Payne County Approves Change Order after Structural Analysis shows Needed Remediation to Radio Tower in Cushing

The Payne County Board of Commissioners has approved a change order of $202,376.37 for structural remediation work on the Cushing GRDA radio tower, extending the project's completion date to Jan. 31, 2026.

The change order, approved during the board's April 29 meeting, will be covered by existing project credits from a previous change order, leaving the contract price unchanged at $13,445,617.

"This change order is presented to document changes in civil scope due to the structural analysis results for the Cushing GRDA Radio Tower," according to the documentation presented to the board.

The remediation work includes installing new hip bracing at sections of the tower, along with a pre-modification mapping visit, labor costs, and construction management services.

Commissioner Zach Cavett noted that while the project timeline has been extended, "everything should be online by November or December" of this year, which he described as "being cautious" with the timeline.

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Commissioner suggests standardizing plat submissions

The board also discussed implementing standardized guidelines for plat submissions, aiming to improve consistency and clarity in the approval process.

Cavett requested the item be placed on the agenda, noting the need for a consistent layout for plats provided to the county.

"I like this one because all that you can see everywhere that the people that have stamped it is in one spot," Cavett said, referring to a plat example. "I think the last one we approved it was kind of all over the place."

The commissioners agreed to develop a generic template to be posted on the county website for future plat submissions.

"I just like them all together so you can have a quick glance to see who has not signed," Cavett added.

Commissioner Seth Condley made a motion to approve "a standard guideline for easy access, easy reading for those involved," which passed unanimously.

In addition to standardizing plat layouts, Cavett mentioned he has contacted an engineer to develop a standard approach for drainage issues in new housing developments.

"The one on Prairie, there's probably three quarters of a mile of curb paving and all the land is going to drain out onto that street and that street is going to drain every bit out onto prairie roads," Cavett explained.

He noted that in some developments, there are "10 houses all within probably 400 feet of each other, which can cause issues when you have that many culverts in a short section of drainage issues."

Road names approved and other actions

The board also approved several road name requests, including Corral Trail, Charro Circle, and Stockman Lane, all with no county maintenance.

A fourth road name request for Hidden Glen Lane in Timberland Investments LLC near Clay Road and Lakeview was also approved with no road maintenance.

Other actions taken by the board included:

Approving the use of the deductible fund to reimburse the sheriff's department for property lost in a house fire of one of its investigators.
Tabling a request for appointing requisitioning and receiving officers for Glencoe Fire Department due to concerns about family relationships between the proposed officers.
Approving fire department pre-requisitions from Stillwater Fire to purchase a 2025 Ford F550 extended cab and chassis for $60,524 and to upfit the new truck at $169,815.98.
Approving the declaration of surplus for a 2014 Mack Tractor and a 2023 belly dump trailer from District 3 that were damaged in a fire and will be used for parts.
Approving $22,850 in funding for replacing fogged glass on the third floor of the administration building, utilizing ARPA interest funds.

The board also opened bids for two Expo Center projects: a pre-engineered building kit and a storage building project. Seven companies submitted bids for the pre-engineered building, with prices ranging from $220,271 to $405,022. Six companies bid on the storage building project, with new construction options ranging from $103,902 to $236,672.

The commissioners plan to evaluate the bids and make a decision at their May 20 meeting.

The meeting concluded with Commissioner Condley noting that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, encouraging people to reach out to organizations like Stillwater Medical Center if they need assistance.

"Get emails, check around. There's a bunch of different organizations doing stuff for the betterment of mental health for people," Condley said. "Got issues or people, you know, that need help, reach out to them."