Pryor Creek council adopts Mayes County safety action plan to boost Safe Routes and trails

The Pryor Creek City Council voted to adopt the Mayes County Connected Safety Action Plan, a collection of countywide plans that includes a comprehensive safety action plan, a Safe Routes to School plan and updates to the county trails master plan.

The plan was presented to the council by Arianna Dare, speaking on behalf of the Mayes County Trails Alliance. Dare said the plan was funded through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant award to Mayes County, and that local partners — including Pryor Creek — had contributed to the required match. “Back in 2022, the city of Pryor actually contributed $10,000 to that match,” Dare said. She described the plan as “a gift to the schools” because it includes Safe Routes to School elements that aim to address crash data and safer crossings near schools.

Why it matters: adoption as a local resolution strengthens the city’s position when applying for implementation grants. Dare said many grant rubrics ask whether a project is part of a formally adopted plan and that formal adoption increases scoring for future grant applications.

Process and vote A motion to adopt the resolution was made and seconded during the city attorney’s report. Dare outlined outreach that produced the plan: a steering committee, community open houses, surveys and stakeholder interviews. She said the planning process aimed to be community-informed and to prioritize school safety in areas with narrow shoulders and high crash data.

Council members asked questions about property impacts, funding and jurisdiction. Dare said most recommended trail alignments are on public right-of-way and that acquisition or compensation processes would apply if private land were needed. She also said implementation funding would be pursued on a project-by-project basis and that many grants require the jurisdiction applying to have ownership or right-of-way.

The council voted to adopt the resolution. The roll-call recorded in the meeting transcript shows the following responses: Mark — yes; Trotter — yes; Bradshaw — yes; DeShield — yes; Coppier — yes; Smith — no. The resolution passed.

What’s next Dare encouraged Pryor Creek to participate in the countywide effort and to coordinate on implementation funding. She said the plan will inform grant applications for pedestrian signals, crosswalk upgrades and other safety measures; for the Safe Routes elements, she said schools and community partners were already involved in planning.