What will Eufaula look like in 50 years?

Without a plan, it’s anybody’s guess. But the City Council has taken steps to remove at least some of the guesswork.

At a special meeting Friday, Aug. 29, the Council chose the consulting firm of Freese and Nichols, Inc. of Tulsa to help implement Comprehensive Plan 2050.

Eight companies applied for the contract, three were chosen for interviews at the special meeting and at the end, Freese & Nichols was named.

Now a contract must be negotiated, which will take place at the Sept. 8 Council meeting.

Freese & Nichols (FNI) has offices in a dozen states, including Oklahoma, where they are located in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Mayor James Hickman was complimentary of all the candidates.

“We certainly have three highly qualified firms to consider from. I would say whoever we don’t choose on this, we could certainly utilize them in other capacities in the future,” he said. “They all showed some great strong points that the community could benefit from in terms of being the most responsive to the city’s needs, but I believe the first firm (FNI) did the best job of addressing those and communicated it quite well.” The council agreed that citizen involvement is the cornerstone of the Eufaula Comprehensive Plan.

Foos said: “A successful plan is identified not just with the elected and appointed officials of the City who adopt it, but with the entire community and its residents who help draft it and want to see it followed and maintained.

“The Eufaula Comprehensive Plan should not be considered a static document but rather the result of a continuous process to gather and evaluate information and make informed decisions based upon constantly changing conditions.”

The project is expected to occur over two fiscal years and the contract will be structured accordingly.

It should be completed with input from the City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, City staff, and interested citizen stakeholder groups. It is envisioned that the Project will include a comprehensive public participation process, employing multiple techniques to ensure an open public dialogue through the development of the Project.

“The Project will include assembling and analyzing data regarding all of the existing conditions within the City of Eufaula and utilizing that data to develop policies, actions, and an implementation plan to guide future development and decision making within the community with a horizon year of 2050,” Foos said.

The following basic elements shall be addressed in the Comprehensive Plan:

• Vision and Goals

• Land Use and Redevelopment • Annexation

• Transportation

• Housing and Neighborhood development and redevelopment • Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails/ Sidewalk Plan

• Health and Wellness • Utilities, Infrastructure, and Community Facilities

• Economic Development • Capital Improvements • Implementation

Freese & Nichols history

FNI is a privately owned, multidisciplinary professional consulting firm, offering urban planning services supported by engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, environmental science and construction services staff.

Founded in 1894, FNI has 34 established offices in 12 states.

FNI has an accomplished staff of 1,300+ professionals work seamlessly across all disciplines, giving clients the benefit of multiservice integration with an approach that is as innovative as it is practical. Our local Oklahoma team includes five Urban Planners plus 42 other professionals providing services to clients across Oklahoma.

FNI has been a municipal- focused firm since its inception, and more than 80 percent of our work comes from repeat municipal clients.

After more than 131 years in business, FNI remains the trusted advisor to municipalities for cost-effective, sustainable A/E solutions, urban planning services and program/construction management.

FNI has worked with hundreds of municipal clients in the development and management of capital improvement projects (CIPs) for municipal facilities, parks and greenways, water and wastewater infrastructure and treatment, stormwater management, transportation systems and urban development.

FNI’s long history of serving Oklahoma dates back to 1920 when Major Hawley designed a highway system for southern counties and opened an office in Durant.