Area legislators announced that a grant has been approved, intended to improve facilities in Tillman County to better meet the needs of residents.
Tillman County received a $25,000 grant to renovate the courthouse to provide wheelchair access. Rep. Don Armes and Sen. Gilmer Capps said the state-funded Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grant was awarded by the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments.
The $25,000 REAP grant to Tillman County will be used to bring the 80-year old courthouse into compliance with federal requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
County Commissioner Joe Don Dickey said the courtroom is "pretty much inaccessible" to anyone in a wheelchair. He said the narrow aisles and pews make it difficult for anyone to maneuver, let alone persons with a walking aid or wheelchair.
Dickey said at one point the courtroom's oval room was renovated, shortening it 15 to 20 percent in length. The district plans to restore the room's original design and reconfigure the seating and pathways.
The Legislature created the REAP in 1996 to help finance public infrastructure improvements in communities with a population of 7,000 or fewer, recalled Capps, D-Snyder. The Legislature has appropriated $141.68 million to the program over the past eight years, said Armes, R-Faxon.
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