Current Projects

Eisenhower Elementary School has been educating students of families at Vance AFB since 1960. Military personnel expect a higher quality of life for their families including the schools that teach their children. The federal government is aware of this need and is offering an 80% match to military communities willing to rebuild their schools. Our project this year was to help the Enid Public Schools to raise the 20% they need to receive the federal grant.

• Eisenhower Project request of $290,000 approved in 2023 and $250,000 requested in 2024
• Woodring Terminal Back-up Power request of $50,000 in 2024 
  

Lawton is the largest user of services from the United Services Organization (USO). The Commission approved funds for this organization to continue to take care of active military serving in Oklahoma. These funds will only be used for the bases in Oklahoma.

• Project request $50,000 approved

Altus is currently exploring quality of life projects such as walking paths and updates in the community to improve the life of those military serving at Altus AFB. They should be submitting a request for funds in FY 2024.  

Tinker Air Force Base is expanding east or Douglas Avenue In order to house expanding missions coming to the base. OG&E intends to locate a Peak plant to ensure the base can continue to meet surge requirements and electrical needs. The commission purchased the land for the peak plant to meet the needs as Tinker expands. This project is a portion of a larger project to expand Tinker Air Force Base east across Douglas Blvd. and provide a standoff area for new weapon systems. The B-21 aircraft Maintenance complex is part of this expansion.

• Project request $198,000 approved  

The McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (McAAP) faces redundancy challenges in surge capacities within its logistics network that could threaten its ability to serve as a distribution center for munitions, which is one of its core missions. This adversely impacts the resiliency of the installation and of its chain of command, which relies on MCAAP services.

There are two rail access points on MCAAP’s outer perimeter at the towns of Savanna and Haywood. The Savanna access point is on the east side of the installation and connects with a main line operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. The Haywood access point is on the north side of the installation and connects with an out-of-service short line (10.5 miles in length) that is being leased by the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad (A-OK).

Historically, the Haywood access point and the adjoining rail line was used by MCAAP, but decades of deferred maintenance and the higher weight limits for newer rail cars has brought the line out of compliance and out of service. Union Pacific still owns the Haywood rail line and has leased it to A-OK Railroad for the storage of empty rail cars, which still fall within the acceptable weight range of the bridge structures along the rail line.

As a result, the Savanna access point is the only usable rail connection on the installation. While this access point has served MCAAP without issue, it is considered a single point of failure for the plant’s rail supply network, which contrasts with most Organic Industrial Bases (OIB). Backup methods that involve semi-trucks help mitigate this concern, but if this access point were ever compromised, either intentionally or by accident, MCAAP’s rail capabilities would cease for an unknown period of time. A secondary access point should be established, even if it is only used in the event of emergencies when the primary access point is not available.

Union Pacific has no desire to rehabilitate the 10.5-mile Haywood short-line rail due to the inability of this line generating enough money to justify the $9.75 million estimated cost for rehabilitation. Union Pacific does understand the desire for this line to be rehabilitated to the level needed to support bomb transport and has given A-OK Railroad the authority to pursue funding opportunities to make these improvements happen. Union Pacific has provided a special designation that this rail could be used by MCAAP in the event of an emergency via its partnership with A-OK Railroad.

• Project request $125,113.00