City Beat October 26, 2021

City Beat

Your city, your news

October 26, 2021

Welcome to City Beat, a free weekly e-newsletter containing the latest news and information about the City of Bartlesville and related topics. Get yours delivered each week! http://bit.ly/2eaFETx

In this edition

Wondering when or how to celebrate Halloween this year? Or if trash routes will be affected by the holiday? Or maybe you're just looking for some safety tips for trick or treaters. These are questions City staff receive every year around this time. And, as always, City Beat has the answers. Scroll down to read more.

What's New

Replenysh Senior Manager Reece Hammer, left, and Head of Product Clark Dinnison were on-hand Saturday for the public recycling event held at Lee Lake. In an effort to help make recycling more accessible to Bartlesville residents, the City provided the host site for Replenysh's first local recycling event. Anyone interested in offering a public or private host site is encouraged to contact Ryon Hart at ryon@replenysh.com or 323.301.7133.

Bartlesville turns out for local recycling event

Recyclers give big 'thumb's up' to Replenysh recycling program

Local residents turned out in big numbers this weekend to support new recycling efforts underway in Bartlesville. Replenysh, the California-based company responsible for the public event held Saturday at Lee Lake, said upwards of 200 people participated.

"The event today exceeded our expectations," said Replenysh Sales Manager Ryon Hart. "We had around 150 to 200 people visit and drop off material. So many people showed up that we had to hire two more trucks to fit all of it."

To help launch the program, the City served as the "host site" for the company's first recycling event in Bartlesville by providing space at the City-owned Lee Lake Complex. But Replenysh plans to hold future events locally by utilizing other public and private host sites — including the City-owned drop-off recycle center, located at 10th Street and Virginia Ave. The center was closed earlier this year due to a fire at the Tulsa Recycle and Transfer Center, which sorted and processed local donations.

"We are still working out the details regarding how, exactly, we will use the existing center in conjunction with the Replenysh program, but we hope to have more information available about this very soon," said City Manager Mike Bailey. "We're thrilled that Replenysh has been able to step in and fill this obvious need in our community, and we couldn't be more excited to partner with them for this program."

Replenysh representatives said Monday they couldn't be happier with their first effort in Bartlesville.

"Our team has received an incredible welcome from your City and we look forward to continuing our work to help make a positive impact in the community and help Bartlesville end landfills," Hart said.

To follow local Replenysh events, see the company's Bartlesville Facebook page. To join Replenysh, which is free, see http://join.replenysh.com/bartlesville-ok. For more information or to sign up to serve as a host site, contact Ryon Hart at ryon@replenysh.com or 323.301.7133.

Photos courtesy of Replenysh

City nominated for 'Water for 60' award

Water Reuse System to be installed, online by June 2023

The City of Bartlesville has been nominated for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board's "Water for 60 Excellence Award" for its ongoing efforts to implement the water reuse system — a system that will help extend water resources for the area decades into the future, Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said last week.

The nomination was submitted by former Bartlesville mayor/city councilor Tom Gorman, who has represented Ward 3 on the City's Water Resources Committee since its inception in 2003. The committee was formed soon after severe drought conditions at Hulah Lake made clear the community's need for long-term water planning.

"The nomination for this prestigious award is in recognition of the work that has been done to bring the Water Reuse System online for the City of Bartlesville," Lauritsen said. "While this project has had a lot of moving parts and has required participation from several arms of the City including the City Council and City management, the Water Resources Committee has also been instrumental in helping to steer us in the right direction to ensure that area water needs are met in the long-term. This system will certainly help us do that."

The water reuse project essentially began when the Oklahoma Legislature enacted the 'Water for 60' law in 2012, the goal of which is to consume no more fresh water in the year 2060 than was consumed statewide in the year 2012 while continuing to grow the population and economy of Oklahoma.

"Soon after the law was enacted, we began looking into whether or not it would be feasible for our community," Lauritsen said. "It became clear pretty quickly that it would very likely be an excellent resource for the City of Bartlesville."

Lauritsen said the project has been in the planning and development stages for several years, first with feasibility studies and grant application submissions and more recently with rights-of-way obtainment and infrastructure design.

"It has taken a while to get to this point, but we are moving forward with the first phase of construction on the project, which involves the renovation of the Caney River Pump Station, and we should be looking to begin installing pipeline later this calendar year or early next year," he said.

The reuse system involves the construction/installation of infrastructure that will consist of a pump station at the wastewater treatment plant and an underground pipeline transporting the water to the Caney River just south of the County Road West 1500 bridge. This will allow the City to utilize treated wastewater to augment the yield of the Caney River during periods of drought, which serves as one of the City’s main water sources.

“We will pump treated wastewater upstream of the Caney River and allow it to blend with existing river water, then send it to the water treatment plant for further treatment and, from there, to our water customers," Lauritsen said.

For Bartlesville and the surrounding communities that rely on the City's water resources, the water reuse project means expanding the area's potable water supply decades into the future.

"The reuse system will extend the resources of Hulah Lake, one of the City's primary water sources, by approximately 25 years and provide approximately 35-70 percent of current water supply needs," Lauritsen said. "In addition, as the city continues to grow and increase in water consumption, wastewater generation and treatment will also grow and mirror water consumption. This means the project will continue to provide raw water and be a critical component of the City’s water supply system indefinitely."

The system is expected to cost around $8.2 million, which will be funded partially through grant funding but primarily with Water Capital Investment Fees. Completion of the project is expected by June 2023.

For more information, see City Beat April 24, 2019.

News & Updates

City Council OKs 2021-22 FY fire contract

During a special meeting Friday, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract agreement reached last week between negotiating teams for the City of Bartlesville and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 200.

