The Phillips Bridge northeast of Kingfisher on Lemon Road (E 760 Road) has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The designation means the aging bridge, which is slated for replacement, cannot be removed.

District 1 Commissioner Jeff Moss said the replacement bridge will be built to the side of the historical bridge.

Phillips Bridge is one of eight Kingfisher County bridges to be replaced using Oklahoma Department of Transportation County Improvements to Roads and Bridges (CIRB) funds.

Commissioners held a brief executive session (closed to the public) at the start of the meeting to hold a telephone communication with their attorney regarding a suit filed in the Western District of the U.S. District Court alleging wrongful termination by Melissa Stanford from the county’s 911 emergency calling service.

No action was taken after the attorney-commission conversation.

Older equipment for Districts 2 and 3 was declared surplus, clearing the way for it to be disposed of and cleared from the commissioners’ property lists.

District 2 (Ray Alan Shimanek, commissioner) declared a 2020 Caterpillar motor grader as surplus and District 3 (Heath Dobrovolny, commissioner) listed two 2020 John Deere tractors as surplus.

Commissioners approved paying the county’s $203,308 ACCO Self Insurance Fund workman’s compensation fund quote for the 2022-23 fiscal year in one payment by July 31, thereby saving $3,004.

They also approved employing Andrew E. Karim, of counsel with Harrison-Mecklenburg Inc., to represent the county as needed at a rate of $295 per hour for the lead attorney, $200 to $250 per hour for other attorneys and $90 per hour for legal assistants.

RK&R Dozer Service received permission to build a public access drive 700 feet west of the intersection of NS County Road 2710 and EW 820 Road (north side) with a 20-inch by 120-foot culvert.

County road right-ofway permits were approved for pipelines as follow:

• Ovintiv Oil and Gas – two 12-inch lay flat water lines in District 1 one located six miles east and three miles north of Okarche and the second five miles east and one mile north of Okarche. (One Ovintiv pipeline permit in District 1 did not receive approval.) District 1 Commissioner Jeff Moss moved to approve the actions.

Markwest Energy – 12-inch steel gas line located four miles west and one mile south of Loyal, District 3.

K&J Construction – 12-inch and three inch lay flat poly lines nine miles east and two miles south of the U.S. 81/Dover-Crescent Road intersection, and three-inch poly line located eight miles east of the U.S. 81-DC intersection and one mile south, both in District 1, and a permit for 12-inch and three inch poly lines located six miles east of Dover, District 2.

Commissioners approved payment of a $901 bridge inspection invoice from Circuit Engineering District 9 for inspections on three county bridges.

Estimates of need and requests for appropriations and transfers for the month of May received approval.

The state reimbursements for the election board and district attorney offices for May received approval.

All county commissioners, County Engineer Nik Smith, County Clerk Jeannie Boevers were present for the meeting along with guest Sam Quick of Ovintiv Oil and Gas.