Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

Drainage improvements continue to be made in the City of Bartlesville around the Price Tower Arts Center and the Bartlesville Community Center.

Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said the voter approved improvements that came with the 2013 General Obligation Bond are scheduled to be completed to make way for the Tower Center at Unity Square project.

The drainage improvements, Lauritsen said, should be completed by late June.

Lauritsen said demolition for the Tower Center at Unity Square project could take place in late May or early June. He said the concept would be to remove a portion of Silas Street (or 6th Street).

Amenities within the space south of Silas Street and between Silas and the Community Center that include planters, benches and sidewalk that will need to be removed. This is part of the first phase, which includes work on the fountain next to Community Center.

Once that phase is completed, work on adding amenities will begin.

The Bartlesville City Council recently approved a contract with Jonesplan, LLC out of Tulsa to act as a general contractor for the project. Jonesplan is actively advertising for the various components of the Tower Center at Unity Square project. Lauritsen said bids should come back in about a month for the Bartlesville City Council to award.

Through the process of the public input sessions and the Taliesin groups coming in to help with design concepts, Lauritsen said there was a realization that a permanent restroom location and a storage facility were needed. He said from there they looked at estimated costs for those items.

The put them roughly $200,000 to $300,000 over what they had originally budgeted for the project. That overpricing tied into the addition of the bathroom and the storage space.

Lauritsen said they have been pursuing grants for those things but they will still take a look at the bid costs for those amenities. He said they are hopeful the potential grants will allow them to include the bathroom and storage space within the five months they plan to complete the Tower Center at Unity Square project.

The City hopes to complete the project by Oct. 31st.