LAWTON – The Board of Comanche County Commissioners recently approved grants to pay for improvements at the fairgrounds and the cost of housing Comanche County Detention Center inmates in other counties.
With little discussion, the board voted 3-0 Nov. 17 to finalize a $1.2 million grant to the Comanche County Fairgrounds Authority to finance water and sewer line upgrades, which will help the Authority meet demand for services.
The Coliseum area will be used to provide an emergency shelter, as well as testing and vaccinations for COVID-19 and other pandemic-level communicable diseases, county officials said in a written description of the project.
“A large number of people in the group of individuals likely to be affected during a pandemic will need access to water for drinking and functioning water/ sewer lines for health and sanitation when visiting the Coliseum for shelter, testing, or vaccination,” they said. “By providing funding to the Authority in order for those water and sewer line improvements to be made, the Authority and County will be better prepared for the current and future needs of the County and will be able to provide a fairgrounds facility that will be beneficial to the general health and welfare of citizens of the County.”
In a separate motion, the board unanimously approved a $204,276.20 grant to the Comanche County Facilities Authority, which operates the county jail. The funds will help the county ease overcrowding at CCDC by shipping some inmates to out-oftown jails.
Funding for both grants will come from the county’s pot of American Rescue Plan Act dollars, part of a federal relief package aimed at helping local governments recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Oklahoma received about $1.87 billion in ARPA dollars, and the county’s share of that money was approximately $23.45 million.
Recipients of ARPA funds must allocate the money by the end of this year and spend it by Dec. 31, 2026.