Durant City Council meets, no action taken on buffer zones

Staff Writer

The Durant City Council met Tuesday evening in the Roscoe J. Hatfield Memorial Council Chambers.

Due to a technical error in the notification process nearly all issues that involved the planning and zoning commission were tabled until the September council meeting. This included the city's plan to establish rules pertaining to a buffer zone protecting residential areas.

The Council heard a report from Donna Dow on the progress made in the Durant Main Street Project. Dow also briefed the council about an annual “perception survey” that was conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. ODOC conducted the survey by giving questionnaires to 28 downtown businesses, 25 of which completed the survey. Among the revelations exposed by the survey were the fact that about 57 percent of downtown companies own their own buildings, and 19 of the 25 businesses said that the Durant Main Street program was “very important” to Durant.

The council approved a request from the Chamber of Commerce Christmas light committee for $20,000 of dollar-for-dollar matching funds. The funds will be used to help pay for lights, garland and electrical system upgrades.

The council heard two issues pertaining to the Durant Multi-Sports complex. The first issue concerned a lease agreement between the DMSC and Durant public schools. The council determined that baseball field #1 should be sub leased to DPS to be used as the DPS baseball team's home field. The second issue was brought before the council by Durant Public Works director Jerry Yandell. Yandell requested that a volunteer advisory board be set up to help manage the DMSC. The council unanimously voted to form a committee to investigate the formation of such a board.

The council voted unanimously to sell two lots that the city has owned since the 1930s to Mike Herron for $3,500. The lots are only accessible by way of Herron's property. He intends to use them as parking for apartment units that he maintains adjacent to the vacant lots.

The council requested that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation perform traffic counts at the intersection of U.S. 70 and Sunny Meadows Drive. The study will be used to determine whether or not traffic signals are necessary at the intersection. The council amended the request to also include language asking that the speed limit be lowered for that stretch of U.S. 70. Also pertaining to ODOT the council unanimously approved a resolution to modify traffic signals at the intersection of U.S. 69/75 and Choctaw Road. A request to ODOT to provide access to commercial areas that will be created along the proposed U.S. 70 bypass was also approved.

The council cemented a deal with local developer Ron Trent that will result in the improvement of city infrastructure in the Wildwood Estates II subdivision. The city agreed to improve Sleepy Hollow Road and bring water and sewer to the subdivision, while allowing Trent to retain approximately $17,000 dollars in Utility Authority housing incentives.

The city agreed to act as a “flow through” for funds between Rural Enterprises Inc. and ODOT to pay for the paving of an industrial accesses road. ODOT cannot enter into agreements with non-govenmental entities on its own so the City of Durant will act as a go-between.

The council voted unanimously to renew its contract with the Bryan County Jail Trust Authority. The renewed contract will be the same as the previous year, however a $5 per day increase in what the city pays to house its jail inmates.

In council voted to approve all consent items, however Council member Bobby Story pointed out an ironic oversight in one of the consent items. The Durant Fire Department decided to use the $100,000 it received from the Earth Biofuels /Willie Nelson Concert to purchase trucks designed to fight brush fires. These trucks that the DFD listed for purchase were powered by gasoline not diesel. Story suggested that since a biodiesel company donated the funds for the trucks they should be diesel powered. This consent item was sent back for bidding with diesel vehicles specified.

During the public hearing Mayor Jerry Tomlinson recognized the Choctaw Braves midget baseball team for winning a state championship and declared Aug. 9 “Choctaw Braves Day.” Also during the public hearing Tomlinson recognized Andy Campbell for his service to the planning and zoning commission and presented the Durant Beautification Committee with an award for “the most unusual item found” from ODOT. The item that garnered the recognition was a tombstone.

Two zoning requests were approved. The first changed the zoning of property located a 4310 W. University from general residential to commercial. The second changed the zoning of the property located at 3302 University from single family residential to general commercial.