City of Muskogee

PROJECT PURPOSE

The City of Muskogee operates the Hatbox Sports Complex which is home to 60 acres of multi-purpose sports fields and facilities. With ten lighted baseball fields, Hatbox was once the regional hub for youth baseball. We are seeking funding to purchase sport turf for the infields to improve field conditions and offer our youth a nice place to play. Attendance and tournament bookings have declined during the pandemic. Enhancing this facility will increase local and visitor traffic to our area, thus boosting tourism and visitor spending.

EVIDENCE

None

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Muskogee is the county seat and the largest city in Muskogee County with 36,878 residents. It is a regional hub with residents from six surrounding counties traveling to Muskogee daily for employment, services, and entertainment. The improvements requested in our water treatment plant project are essential as it is the only source of water for 55,000 residents in seven rural water districts, four towns, including the historic black community of Taft, and two state prisons, in addition to the City of Muskogee. Vulnerable populations include 17.1% of residents over age 65 and 24.4% of residents under age 18.Further, 21.1% are in poverty including29.4% of children under 18. Muskogee County has a high percentage of minority residents with 59.9% of its residents White; 10.9% Black; 19.7% American Indian;8.8% two or more races; and 6.6% Hispanic. Minority populations in general have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic due to decreased access to health services. The opportunity to assess and improve this raw water line will better serve current residents who are now adversely affected by our inability to address these issues due to financial limitations. Moreover, the remediation of identified problems will further promote economic development and provide stability to our community.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Performance will be measured by completion of this construction project.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding