City of Tulsa - Rogers County Port Authority

PROJECT PURPOSE

The Inola Wastewater Modernization & Upgrade Project will improve existing wastewater infrastructure within the City of Inola and make a large scale investment into future, more efficient capacity for wastewater treatment that will provide adequate and resilient service for the current residents and the unprecedented residential, commercial, and industrial growth that will occur in Inola, Rogers County, and the Tulsa MSA due to the development of the Tulsa Port of Inola industrial park and the highway 412/future interstate. This project has two components: City of Inola wastewater line maintenance (which is currently operating under ?letter of consent? by the Department of Environmental Quality), and a new joint Tulsa Port of Inola/City of Inola centralized wastewater treatment facility and discharge point. Industrial wastewater treatment is the only missing utility component for Tulsa Port of Inola (2,200 acres of industrial land with rail and navigable waterway/barge access) to be ultra-competitive for large scale industrial projects, and the Port Authority is partnering with the City of Inola to develop this capacity. These two components will be combined into one modern and sustainable wastewater treatment system that provides enough capacity for Inola and its growth potential for decades to come.

EVIDENCE

The direct improvements to the CIty of Inola wastewater system are validated by engineering and by a letter of consent decree by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. The new joint wastewater treatment plant infrastructure for City of Inola/Tulsa Port of Inola has been validated as both a competitive requirement for new development through direct project elimination feedback and through identification of competitive factors by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Both projects have undergone preliminary engineering by professional engineers registered in the State of Oklahoma.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The City of Inola has a population of approximately 1,800 people and is located on the eastern edge of the Tulsa MSA and the border of the Cherokee and Muscogee nations. Rural and tribal communities were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic both by infrastructure deficiencies as well as job availability. Workers in the Tulsa MSA in manufacturing jobs decreased by 20,000 employees during the pandemic (BLS Data), whereas retail/hospitality workers decreased by over 60,000 people (BLS Data). Availability of resilient wastewater infrastructure for public health, as well as infrastructure to support pandemic-proof jobs such as manufacturing in critical industries is essential for the sustainability of Inola and the Tulsa MSA.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

To produce high-quality infrastructure, avert disruptive and costly delays, and promote efficiency as requested by the U.S. Treasury Department guidance, The City of Tulsa ? Rogers County Port Authority and City of Inola will: 1. Implement procedures and metrics for federal and state bid-law requirements. 2. Invest in a project advertisement strategy for construction services to promote local employment and supplier diversity. 3. Set expectations for contractors and subcontractors to adhere to State and Federal fair labor standards. 4. Provide public transparency and measurement on project costs and progress through monthly meetings of the Port Authority board and City Council.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma