LAWTON – Comanche County recently amended its notice of award and subrecipient award agreement with the Lawton Farmers Market Institute to include additional project information.
Without comment, the Comanche County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 April 8 to approve the amended agreement with the institute. The item was included in the commission’s consent agenda, which consists of routine items that do not require discussion and can be addressed with a single vote.
In May 2023, the commission approved a $200,000 grant from the county’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the institute, a nonprofit organization which runs the Farmers Market building in Lawton. The institute planned to spend the money on upgrades to the building’s outdoor pavilion.
The amended award notice updates the project description to include heaters, containment screens and pigeon screening for the outdoor pavilion to improve safety, sanitation and comfort for visitors, according to a copy of the agenda. The project will also include security, alarm and audio-visual systems for the building, as well as parking lot improvements.
The American Rescue Plan Act is a federal relief package designed to help local units of government recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Oklahoma received approximately $1.87 billion in federal aid under ARPA, and Comanche County’s share of the state’s ARPA funds was about $23 million.
The county has earmarked part of its ARPA money to help communities and nonprofits, including the Farmers Market Institute, with various projects. All ARPA dollars must be allocated by the end of this year and spent by Dec. 31, 2026.