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RESOLUTION R-1617-128: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, APPROPRIATING $26,550 FROM THE PARK LAND AND DEVELOPMENT FUND BALANCE FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO GEORGE M. SUTTON URBAN WILDERNESS PARK.
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BACKGROUND: In 1994, the City of Norman began collecting park development fees in the amount of $150 for every new residential building permit. The $150 fee is apportioned $75 to community park development and $75 to neighborhood park development. The neighborhood park portion of the fees must be spent on the neighborhood park in the area from which they were collected. The community park portion may be expended only at the six community parks (Andrews, Griffin, Reaves, Sutton, Saxon and Ruby Grant).
There is a project currently on-going to make improvements to the perimeter walking trail and to expand the parking lot at the George M. Sutton Urban Wilderness Park. That project is being funded 80% by a grant from the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department's Recreational Trails Grant Program. This comes on the heels of a project completed earlier this year to reconstruct the dam for the lake in the park, during which a stonework structure was built for a new interpretive sign installed overlooking the wetlands at the toe of the dam.
Three additional signs are being prepared for the trail project for the prairie, riparian and woodland ecologies in the park. However, these do not include a stacked stone framework, which we would like to have constructed along with the signs. Also, the transition area from the dam to the remainder of the trail has experienced significant erosion, which can be remedied with some additional grading and sub-base construction.
DISCUSSION: At this time, staff is recommending the appropriation of Park Land and Development funds for George M. Sutton Urban Wilderness Park in order to make additional improvements to the park. All of the work will be finished at the same time as the current trail and par...
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