During a special session of the Oklahoma Legislature held Sept. 28-29, state lawmakers allocated more than $1.5 billion for 45 projects under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and another $250 million for projects under the state’s Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity (PREP) Fund. Legislators allocated $63 million for three of those projects actively supported by the Chamber, becoming law when the period for Gov. Stitt to veto the bills expired. Two of those projects will receive ARPA funding: 1) $35 million for waterline relocation at Tinker Air Force Base, and 2) $8 million infrastructure installation at OKC’s 577 commerce park located in southeast OKC near the old Crossroads Mall. Officials say a 60-inch waterline that serves about 400,000 residents and currently runs parallel to Douglas Blvd. from Lake Stanley Draper must be relocated due to the pending closure of a two-mile section of Douglas as part of Tinker’s expansion to the east. Once completed, the waterline would be entirely outside of Tinker’s secured area. The OKC 577 project consists of developing the 577- acre site into a premier business industrial park in order to lure future tenants and would include the relocation of various utilities such as water, sewer, electricity and natural gas as well as other infrastructure to provide state-of-the art facilities and amenities to its tenants. STATE LAWMAKERS APPROVE $63M IN ARPA, PREP FUNDS FOR CHAMBER- SUPPORTED PROJECTS
In addition to ARPA funds, the Legislature also allocated $20 million from the state’s PREP Fund for a new multipurpose exhibit and educational building at the State Fairgrounds as well as a new extension, which would connect the Super Barn with the new coliseum. “We were pleased to see all three projects supported by the Chamber receive ARPA or PREP funding. We appreciate the outstanding work by our partners who submitted the requests – the City of Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma City Economic Development Alliance and the State Fairgrounds – in preparing the applications and working with us to navigate through the extended ARPA/PREP process,” said Mark VanLandingham, the Chamber’s vice president of government relations. “Finally, I want to thank the Legislature for recognizing the need to expand Tinker AFB, buildout infrastructure to OKC’s 577 commerce park, and further develop and enhance the State Fairgrounds to position these critical facilities for future success and growth. The Legislature was a judicious steward of the state’s ARPA/ REAP funds and dispersed those funds in a way that will generate economic development throughout the state. The special session was a big win for all of Oklahoma,” VanLandingham added.
The Legislature approved $20 million from the state’s PREP Fund for a new extension at the State Fairgrounds that will eventually connect the Super Barn with the new coliseum.
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