Kevin Canfield
Tulsa World Reporter
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The city and county are talking again about a proposal to turn the county’s old Juvenile Center property into a low-barrier homeless shelter.
Mayor Monroe Nichols said Tuesday that he and County Commission Chairman Lonnie Sims agreed to have their staffs meet after negotiations ground to a halt a few weeks ago.
“There is broad consensus that the initial county proposal was unreasonable and a break from negotiations that predated my time in office, so we walked away from the table to explore alternative options to ensure Tulsa meets the need on the issue of homelessness,” Nichols said. “I’m glad the county has signaled a willingness to amend that proposal based on the overall needs of the area, not just internal organizational interest.”
The city views Tulsa County as a critical partner, Nichols said, and is hopeful that the county will work with the city to end homelessness in the community.
“Our team is eager to work alongside the county to get this done in a way that is fair, equitable, and focused on addressing a crisis in our city,” Nichols said.
Sims was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but Tulsa County spokesperson Ethan Hutchins said the county intends to continue negotiating with the city.
The news comes less than 10 days after the Tulsa World reported that Nichols had decided to end discussions, writing in a Sept. 3 email to Sims that he found the county’s latest offer “offensive.”
“We have a community partner willing to invest over $18 million to reduce homelessness in Tulsa, and all I am reading is ways in which the county can benefit from it,” Nichols wrote.
The Juvenile Center facility, at 315 S. Gilcrease Museum Road, has been vacant since 2019. It sits on the same corner as the county social services facility, which includes a clinic, a homeless shelter and a pharmacy.
Sims has said previously that the county was not opposed to making a deal but that any agreement would need to ensure the safety of county employees and clients of the social services facility.
“We evaluated what we would need to secure our site, our footprint, to make sure our operations continue to operate successfully like they have been,” Sims said earlier this month. “That was the proposal that was presented to the mayor. I thought it was extremely reasonable.”
Cost appears to be one of the major points of contention.
The Juvenile Center property was declared surplus late last year, which means it can be sold at auction for as little as $400,000, based on the Feb. 7 appraisal.
But Sims said that appraisal pertained only to approximately 5 acres of land and that the buildings — which Nichols says would have been mostly or entirely demolished — are worth another $500,000.
Sims said the property’s market value really is more than $2.5 million, based on a Tulsa County assessor’s valuation.
Tulsa World reporter Randy Krehbiel contributed to this story.
kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.com
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Kevin Canfield
Tulsa World Reporter
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