Kevin Canfield
Tulsa World Staff Writer
It’s looking less and less likely that the city will open its new Public Safety Center by the end of the year.
City officials are still working with the seller to close on the deal, and the move-in date is contingent on the closing date, Mayor G.T. Bynum said Tuesday.
The city signed an agreement late last year to purchase the former State Farm campus just north of the Broken Arrow Expressway and west of 129th East Avenue, near the Tulsa Health Department’s James O. Goodwin Health Center.
The deal calls for the city to pay $25.5 million to buy the 44-acre property, and it plans to spend another $20 million to relocate public safety services and modify the structure for its new purpose. Funding for the project was approved by voters in last year’s Improve Our Tulsa 3 capital improvements package.
Bynum declined to provide details of the negotiations, other than to describe it as a “complicated transaction.”
People are also reading…
“I am not going to negotiate with other parties through the media, so I am limited in what I can say as we work to secure the best deal for Tulsa taxpayers,” Bynum said. “Second, because of a non-disclosure agreement, I am limited in what I can say specifically on the closing process related to the State Farm building other than that we have a signed agreement and are proceeding in good faith toward closing.”
Asked whether it is possible that the Public Safety Center could end up at a different location, Bynum said, “Yes, if the city and seller are unable to close.”
Although the sale has yet to close, other work related to the potential move is proceeding. The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission has approved a new development plan for the property to accommodate the proposed new uses.
In response to neighborhood concerns, the city will not operate a vehicle maintenance facility at the Public Safety Center.
Bynum said the public safety vehicles will instead be maintained at a nearby city-owned facility where other city vehicles are serviced.
“This actually works out for the best from an efficiency standpoint because we will have more fleet maintenance workers at one site,” Bynum said.
The City Council is expected to approve the new development plan this month.
The city and county, meanwhile, continue to discuss the possibility of once again holding municipal inmates in the Tulsa County jail, the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center.
Bynum said the parties are working to come up with a “win-win” agreement for both sides.
The city has been looking to consolidate its public safety divisions into one building for several years. Police headquarters, the city jail, Municipal Court and Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency currently occupy the Police Courts Building at Sixth Street and Elwood Avenue.
The cramped, run-down building has $20 million worth of deferred maintenance, according to city officials. The Fire Department headquarters sits in a floodplain west of downtown.
The other public safety services that would operate out of the Public Safety Center are the Police Department’s Mingo Valley Division and the Real Time Information Center, as well as city medical.
The facility also has a kitchen and dining area and a physical therapy room.
Bynum has said previously that Municipal Court would not be moved to the new facility.
The Tulsa World is where your story lives
The Tulsa World newsroom is committed to covering this community with curiosity, tenacity and depth. Our passion for telling the story of Tulsa remains unwavering. Because your story is our story. Thank you to our subscribers who support local journalism. Join them with limited-time offers at tulsaworld.com/story.
