As expected, Rogers County endorsed the City of Catoosa, Okla.’s effort to apply for a $600,000 state grant to buy the Blue Whale on Route 66 and make improvements to the property, reported the Claremore Daily Progress today.
But the most intriguing part of the story is this:
Mayor Rita Lamkin said the city is on the short list for the grant and hopes to know by February whether the state will accept its application.
I’m not sure whether Lamkin was supposed to tip her hand. To my knowledge, this is the first report I’ve seen that indicates how good Catoosa’s chances are in landing the grant.
If true, the requirements for receiving a Transportation Enhancement Grant from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation are considerably looser than I first believed. The “About” page of the program (link is to a cache; the main site was down Tuesday) reveals this:
As a requirement, all projects must be related to the Intermodal Transportation System [i.e, other forms of transportation than just cars — Ed.]. The required relationship must be one of function, proximity, or impact. For example, an independent bike path is a 2 functional part of the Intermodal Transportation System. The removal of outdoor advertising within sight of a highway is justified because of its proximity. Retrofitting an existing highway by creating a wetland to filter highway runoff would qualify based on the impact of water pollution from the highway. In the case of alternative transportation enhancements such as railroad depot restoration, or trail development, it is not necessary for the project to lie within or be adjacent to the highway right-of-way. Federal guidelines also provide that environmental analysis, planning, design, land acquisition and construction activities necessary for implementing a qualifying transportation enhancement project are eligible for funding.
I initially thought Catoosa’s proposal to build a pedestrian/bicycle trail from the Blue Whale to a Reasor’s grocery west of the grounds was too peripheral. But that, with the “activities that are over and above normal transportation activities,” may be enough for Catoosa to win that grant.
Or perhaps the state simply is all too aware of the Blue Whale’s iconic status and wants it preserved indefinitely.
The city proposes covering $120,000 of the $720,000 cost for the property and improvements, which also include enlarging the parking lot, improving the entrance, enhancing the landscaping, and even rebuilding the long-closed Ark on the property.
A member of the Hugh Davis family owns the property and is willing to sell, according to reports.
The Blue Whale was one of the highlights of our trip on Route 66. My husband and I had fun, just like a couple of kids, poking our heads in the different holes for camera shots and we could imagine the fun in past times when the swimming hole was going strong. It’s these types of Americana that need to be preserved for future generations. My grandchildren love to look at the pictures we have of our trip down the Mother Road, especially the ones of the “funny blue whale”. I hope one day they’ll be making that same trip and taking the same pictures their grandparents did while visiting the Blud Catoosa Whale. Keeping my fingers crossed for the grant to presreve another icon on Route 66