manager Keith Skelton presents a gold watch to Carl Poindexter in commemoration of his retirement. He is retiring after 32 years with the city. LYNN ADAMS | TIMES

Sallisaw City Manager Keith Skelton presents a gold watch to Debra Washington, who is retiring from the city after 26 years. LYNN ADAMS | TIMES