OKC allocates funding for downtown county properties

The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday approved the allocation of $3.4 million in tax-increment financing for repairs and renovations of Oklahoma County facilities in downtown Oklahoma City.

County commissioners submitted a prioritized list of needs, topped by the replacement of the roof at the Oklahoma County Annex Building at 320 Robert S. Kerr Ave.

Other plans for the county annex, opened in 1967, include a new elevator and restoration of the building’s exterior lighting, said Stacey Trumbo, the county engineer.

He said it had been a decade since light fixtures to illuminate the facade have worked.

The county also plans to redo the annex entrance, where lengthy lines form as visitors wait to clear the building’s security checkpoints.

At the adjacent 1930s-era Oklahoma County Courthouse, plans are to repair the sally port and renovate the ninth floor for offices.

Top floors of the courthouse, including the ninth, formerly served as the county jail.

The current high-rise jail at 201 N Shartel Ave., dating from 1991, is in line for replacement of its lower roof, a project estimated to cost $400,000. The council also: • Voted to allocate $5 million in taxincrement financing for remodeling the South Bryant Campus of Metro Technology Centers, 4901 S Bryant Ave.

• Agreed to seek proposals from companies seeking to manage the MAPS 3 convention center.

• Agreed to seek proposals for upgrading public safety agencies’ radio systems. The current radio system authorized in 2002 is outdated and will no longer receive manufacturer support after 2019.