My favorite small park is Denniston Park at 24th & Drexel. It's got a great unusual shape, tucked into a little valley with some neat houses around it.

My favorite small park is Denniston Park at 24th & Drexel. It's got a great unusual shape, tucked into a little valley with some neat houses around it.

Denniston is a nice Park, the new playground installed a few years back was a much needed addition the to park. I'm not real familiar with the neighborhood, hope there's still several kids in the area that enjoy the Park. The only problem we ever had with this Park was the drainage issue, not sure if this has been corrected, I remember it being on a long wish list when I retired in 06.

I know they at one point last fall had to replace some dirt in the low area where the water goes through. This was right after we had had some heavy rains. They filled it in a lot and sodded it. It looks great as of now.

I retired from the OKC Parks department in 2006, I'm very interested in the way the city parks are built and maintained, any feed back would be appreciated.

I got to sneak out and play my first game of disc-golf of the spring this afternoon and noticed some of the improvements at Will Rogers. On several of the hills that were being eroded over the years they have laid down huge jagged pieces of rock. Like the stuff lining the Dam at Hefner. Not aesthetic, and surely not safe. I was curious who is responsible for these kind of decisions, and who should I contact with the parks dept. that will care?

It not only looks cheap and dangerous, but the rocks have already been strewn all over the place making mowing a nightmare I'd imagine. And a tripping hazard for anyone in the park. Lawsuits seem possible, but injuries are almost certain. Have they ever heard of groundcover? As one of OKC's premiere parks its emberassing. I'll try to get some pics taken in the next few days. On the bright side the pond area is looking pretty good.....but givin what I've seen so far I'll hold off on the praise for that part of the project.

Hello, anyone know if the roses are blooming yet at Will Rogers Park?

I was just there on Sunday. The selection of iris's were down this year. There seems to be a trend for the Knockout roses or at least it seems to me. Yes, there were a small portion of the roses starting to bloom. I am sure the budget has been slashed to nothing and the folks at the park system are trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I remember when WRP was the epicenter for brides getting their pics taken. Shabby is not a good look for the parks of OKC. I live near Dolese and it is not much better.

Sounds like the North shore area's finally been unbarred then. It's been a few weeks since I last checked. Some out of town fam issues have caused me to limit my run around time lately, and I wasn't aware of the change.

Sounds like I have some exploring to do after the weekend travels conclude.

Never came back to this thread to update and I really should have. Very nice work by the city at Draper along the north, especially the big arse peninsula which FritterGirl was cluing me in on last year.

:tiphat: to the folks who worked all that out.

I was just there on Sunday. The selection of iris's were down this year. There seems to be a trend for the Knockout roses or at least it seems to me. Yes, there were a small portion of the roses starting to bloom. I am sure the budget has been slashed to nothing and the folks at the park system are trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I remember when WRP was the epicenter for brides getting their pics taken. Shabby is not a good look for the parks of OKC. I live near Dolese and it is not much better.

Thanks for the quick reply! I have a photoshoot there this Sunday and didn't want to drive all the way over there so I thought I would just ask on here! So I take it that its a little colorful but not everything is blooming yet, thats good enough! Thanks so much! you're right, shabby is not a good look for our parks, they need to look good for the visitors coming, like I have this Sunday! :-)

Never came back to this thread to update and I really should have. Very nice work by the city at Draper along the north, especially the big arse peninsula which FritterGirl was cluing me in on last year.

:tiphat: to the folks who worked all that out.

Indeed it is much nicer now than it used to be! But now I hear that they are not going to allow boating activities for a while, hope that doesn't hurt too much, i need to find the thread about this while I am on here, I go out there quite a bit, not boating, mostly wildlife picture shooting.

Yeah Will Rogers is a diamond in the rough, especially the rose garden area. Too bad we can't budget more to keep it up better.

Draper will be out of commision for at least another year. The areas to the north are nice and have become a great place to spend some time.

Draper will be out of commision for at least another year. The areas to the north are nice and have become a great place to spend some time.
At last, something we agree on (just kidding). This area is very nice and peaceful, theres several mountain bike trails that have been made/cleared, it's a nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle and just relax and enjoy mother nature.

We have a jewel of a park in our city with Will Rogers. We lack smaller parks, especially in newer additions.

You're absolutely right. The last time I went there was 5 years ago, and since I've heard the city hasn't been maintaining it quite as well. I always enjoyed playing tennis at the OKC Tennis Center in the back of the park and then relaxing in the rose gardens afterward. There are some very nice landscapes you don't expect. Too bad that park doesn't exist somewhere on the OTHER side of I-44.

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At last, something we agree on (just kidding). This area is very nice and peaceful, theres several mountain bike trails that have been made/cleared, it's a nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle and just relax and enjoy mother nature.

It's very citified now to be certain. There is a part of me though that will miss the solitude which used to be possible in the northern areas. There was a time when you really had to want to get somewhere on the northern end before you could, and you knew you might not get back out the same way you entered unless you hoofed it in.

It's very easy access now, and well featured, but I will miss the best parts of how it used to be.

Since I live across the street from Will Rogers Park, I am keenly aware of the need for some community love in this area of the city. While demographically urban and diverse, this area is often forgotten as it is positioned on the west side of I-44. Of course, the park and most of the homes were built prior to the construction of I-44, so it's an artificial divide.

