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Resident questions whether Claremore water-plant upgrades are tied to prospective data center
Summary
At a Claremore authority meeting, Kelly Bogerman urged clarity on whether a taxpayer-backed 2023 loan for water-treatment upgrades primarily addresses aging infrastructure or requirements tied to a prospective data-center project; staff said upgrades have been needed for decades and were driven by federal water-quality rules.
Kelly Bogerman, who identified herself as a member of Rogers County of New Land Heritage, told the Claremore authorities that taxpayers should know whether recent water-treatment upgrades are being done to serve the city or to accommodate outside economic-development projects.
"We got a loan back in 2023. It was secured by our taxpayers to pay for this water treatment plant upgrade," Bogerman said. "Mr. John Curry himself has indicated that prior to 2024, when he signed his NDA, you guys were looking for a data center to come into Claremore. So that means one of three things to me." (Kelly Bogerman, public commenter)
Bogerman named several regional projects (Project Anthem, Project Mustang) and raised concerns that the city might be paying to bring systems up to a level required by a private developer rather than prioritizing oldest, likely-unsafe piping in some neighborhoods. Meeting staff repeatedly reminded Bogerman to keep remarks tied to the Claremore Public Works Authority agenda item and to remain within the three-minute limit for public comments.
City staff responded that the water-plant quality upgrades have been under discussion for years and are not a new requirement driven by a single economic-development project. The city manager summarized the project timeline: planning and conversations about expansion and quality began in 2013–2015; capacity expansion work completed around 2018 doubled plant capacity; design and procurement for water-quality improvements began in 2019 and proceeded into 2022–23 when the city worked with OWRB to secure financing. The manager said, "The water plant upgrade has been needed for 30 years," and emphasized prior engineering and regulatory drivers.
The exchange highlights a substantive public-comment request for the council to clarify project drivers and priority-setting for capital funds. The council did not adopt any new direction or policy on the topic during the meeting; the discussion consisted of the public comment, staff history, and council clarification.
