Norman City Council Planning Committee discusses city improvements
The Norman City Council Planning Committee met to discuss the development of the downtown art district and the Water Resources Development Act Monday, Oct. 22.
A key issue discussed by the committee was the Water Resources Development Act.
Cindy Rosenthal, Norman Mayor and head of the Norman City Council Planning Committee, said Norman was given $16.8 million by the state to improve the water treatment facilities.
Bryan Mitchell, City of Norman Capital Projects Engineer, said Norman’s water facilities are old and out-dated. Some equipment, Mitchell said, is 20-40 years old. However, Mitchell said there are no potential health risks due to the outdated equipment.
“Now that we have the funds, we can bring the water facilities up-to-date,” Mitchell said.
Odor and taste of Norman’s water were two of the issues discussed by Mitchell and the committee. By updating the facilities, Mitchell said, Norman’s water will taste and smell better.
Another issue brought to the attention of the committee was the lack of stand-by power.
Chris Mattingly, Water Treatment Superintendent, said the water treatment’s generator runs well enough, but a more powerful generator is needed. If the electricity were to go out, the generator in the plant would not be able to provide enough power to the entire facility, Mattingly said.
The new facility would contain a generator powerful enough to provide the entire facility with power, Mattingly said.
Also on the committee’s agenda was the development of the downtown art district. The committee discussed possibilities of adding new urban or suburban buildings in the district.
Eleanor Weinel, Division of Architecture Associate Professor, gave suggestions to the committee of potential build sites and ideas. Weinel proposed building a transit center, shopping center, performing arts center, recreational center, botanical garden, or a new library.
Weinel, who teaches the fifth year architecture class at the University of Oklahoma, said she gave her students the assignment to come up with ideas for the building projects in the district.
Rosenthal said Norman does not have the amount of warehouses that Oklahoma City does, which limits the options of where and what the district is able to build.
Parking was also a concern discussed at the meeting. The committee viewed options on how to build new structures without a decrease in the amount of parking.
A meeting will take place Thursday, Oct. 25, to discuss these issues and more. The meeting is open to the public.
The Norman City Council Planning Committee will meet again November 26.
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