I am beginning to sense the potential for revitalization of this area (I'm banking on my home property value maintaining over the years, hopefully) due to:

1) the park's amenities and increased use by citizens (tennis, disc golf, swimming, senior center, rose garden, ponds, arboretum, playground, pavilions, exhibition center, horticultural classes/events, conservatory, playground, amphitheater)
2) proximity to route 66 and an historic motel
3) proximity to ethnic/cultural establishments...Dot Wo, Spices of India, Bangla Bazaar, Islamic Center, India Shrine Temple, Taiwan Chinese restaurant
4) future redevelopment of the mixed-use Woodpark Apartments at 31st & Portland, now called Stonybrook West.

Here's a rendering:
http://i48.tinypic.com/8y98no.jpg

One more thing, I'd love to see sidewalks with a pedestrian crossing placed somewhere along Portland between 30th and 36th. Any chance this could happen in the near future?

krisb, are they planning to remodel the Stonybrook West apartments? Is that an official rendering?

Yes, it will be a remodel with HUD financing. An investment group purchased the property awhile back with the intent to raise the standard of living for the area. I received that rendering from the property's managing partner, Michael Graves. He told me a few weeks ago that construction is slated to begin in September of this year. Elliott Architects, Inc. from Oklahoma City is doing the design work (not Rand Elliott).

A year or so ago, a bond issue was passed that included some revitalization/updates for Will Rogers Park. . .one being the restoration of the Conservatory. Perhaps Frittergirl will share some updated info??

I visited Will Rogers Park Wednesday with my nephew. It would be cool if the park had something for bigger kids in range 8-12. He was not impressed at all. He said the playground was too small.

I felt the arboretum was too small. The entire park should become an arboretum with specimen trees placed all over the park, maybe a small ecosystem of similar ecoregion trees for an educational and ecological balance to the park.

The park has great bones and a lot of potential. Also, the creek really needs to be more natural. I know the maintenance people worry about fire or something along the creek, but having grass all the way to the water is not good. I know they spray herbicides all the way to the water. Don't get me started on that.

Also, the arboretum has great oaks, but could also have a mix of understory native trees mixed in that area. There are so many great understory trees that are native that we should see in parks. This would be a great educational opportunity for people to see flowering trees other than the Bradford Pear.

I am not well acquainted with Will Rogers other than being aware it exists.
Is it mostly free of the be prepared to close your eyes and walk away issues that seem to routinely be reported/discussed/whatever in some of the other parks, such as Trospers and Stars/Stripes?

I am sure it is all a question of money and adequate annual financing.

A year or so ago, a bond issue was passed that included some revitalization/updates for Will Rogers Park. . .one being the restoration of the Conservatory. Perhaps Frittergirl will share some updated info??

Happy to!

Conservatory restoration is slated to begin in a few short months. For those history buffs, the Ed Lycan Conservatory is an original Lord & Burnham Conservatory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_&_Burnham), one of few remaining in the US. Unlike the Crystal Bridge, the panels of which are made of acrylic, the replaced panels in this conservatory will be out of glass.

For those who haven't visited the Will Rogers Gardens (http://www.okc.gov/parks/will_rogers/index.html), they truly are a gem in Oklahoma City - representing a throwback to a more gentle time in our history.

As for the arboretum, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation just gave us some grant monies to make improvements to the arboretum (trails, new gateway and signage), and we have also just transplanted 21 trees from the Myriad Gardens to the arboretum, which will enhance its collection.

I am not well acquainted with Will Rogers other than being aware it exists.
Is it mostly free of the be prepared to close your eyes and walk away issues that seem to routinely be reported/discussed/whatever in some of the other parks, such as Trospers and Stars/Stripes?

There are a few creepos every once in awhile. The good thing is that the park gets a lot of use from "normal" people swimming, playing tennis, senior citizens, weddings/wedding photography, attending horticultural events.

There's enough programming to balance out the weirdos.

Was sad to see a few years ago when they ripped out the "forest built in a day" (think it was by the Boy Scouts) where that had wooden bridges, heavy lush vegetation where the creek ran thru it. On a hot day, walking down those paths, the temperature seemed to drop a good 10 to 20 degrees. Was peaceful and soothing.

Happy to!

Conservatory restoration is slated to begin in a few short months. For those history buffs, the Ed Lycan Conservatory is an original Lord & Burnham Conservatory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_&_Burnham), one of few remaining in the US. Unlike the Crystal Bridge, the panels of which are made of acrylic, the replaced panels in this conservatory will be out of glass.

For those who haven't visited the Will Rogers Gardens (http://www.okc.gov/parks/will_rogers/index.html), they truly are a gem in Oklahoma City - representing a throwback to a more gentle time in our history.

As for the arboretum, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation just gave us some grant monies to make improvements to the arboretum (trails, new gateway and signage), and we have also just transplanted 21 trees from the Myriad Gardens to the arboretum, which will enhance its collection.
Great to hear that a good number of Myriad Gardens trees were salvaged and put to use here. Were other trees salvaged to other park locations, also?

Also, the creek really needs to be more natural.

Agreed!!


Was sad to see a few years ago when they ripped out the "forest built in a day" (think it was by the Boy Scouts) where that had wooden bridges, heavy lush vegetation where the creek ran thru it. On a hot day, walking down those paths, the temperature seemed to drop a good 10 to 20 degrees. Was peaceful and soothing.

I was sad to see that as well. Used to love the "nature trail" as a little kid. There is still a pretty dense wooded area north of the Rose Garden.