Site work for a playground / park / athletic field in Norman, Oklahoma. Completed plans call for site work for a playground / park / athletic field; and playground / park / athletic field.

https://www.oudaily.com/news/norman-city-council-hears-proposition-to-end-homelessness-reviews-capital-improvement-projects-budget/article_b4f43528-8f49-11ec-b101-b3a457961d48.html Norman City Council hears proposition to end homelessness, reviews Capital Improvement Projects Budget The Norman City Council heard a plan to end homelessness from a non-profit homeless prevention organization and reviewed the status of the Capital Improvement Projects Budget for the 2023 fiscal year budget during its study session Tuesday. Kimberly Coffman, a member of the financial staff for the city of Norman, said the purpose of the Capital Improvement Budget is to support services of a municipal government, including transportation, water, wastewater and stormwater projects. Funding for these projects involves voter-approved bonds, capital and Norman Forward sales taxes, intergovernmental grants, room tax proceeds and private funds. Projects underway during this fiscal year include the Imhoff Road Bridge emergency repair project, which the council allocated over $1.4 million toward. Coffman detailed a proposed bridge maintenance bond program, saying that of the 77 bridges in Norman, five are structurally deficient, 12 are functionally obsolete and 10 are at risk of becoming structurally deficient. According to the presentation, city staff are currently working to establish cost estimates and a more detailed project scope for Norman's bridges. Mayor Breea Clark asked what kind of liability the city could have in cases like the Imhoff Bridge, but City Attorney Kathryn Walker said liabilities aren't a major concern because if a bridge was not safe, the city would close the bridge down. Several Norman Forward projects were completed during this fiscal year, including the Ruby Grant Community Park and Phases III and IV of Griffin Park. Other projects are still underway, like the Young Family Athletic Center and the Senior Wellness Center. Both are estimated to be completed in 2023. For the fiscal year budget in 2023, another member of the city financial staff, Jacob Huckabaa, said upcoming challenges would include exterior security updates to the Norman Police Department's building and the construction of Fire Station No. 10. Huckabaa said the new station is necessary as the department attempts to relieve some duties from Fire Station No. 9, which serves the majority of the OU campus. The first public hearing for the 2023 fiscal year proposed budget will be April 26. In an effort to address homelessness and affordable housing in Norman, Homebase, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cities end homelessness and lower poverty rates, presented a three-step plan to council members. The series includes securing housing for all of Cleveland County, increasing access to resources and mobilizing a countywide response. Homebase separated the plan by presenting five "achievable" priorities council could meet in year one, which include focusing on developing a countywide landlord engagement campaign to encourage landlords to rent to individuals who are experiencing homelessness, building single room occupancy units, constructing a year round and low-barrier housing shelter, passing a "moving on" policy within the public housing authority and proving optional "wrap-around" services. The countywide landlord campaign would work to educate the public about housing and create incentives for landlords that choose to rent to a tenant who has experienced homelessness and holds a "housing choice voucher" granted by the Norman Housing Authority. Homebase also recommended a landlord risk mitigation fund to compensate landlords for any damage a tenant may cause. Single room occupancy units would provide an affordable housing option so individuals who are experiencing homelessness will not have to pay extra for a second bedroom or additional space they do not need. A low-barrier shelter would not require sobriety, identification or proof of income. Homebase defines shelter in its council agenda packet as "temporary or interim places for people to stay, which include year-round emergency shelters, winter and warming shelters, navigation centers and transitional housing." "Moving On" policies would prioritize granting vouchers to provide affordable housing options, short-term services and other resources to support program participants as they transition out of homelessness. Homebase staff said Norman could work to offer more street outreach programs, mental health resources and case management services to expand wrap-around services. Ward 4 Councilmember Lee Hall said Norman has already made progress on several of its year one priorities, noting that council recognized the need for a low-barrier shelter and opened one in December 2019. The shelter was originally open for three months, but later reopened in December 2020 with funding secured until August 2022. "I think the commitment is there. As a municipality, we're recognizing that we may not be the best people to run the shelter, but we have definitely recognized that need that is currently being done," Hall said. "This is not something that we have to start up. We just have to figure out how to keep it going." Hall also said the city had discussed creating a housing navigator role for years, and an organization called Care-A-Van is in the works to promote street outreach. Mayor Breea Clark said Jan. 1 can mark the beginning of year one of Homebase's program, and she wants ad hoc committees to continue discussing pieces of this plan. The only member of council to speak against this plan was Ward 3 Councilmember Kelly Lynn, who said business owners and homeowners in Norman didn't want homeless shelters or other resources near their properties. He also disagreed with spending money on "a small part of the city's overall population." "I understand wanting to help people," Lynn said. "People did not move to Norman to have projects and ghettos built around them. ... It's taken sources from our police, it's driving people insane." Lynn said one in five people listed on the sex offender register in Norman were homeless. According to a homelessness gaps analysis performed in September 2021 for Cleveland County, of 104 individuals listed as sex offenders, 18 identified as homeless, or 17 percent. No violent offenders identified as homeless. Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Holman responded to Lynn, saying that, if his statistic is true, four out of five homeless individuals are living with sexual predators, adding that, without Norman's overnight shelter, 30 more people would be sleeping in front of businesses. Lynn also referenced a recent homicide that happened on Jan. 20, saying that most people in Norman would agree with him that, following the incident, council had to be "realistic" about homelessness. Holman said the homicide wasn't unique to Norman, but before the construction of the warming shelter, two homeless individuals froze to death downtown. "Talk about a homicide, a single homicide that could have happened anywhere," Holman said. "To me, two homeless people freezing to death on a sidewalk in a city of this wealth is way worse of an image than a single homicide." Ward 2 Councilmember Lauren Schueler said Homebase's plan doesn't simply focus on those who are currently experiencing homelessness, but it could also help prevent future homelessness for many people "on the fringes" through increased housing solutions. Schueler also cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying many people in Norman are right on the edge of becoming homeless and are at risk of losing housing. She encouraged the council to "widen their scope" of thinking about this issue within the community. Clark said every city in Cleveland County should be "brought to the table," and Norman should encourage a countywide approach to homelessness. She said this conversation serves as an opportunity to look at homelessness with a different perspective after several staff members from the city's homeless program stepped down from their positions. "We're already making progress, let's continue this," Clark said. "Honestly, this is as much of a clean slate as you could possibly get. I think it's time to approach the problem with fresh eyes, and we have just the opportunity to do that." ________________________________________________________________________ These services will be for the construction of projects for Griffin Park located at 1001 East Robinson, Norman, Oklahoma. Other opportunities for programming and/or construction may be considered by the City. Any correspondence, questions, should be directed to: Wade Thompson, Parks Superintendent, P.O. Box 370, Norman, OK 73070; Phone: (405) 366-5478; Email: Wade.Thompson@NormanOK.gov.