Jan. 8—John Feary, Claremore’s city manager, thanked the community for its resilience and unity this year in a Dec. 31 video.
In the video, Feary discussed the city’s tornado recovery process, ongoing and upcoming infrastructure projects and items residents should be looking out for in 2025.
Six months after the May tornado, Feary said the city is working toward a full recovery. He said the city will put out its last bid Tuesday to clear downed trees from waterways to prevent spring flooding.
He said crews are also fixing splices and overhauling temporary repairs made to the power system, as well as resolving code and compliance issues.
“May 25 changed this community’s life probably forever,” Feary said. “… What an incredible ordeal, and what an incredible way in which you all as a community came together and supported each other and helped us claw our way out of that catastrophe … it’s been a long and arduous journey on recovery from an infrastructure standpoint and from a fiscal standpoint. While yes, we got roads open and power back on, that doesn’t mean we’re anywhere near done.”
Feary said the city estimates it will have spent $15 million once recovery has completed. The Federal Emergency Management Agency can reimburse the city for up to 75%, or $11,250,000.
He thanked residents for voting in April 2023 to approve transferring about $9.5 million from the Hospital Sale Trust Fund to the city’s general fund.
“Thank God we had that,” Feary said. “We are one of the few communities that have actually had the money to recover from the tornado. It’s important to remember that we have to front all of that money.”
Despite the tornado, Feary said the city completed a number of unrelated projects this year. The Lowry Detention Pond is functional for flood control purposes, several downtown streets received rehabilitation and the new wastewater treatment plant project is on track to break ground in February or March.
Feary said the city is also working on a master plan for its electrical system; he said Claremore never has had one despite having master plans for its water, sewer, transportation, etc. He said a firm called CEC is about half-finished surveying the city’s electrical grid and drafting a report on its integrity.
“Frankly, the simple answer is, is everything we have is very old, so that’s what we’ve got to start addressing,” Feary said. “We also need additional capacity in our substations for our future growth.”
He said Claremore residents should look out for a series of public meetings in February and March on the future of the city’s infrastructure.
Feary said the tornado forced the city to put off widening Frederick Road to three lanes, which he said is necessary because it will be the main access off the realigned State Highway 20 south of Claremore.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is telling the city the realigned Highway 20 will open in March, Feary said.
“Unfortunately, the same contractor that’s doing that project (Sherwood Construction) is also doing the Turner Turnpike work,” Feary said. “They got behind there, and so they demobilized from Claremore and pulled all of those contractors over to the turnpike job. This original date was always March of 2025 — they thought it would be done early, and in fact, it would have been.”
Claremore has a general election in April. Five city council seats are up for election, Feary said, and voters will decide whether to accept a 1% increase to the city’s 3% sales tax rate.
This would be Claremore’s first unrestricted penny, which the city could use for any purpose. The existing three pennies are all restricted: 1% for streets and infrastructure, 1% for the Claremore Expo Center and wastewater treatment plant and 1% for capital expenditures.
He said the city hasn’t increased its sales tax rate in 30 years; voters rejected a proposal to add a restricted penny for police and fire public safety programs in April 2023.
Feary said people should attend the town hall meetings in the coming months to give feedback.
“We have not been sheltered from the rising cost of gasoline and concrete and fuel and oil and all of the other things that you all use, and groceries,” Feary said. “So we’ve gotta start looking at some ways [to raise money], and we want your help in doing it. We want we want to know what it is you want and how you want to spend it.”
Visit tinyurl.com/rfxw4vfz to watch Feary’s video update.