October 15, 2025 with Chris Serrano (WSB) and Michael Watrous (City of Lawton Public Works Director)

October 15, 2025 with Chris Serrano (WSB) and Michael Watrous (City of Lawton Public Works Director). Following the October 15, 2025 Streets, Bridges, and Building Development Council meeting, the Lawton Town Crier sat down for an unedited, on-the-record conversation with Lawton Public Works Director Michael Watrous and WSB Consulting Engineer Chris Serrano. We discuss the mechanics of Traffic Impact Analyses (TIAs), the $250,000 Gore Boulevard traffic study, and the city purchasing policies that allow engineering firms under Master Service Agreements (MSAs) to bypass the traditional competitive bidding process. ⏱️ Video Chapter Breakdown: WSB No-Bid Interview 0:00 | Chapter 1: Behind the Scenes & Audio Setup Focus: One-man show technical setup, mic testing, and date/context drop (October 15, 2025, following the Streets, Bridges, and Building Development Council meeting). 0:41 | Chapter 2: Meet the Officials: Introductions & Roles Focus: Chris Serrano spells out his name and introduces his role as a consulting civil engineer for WSB. Michael Watrous introduces himself as Lawton's Director of Public Works. 1:21 | Chapter 3: WSB's Influence on Lawton Infrastructure Focus: Serrano details the full-service civil engineering capabilities his firm provides to the city, including transportation, energy, environmental, and water/wastewater systems. 1:57 | Chapter 4: Backgrounds: Finance vs. Criminal Justice Focus: The surprising educational backgrounds of the decision-makers. Serrano reveals his Bachelor's and Master's degrees are in Finance (backed by Civil Engineering Institute certifications). Watrous reveals his Bachelor's is in Criminal Justice, with a Master's in Engineering Management. 2:21 | Chapter 5: The Five Divisions of Public Works Focus: Watrous details the massive structural oversight of his department, covering stormwater maintenance, streets/traffic control, solid waste/landfill, electronics/emergency communications maintenance, and equipment/fleet purchasing management. 3:06 | Chapter 6: What is a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA)? Focus: Serrano breaks down the technical definition of a TIA study—explaining how it requires private residential and commercial developers to project future traffic volumes and determine ingress/egress patterns for local road networks. 4:02 | Chapter 7: In-House Studies vs. Six-Mile Complications Focus: Watrous explains how Lawton handles routine traffic studies in-house for small local intersections, but must contract out complex, long-range projects. 4:44 | Chapter 8: The $250,000 No-Bid Gore Boulevard Study Focus: The bombshell disclosure of the $250,000 contract awarded to WSB for a six-mile corridor analysis on Gore Boulevard. Watrous explicitly states that city purchasing policies do not require competitive bidding for engineering firms under Master Service Agreements (MSAs). 5:09 | Chapter 9: The Timeframes of Professional Billing Focus: Serrano details why complex, corridor-wide data collection and calculating the "Level of Service" takes months of field analysis compared to a simple two-week intersection check. 6:56 | Chapter 10: The Master Ledger of WSB Projects Focus: Watrous lists the high-profile municipal road projects handed to WSB, including the 105, 107, and 25 pavement rehabilitation mill and overlay programs, the 38th Street project, and future Lee Boulevard reconstructions. 7:19 | Chapter 11: The Media Gatekeeper Invite Focus: Closing pitch to bring both back onto On the Record. Watrous defers to City Communications Director Caitlyn Gatlin as the official buffer, while Serrano states he is wide open to an un-muzzled follow-up if the city doesn't object. ABOUT LAWTON TOWN CRIER Teacher by day, Town Crier by night. Lawton Town Crier provides independent, on-the-record coverage of local government, city council meetings, economic development, public safety, and community events across Lawton–Fort Sill and southwest Oklahoma. 👇 STAY CONNECTED 📘 Facebook:   / lawtontowncrier   🌐 Website: https://www.lawtontowncrier.com ☕ Support on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/lawtontowncrier 📩 Email: [email protected] 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/lawtoncrier ⸻