By Traci Chapman
Managing Editor
Canadian County Commissioners Monday took an action they said would help move forward needed repairs to Wilshire Road.
The board unanimously approved de-annexing a small section of right-of-way along the south side of Wilshire to Oklahoma City. That move was part of a larger process to move the roadway into Oklahoma City’s purview – and which would culminate in the reconstruction of a four-mile section of the thoroughfare from Morgan Road to Cemetery Road, commissioners said.
A larger portion of the project went before Yukon City Council Tuesday night. Following discussion and comments from Wilshire Road residents, the council voted 5-0 to postpone the decision.
The council would like to see if a solution can be found to fund street repairs. This will include discussions with the county commissioners, they said.
Both the city and county received letters from Oklahoma City requesting the de-annexation, officials said.
Commissioners’ role was simply as a property owner, District 1 Commissioner Marc Hader said – and the county’s approval of the de-annexation wasn’t strictly required, District 2 Commissioner and Board Chairman David Anderson said during the regular Monday meeting.
“They can annex property any time they want to,” Anderson said.
Wilshire Road has long given drivers headaches – a headache Yukon city officials did not have a cure for, City Manager Tammy Kretchmar said in past meetings.
The city was expected to also approve the Oklahoma City annex of the roadway because Yukon could not afford the cost of repairs – to a thoroughfare as of press time currently located partially in Yukon and partially in Oklahoma City, officials said.
“I did receive a call from the city manager of Oklahoma City,” she told Yukon City Council during a February meeting. “They are ready to move forward with Wilshire.”
OTHER ITEMS
In other business, commissioners approved under new business the opening of their regular six-month bids. They did so under new business because the item wasn’t listed on the agenda as a regular entry but took no action, instead tabling awarding those bids until June 27. Opening those bids was part of a long-established process, Anderson said.
Canadian County Undersheriff Kevin Ward reported 217 total prisoners assigned to Canadian County Jail. Of those, 176 were in the county jail in El Reno, while 41 as of Monday were housed outside the county. Twenty-two were awaiting transfer to Oklahoma Department of Corrections facilities, the undersheriff said.
