Kingfisher City Commission took steps Tuesday night to begin the process of rehabilitating the city’s 30-year-old wastewater treatment plant.

Commissioners voted in October to go forward with the estimated $4.5 million rehabilitation of the existing facility, based on an engineering report that determined replacing the facility would cost more than $6.2 million, plus the cost to acquire additional land.

Commissioners approved the following additional actions related to the project Tuesday:

•A legal services agreement with Public Finance Law Group LLC at the rate of 1.25% of the principal amount borrowed.

•A professional services agreement with Municipal Finance Services Inc. for fi nancial advisement.

•An initial promissory note of $100,000 issued to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.

•An application to fi nance the remaining balance through the OWRB’s low interest Clean Water Loan Program.

•A request to be added to the project priority list and included in the OWRB’s Intended Use Plan for the Clean Water loan program for Fiscal Year 2020.

Allan Brooks of PFLG was present at the meeting and said the $100,000 amount would qualify for an OWRB provision for principal forgiveness in that amount, “which is for all intents and purposes is a $100,000 grant to the city.”

City Manager Dave Slezickey recommended hiring outside legal counsel and financial advisors because of the complexity of the fi nancing arrangement.

“There are a lot of complex regulations, paperwork and other requirements involved in qualifying for the OWRB loan program, which is why we need outside bond counsel and the Oklahoma Municipal Finance Services to provide financial guidance,” he said. “With the amount of financing at stake, it’s important for us to show that we’re a sound investment and low risk worthy of low interest funding through the OWRB.”

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In other business, commissioners heard a presentation from local resident Roger Phillips, objecting to the city’s recent building code change requiring a certain amount of brick on the exterior of metal buildings erected in residential areas.

Phillips said the requirement created an unnecessary burden for his plans to construct a metal shop at his residence, noting that his neighborhood already has a number of all metal buildings constructed before the new code was adopted “and they look just fi ne.”

Slezickey said Phillips had the option of applying for a variance with the Planning & Zoning Commission based on the fact that an all metal building would conform to the existing standards of his neighborhood.

Phillips said that process would add an additional variance application fee on top of the building permit.

See Wednesday’s paper for other meeting details.