The City of Guthrie has been awarded $34,600 to replace an important trailer in their Public Works Fleet. The Landoll trailer will be used for moving heavy equipment to job sites for the City’s Public Works Department. This is an expensive and important piece of equipment that is used frequently in maintaining the City’s infrastructure according to Public Works Director Tenny Maker. The trailer is also available to haul heavy equipment to assist the Fire Department with large brush fires, floods, and other emergency incidents. The trailer that is being replaced no longer meets Department of Transportation standards and is in poor condition.
City Clerk Kim Biggs wrote the successful grant application along with Mr. Maker. This is the second grant from this Federal program in recent years. Mrs. Biggs also wrote a grant for a new street sweeper with an award of $94,100 in 2021. Guthrie City Manager Leroy Alsup noted that the City is fortunate to have quality Department leaders such as Mrs. Biggs and Mr. Maker on staff. Their ability to write successful grant proposals limits the necessity to hire outside firms to develop effective applications.
The Grant is being awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through is long standing Rural Development Program for Community Facilities. The program provides funding to develop essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses. City Manager Alsup cites the excellent cooperation and assistance that the City receives from USDA’s Director for the State of Oklahoma, Mr. Kenneth Corn. “Mr. Corn and his staff have a real passion to help the rural and small cities in Oklahoma provide quality public services,” noted Mr. Alsup.