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HomeCommunityDowntown revitalization begins in Pawhuska

Downtown revitalization begins in Pawhuska

The City of Pawhuska has begun a downtown revitalization project in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Osage Nation. Called “Streetscape,” the grant-funded revitalization will improve sidewalks, streets, infrastructure and traffic inflow in Downtown Pawhuska.

Temporary stoplights have gone up in Downtown Pawhuska, where the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Osage Nation Roads Department are hard at work on a revitalization project to widen sidewalks, add street lamps, increase accessibility, and improve roads as well as infrastructure in the capital city of the Osage Nation.

Called Streetscape, the whole point of the project is “economic development,” according to Mayor Susan Bayro, who noted that while the city’s population declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, she fully expects increasing movement back into the city over the coming years.

As of 2023, Pawhuska’s population was 2,926 – a 14 percent decrease from 2019, when there were as many as 3,421 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Developments such as the new Wahzhazhe Health Center, an affordable housing development currently in planning phases, a new and larger Harp’s grocery store and attractive destinations such as the outdoor health complex are among reasons to expect an influx, Bayro said.

Housing prices may both accommodate moves to the area as well as show increasing demand, according to realtor Ashley Dailey, who’s not only seen price reductions on homes that need repair – she’s also seeing homes sell more quickly and at stable prices when they’ve been updated and repaired.

Streetscape’s Phase I to be completed by May

For the time being, traffic has been slowed on Main Street, where an alternating one-way flow of vehicles means wait times between Palmer Avenue and Sixth Street.

 According to the ON Roads Department, stoplights may go down as early as April 1, when the bulk of Phase I is projected for completion. Bayro noted, however, that the formal Phase I project end date is not until May.

Phase I of Streetscape addresses sidewalk improvement, street infrastructure and basic traffic inflow on and just off of Main Street, including the alley to the east of the Pioneer Woman Mercantile.

After Phase I completion, work will then move to Kihekah Avenue and 6th, 7th, and 8th streets for the remaining Phase II and III of the Streetscape downtown revitalization project.  

For Phases II and III, Bayro said there may be a detour, rather than a traffic light.

“It may just be a diversion, instead of a full setup. It would be a detour … those stoplights were brought in by ODOT. I’m not exactly sure what they’ll be using for the second and third phases,” Bayro said.

Streetscape begins Pawhuska’s water infrastructure repair

Within the scope of work for Streetscape is a small portion of the water repairs due for the City, said Bayro, who is currently in the middle of a large city planning initiative to address water issues, among other infrastructure updates.

The attention to water infrastructure in Streetscape is “just for that particular area,” she said. “They are doing the whole downtown.”

The Osage Nation is supporting the project by overseeing work and providing labor, and they have also committed $150,000. With in-kind services included, their contribution is totaled at a little over $1.2 million.

ODOT’s contribution is $1.2 million as well, and the City has contributed a little over $516,000 to the downtown revitalization project, including electrical work as well as sewer and water lining replacements and repairs.

“Everybody has worked together well,” said Jody Burd, ON Roads Department construction manager.

Further Streetscape timelines are pending

Phase I is projected to last a total of 240 days but the ODOT, the Nation and City team have decided to wait to see how accurate they are on phase I before setting project timelines for the remaining phases.  

There was a nine-year delay in beginning the streetscape downtown revitalization project after the City applied for the grant in 2010 and received the funds in 2015. Bayro said the gap in movement between 2015 and 2024 was due to supply chain issues, changing costs, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City does not anticipate any further delays now that work has begun.

Mayor Bayro advised citizens who want to provide feedback or comment on Streetscape to call City Hall and share their comments with the city clerk.

The mayor noted that the city has also begun to publish updates and timelines of their work on Facebook, so residents can know what to expect. The updates can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/cityofpawhuska/ and the number for City Hall is (918) 287-3040.

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Chelsea T. Hicks
Chelsea T. Hickshttps://osagenews.org
Title: Staff Reporter
Email: chelsea.hicks@osagenation-nsn.gov
Languages spoken: English
Chelsea T. Hicks’ past reporting includes work for Indian Country Today, SF Weekly, the DCist, the Alexandria Gazette-Packet, Connection Newspapers, Aviation Today, Runway Girl Network, and elsewhere. She has also written for literary outlets such as the Paris Review, Poetry, and World Literature Today. She is Wahzhazhe, of Pawhuska District, belonging to the Tsizho Washtake, and is a descendant of Ogeese Captain, Cyprian Tayrien, Rosalie Captain Chouteau, Chief Pawhuska I, and her iko Betty Elsey Hicks. Her first book, A Calm & Normal Heart, won the 5 Under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation. She holds an MA from the University of California, Davis, and an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
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