A Ground Breaking Ceremony will be held for the Santa Fe Depot Restoration Project on Monday, February 17, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
In March of 2021, the City began researching potential funding opportunities to rehabilitate the former Santa Fe Depot through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. Staff prepared a Ponca City Multi-Modal Transportation Infrastructure Project, which included a request for funding to renovate the depot, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The federal Infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2021 included an allocation to the City of Ponca City in the amount of $2,000,000.00 to rehabilitate the Santa Fe Depot.
City staff then began working with ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation), the state agency from whom the federal funding is received. On December 26, 2022, the Mayor and Commissioners approved the State of Oklahoma, Project Maintenance, Financing and Right-of-Way Agreement with ODOT to rehabilitate of the Santa Fe Depot.
In January of 2023, the City entered into an agreement with Sikes Abernathie Architects to prepare plans and specifications for the depot rehabilitation. The Architect’s estimated cost of the project was $2,302,875. The architectural plans, totaling 52 pages, were completed by the Architect and the bid packet, totaling 597 pages, was prepared by City staff and then sent to ODOT and SHPO for consideration and approval prior to the project being bid.
Because of the complexity of this project and the Federal regulations that apply, City staff and the project Architect reached out to potential bidders across the region who possessed unique skill sets and had proven experience in the rehabilitation of historic older buildings. There was also the matter of explaining what the work protocol must be, because the project lies within 25 feet of an active railroad track.
The bid opening for this project was held on Thursday, October 31, 2024 and two bids were received, with the lowest being from Rick Scott Construction, LLC in the amount of $2,130,952.00. This bid amount includes the Base Bid in the amount of $2,084,829.00 plus Alternate No.1 in the amount of $20,043.00 and Alternate No. 2 in the amount of $26,080.00 for a project total of $2,130,952.00.
Funding sources for this $2,130,952.00 project include a $2,000,000.00 grant from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, a $19,750.00 grant from Phillips 66 grant, and an allocation of $111,202.00 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. An additional $728,348.89 in ARPA funds has also been set aside for this project, through an inter-agency agreement approved by the City Commission, to cover any potential contract change orders, as well as site work, paved parking spaces, landscaping, additional lighting, furnishings, and sidewalk replacement and repair.
