# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Tulsa & Suburbs >  OKPOP Passes House and Senate

## Swake

Just downright shocking.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/capit...34eb3c8f9.html

The Brady Arts District really is the "Arts" district.

Oklahoma POP will be added to:

Philbrook Downtown
Zarrow Center for Arts and Education
Woody Guthrie Center
AHHA Arts Center
Living Arts of Tulsa
Most of which are within one block of the OKPOP site.


Along with 
Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
Cain's Ballroom
Brady Theater
Guthrie Green

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## shavethewhales

Insanity. I'm usually all about public investments, but both this and the AIM are ridiculous. Is this not the epitome of "pork-barrel" spending that the people in this state supposedly rail about? In the middle of a $600 million shortfall, why isn't this considered a scandal? Seriously, why can't the teaching and road building industry get their acts together and get better at buying state congressmen like everyone else?

At least our parking crater will shrink again.

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## bradh

Hickman is good people

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## adaniel

^
Except when he's bashing OKC for using water rights on Canton, among other things.

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## bradh

> ^
> Except when he's bashing OKC for using water rights on Canton, among other things.


None of them are perfect, just my impression from personal interaction.

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## gopokes88

Interesting. 

Why the huge freaking fight for years over the Indian muesum then?

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## Swake

Well, this is the third or fourth time money has been approved for the Indian Museum. And each time it was going to matched with private funds to finish the center. It's likely to happen again too.

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## kevinpate

Politically, museums in OK are a bit like universities in OK. If you want a new one, talk about getting rid of one or more really, really loudly.
Next thing you know, you have more than you started with.  :Smile:

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## TU 'cane

> Insanity. I'm usually all about public investments, but both this and the AIM are ridiculous. Is this not the epitome of "pork-barrel" spending that the people in this state supposedly rail about? In the middle of a $600 million shortfall, why isn't this considered a scandal? Seriously, why can't the teaching and road building industry get their acts together and get better at buying state congressmen like everyone else?
> 
> At least our parking crater will shrink again.


It's pork, there's not other way to describe it. 
However, there always seems to be a "get out of jail free card" every so often depending on the project. And they usually get enough steam if they are supposed to be tourist attractions, obviously seen as potential boons to the tourism industry. 

AICC needs to be completed or demolished, one way or another. 

As for OKPOP, that will linger around before completely dying off in the coming years. It'll take some real pressure from special interests from downtown Tulsa to get that passed at this point. 

People will also mention the new Route 66 Interactive Museum planned, that one is in preliminary planning stages, but I'm not sure what the public bill (if there will be one, I need to go back and my homework) will be.

Either way, these institutions are places to see when visiting or for the bored local. I think they're great, but we need to be a little more cautious in how we finance them.

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## Swake

> It's pork, there's not other way to describe it. 
> However, there always seems to be a "get out of jail free card" every so often depending on the project. And they usually get enough steam if they are supposed to be tourist attractions, obviously seen as potential boons to the tourism industry. 
> 
> AICC needs to be completed or demolished, one way or another. 
> 
> As for OKPOP, that will linger around before completely dying off in the coming years. It'll take some real pressure from special interests from downtown Tulsa to get that passed at this point. 
> 
> People will also mention the new Route 66 Interactive Museum planned, that one is in preliminary planning stages, but I'm not sure what the public bill (if there will be one, I need to go back and my homework) will be.
> 
> Either way, these institutions are places to see when visiting or for the bored local. I think they're great, but we need to be a little more cautious in how we finance them.


Ok Pop bill passed. 

Public money for the Route 66 center was also already passed a few years ago as well.

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## TU 'cane

It DID pass after all? 
I thought after the re-vote, it was voted down during the floor vote?

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## Swake

> It DID pass after all? 
> I thought after the re-vote, it was voted down during the floor vote?


No, it passed the House and Senate. It just needs Fallin to sign it and she has supported the project in the past. The $40 million museum is fully funded, $15 million in pledged private funds and $25 million in state funds.


The Route 66 center has $6.5 million from the city of Tulsa and is now fundraising for $13 million more. It's not in the preliminary planning stages, it's phase II of the Cyrus Avery Plaza Vision 2025 project. The backers think fundraising will take a year and the center will open in 2019.

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## bchris02

At least the OKPOP museum is integrated with the fabric of downtown Tulsa.   The OKC Museum of Art is the only museum OKC has that isn't in an odd or suburban location.

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## jerrywall

> At least the OKPOP museum is integrated with the fabric of downtown Tulsa.   The OKC Museum of Art is the only museum OKC has that isn't in an odd or suburban location.


Really?  I mean, yes, the Adventure District, with it's multitude of museums is outside of the core, but I think that ties in well with the Zoo. But there are others downtown.  Especially if you include the Botanical Gardens (IMO I do).  Plus the Banjo Museum, Womb Gallery, the IAO Gallery, Art Space at Untitled, Exhibit C, SIG gallery, and probably some more I don't know about.  Granted, most of them aren't the OKC MOA, but then again many of the ones in Tulsa aren't either.

Now I might agree there's no packed in museum district where everything is within one block, but it's very walkable to hit 4 or 5 museums.

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## TU 'cane

> No, it passed the House and Senate. It just needs Fallin to sign it and she has supported the project in the past. The $40 million museum is fully funded, $15 million in pledged private funds and $25 million in state funds.
> 
> 
> The Route 66 center has $6.5 million from the city of Tulsa and is now fundraising for $13 million more. It's not in the preliminary planning stages, it's phase II of the Cyrus Avery Plaza Vision 2025 project. The backers think fundraising will take a year and the center will open in 2019.


Ok, great. Thanks for filling in all of the details. Guess I've been reading too many articles lately and getting them mixed up as I missed the train on these two projects.

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## Swake

Fallin signs bill for pop museum.

Gov. Mary Fallin signs bill to fund OKPOP museum in Tulsa - Tulsa World: Capitol Report

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## Snowman

> It DID pass after all? 
> I thought after the re-vote, it was voted down during the floor vote?


It looks like they revoted on that too. When they guy in the senate was talking about why he needed to switch his vote, it seemed either a comical blunder or a backroom deal. The house having several changing too makes it seem the project has a group of backers which clearly has the political sway to get deals done but bizarrely can not get solid numbers on who is actually voting for them or just does not want to put forth the effort to pad the numbers to deal with unknowns.

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## BG918

Latest rendering of OKPOP which will break ground this fall.  This is across the street from Cain's Ballroom.

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## Laramie

Great to see these projects begin to come to fruition; they will add to the portfolios of Tulsa & Oklahoma City _(Our 2 largest metro areas)_; especially projects that promote our state & tourism.  

The OKPOP museum and the AICCM are pieces that alone will not be a game-changer; these projects become apart of the enrichment of the many established museums and cultural pieces of both cities.

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