The one-year contract for the current fiscal year (FY 2021-22) will be retroactive to July 1, 2021. Negotiations for contract terms for Fiscal Year 2022-23 will begin next spring.

Talks had stalled between the parties over three points of contention: the department's promotional procedures for management-level positions and "Me Too" clause, as well as firefighter pay. However, an agreement was reached last week regarding all three issues, and the proposed contract received full support from the council on Friday.

The new contract eliminates the Me Too clause and expands candidate options for top-level positions within the department, both of which were requested by the City. All ranks of firefighter will receive an 11.5 percent pay increase, which is more than the City's original offer but less than previously requested by the IAFF.

"We're grateful to the City Council, the City's negotiating team and the IAFF for working together to bring these negotiations to an end prior to outside arbitration, which was set to be held this month," said City Manager Mike Bailey. "Negotiations this year were intense at times, not only with the IAFF but with other employee groups as well. But in the end we have achieved something we've been working toward for some time: We have reviewed every City position over the past two years or so and have made pay increase adjustments where necessary to bring those positions in line with our peer cities. That is not only the right thing to do for our employees, but it puts us in a much better place for recruitment and employee retention in the future."

COVID Relief Fund Program helps hundreds

Rent, utility assistance still available; call Concern for help

COVID-19 relief funds received earlier this year from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce have so far been used to help hundreds of Bartlesville residents — and there is still funding available for others who have faced hardships due to the coronavirus pandemic, Assistant City Planner Nancy Warring said today.

"These funds, which are administered through the local non-profit Concern, have already helped many local residents in need of assistance due to COVID-19, and there is still funding available," Warring said. "Anyone who thinks they meet the criteria for assistance is encouraged to contact Concern and begin the application process."

The City was awarded $936,189 in COVID relief funding for the public earlier this year. The City Council opted to use the funding to offer rent and utility assistance to Bartlesville residents meeting the defined criteria, as well as to help fund a Grand Lake Mental Health Center program that provides iPads to individuals to ensure continued mental health assistance.

Warring said today the funds have to date been used to help more than 64 people with rent and utility assistance and have ensured continued mental health assistance for 396 people.

"Grand Lake Mental Health Center has used all of their part of the grant and have been paid their portion, or $333,333," Warring said. "So, they’ve helped 396 individuals, and the assistance to those individuals continues indefinitely. And, as of last Tuesday, Concern had given out $20,698 in rent assistance and $7,195.76 in utility assistance. The assistance has helped 31 households, which is over 64 individuals."

The program expires March 2023.

If you need help paying rent or utility bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic, call Concern to see if you’re eligible for assistance through the City of Bartlesville COVID Relief Fund Program. To begin the application process, call 918.214.8945.

For more information, see Concern accepting COVID relief fund applications.

Yard debris collection planned for week of December 6-10

The City's next free residential yard debris collection the week of Dec. 6-10. Residents may place their leaves, grass, lawn clippings and other yard debris at the curb in bags on their normal trash collection day for collection by Solid Waste Department crews.

The collection is for the following items only:

Leaves
Grass
Lawn clippings
Limbs and branches if cut in lengths no longer than four feet and bundled (may not exceed 50 pounds)

During the week of Dec. 6-10, yard debris bags will not require yard waste stickers and clear or colored bags are allowed. The collection is for private residences only; no commercial collections will be made. There is no limit on the number of bags a resident can put out for the collection. Extra bags or items of household refuse outside the cart must have the red refuse sticker attached.

For more information, contact the Solid Waste Department at 918.338.4130.

Your Questions

Halloween: Safety tips, questions answered

Open or closed

Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, so it happens that City offices will be closed on the holiday. However, Halloween is not a nationally recognized holiday nor is it one observed by the City of Bartlesville, so there will be no disruption in services on either the Friday before the holiday weekend or the Monday following Halloween.

When to trick or treat

The City has no official stance on this and has never designated a day or time for trick-or-treating. Whatever day or night you choose, just keep safety in mind and remember: if you have candy and want to give it away, turn your porch light on. If you’re going to be gone or want to eat all the candy yourself, turn it off. Likewise, trick or treaters should look for homes that have a porch light on.

Safety tips

While it goes without saying organized events offer a more controlled environment and therefore a presumed reduction in safety hazards, the following tips might help if your family plans to trick-or-treat this Halloween:

Cross the street at the corners/crosswalks and walk on the sidewalks, when possible.
Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them, and watch for cars that are turning or backing up.
Children (especially under 12) should be accompanied by an adult.
Trick or treat in groups, if possible.
Have older children who are going alone plan their route ahead of time.
Teach children not to enter anyone’s home or vehicle for any reason.
Teach children not to eat any "treats" until they've been inspected (and possibly removed for further "inspection" later) by an adult.
Decorate costumes and candy bags with reflective tape and wear light colors, if possible
Motorists: Please slow down and watch for children

Remember: Safety first (and second, and third). But after that, good luck and have fun!

More information regarding local Halloween events can be found through local media sources, churches, community centers and organizations such as Visit Bartlesville, not to mention social media.

Out & About

Treat delivery

Unable to wait for Halloween, Logan delivers treats to his favorite Sanitation Driver, Randy Boyles, who comes to visit on Tuesdays.

Photo courtesy of Jim Mills

Volunteer Opportunities

Board, Committee & Commission Openings

The City of Bartlesville has numerous boards, committees and commissions that are driven by citizen volunteers. All citizens are encouraged and welcome to apply.

Board applications are located online and in the city manager’s office, located on the second floor of City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. Applications are kept on file for two years. To view a complete list, see Boards, Committees & Commissions.

The City currently has the following committee/board openings: