A few weeks ago I asked the Oklahoma Department of Transportation if they had a record of all of the Logan County Projects associated with ODOT for the last 20 years. ODOT sent me a list and if you go to www.marksharpton.com or www.logancountyok.com you can read it. Two of the projects are in the City of Guthrie, so the county had nothing to do with those. However, I could not help but compare that in the 10 years before I was given the honor to serve, the county had 9 projects totaling $3,266,238.00. I was not involved in that 10 year time frame, and I do not know all of the circumstances related to what was done then, and judging is not my intention. However, since I took office to serve Logan County, there are 29 projects totaling $11,711,554.00. This list of projects is for the entire county that the board of commissioners has approved and worked together to fulfill.
This list does not include county projects that utilize county money only. This is more than a 222% increase in the amount of projects in Logan County using the state system. When it comes to “bringing home the bacon,” (that’s politician talk for getting you money), Logan County had a financial increase of over 258% in the same time frame. I just wanted to share what the Board of Commissioners has been getting accomplished, working together for the good of the county has a whole. We might still bicker about our own Districts but we support each other getting projects done anywhere we can. The other county officers have been supportive and a real change has happened in the willingness to help and work through issues in a positive manner. I believe the Board of Commissioners has had a huge influence on improving the functioning of local government. We are not finished and we will continue to bring “bacon home” and keep morale up by working together.
District 1 events this week include work on replacing the wooden bridge deck on College just east of Kelly. The wood has been removed and concrete will be replacing it. That will help maintenance costs tremendously. The deck should be poured early next week and we will allow it to be opened for traffic as soon as possible.
The new asphalt overlay of Simpson Road from Sooner to Coltrane should be completed early next week. Patching was done this week and the overlay is being completed as I write. Shouldering up and striping still need to be done. The new surface will be much smoother and last longer. We look forward to moving westward on Simpson and continuing to improve more of the roadway as quickly as money and the system of red tape allows.
Mowing is an ongoing endeavor and will remain so until we make it throughout the whole district. Remember, snow is coming and any help you can give mowing your right of way helps the county deal with winter weather. This is because if the north and west sides of the roads are mowed, it cuts down on snow drifts that accumulate and make the road impassable.County crew also are continuing to repair potholes. With our small crew and limited resources, it’s hard to stay ahead or catch up on this, but we are working on it. Feel free to give us a call if you have a concern or wish to report any area of special need.
Two of the projects are in the City of Guthrie, so the county had nothing to do with those. However, I could not help but compare that in the 10 years before I was given the honor to serve, the county had 9 projects totaling $3,266,238.00. I was not involved in that 10 year time frame, and I do not know all of the circumstances related to what was done then, and judging is not my intention. However, since I took office to serve Logan County, there are 29 projects totaling $11,711,554.00. This list of projects is for the entire county that the board of commissioners has approved and worked together to fulfill.
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