Owasso council approves grading contract to move Public Works excavated fill to flood-prone parcel

The Owasso City Council on the floor approved a construction contract to complete grading related to the East 116th Street and Mingo Road project.

City staffer Daniel Dearing told the council the city purchased land along 116th and Mingo and the seller retained roughly 8.95 acres of corner property. Under the purchase contract, the city agreed to use dirt excavated from the new Public Works site to fill that retained parcel and move it out of the floodplain, while avoiding the creek and floodway areas.

Dearing said engineering completed plans and bid documents and the city held a mandatory pre-bid meeting on Jan. 7, 2026; seven contractors submitted bids when the city opened them Jan. 15. “The lowest bid was Ground Level at $199,981.50,” Dearing said, and staff recommended awarding the contract to Ground Level LLC of Adair, Oklahoma with a $30,000 project allowance. Funding was identified in the stormwater fund.

Councilors asked whether all excavated material would fit on the retained parcel and where the dirt originated. Dearing said excavation came from multiple ponds and locations at the Public Works site, that not all excess material will fit on the parcel, and that the plan is to fill fringe floodplain areas only and not to fill the creek or floodway.

A councilor moved and another seconded the recommendation; council members recorded affirmative votes and the motion passed.

The contract award authorizes staff to execute necessary construction documents. The council did not attach additional conditions beyond the funding source and project allowance noted by staff.