So when are they going to be finished?

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 at 4:12 p.m., but that of course is simply a guess. Various factors could move it forward or backward in time.

Between MAPs3 projects, the bond issue project(s), and the additional boathouses, there is a whole lot left to go, even though there is also a whole lot which is already in place.

Here is an example of a park that cleans the river. We could build two or three of these and add more destinations to the river and clean it!

http://www.lafoundation.org/research/landscape-performance-series/case-studies/case-study/424/

Interesting presentation at the MAPS Oversight board today on pendng river developments. Multiple projects are likely to be started this year, including one I believe they called a "Skyway". It's a contemporary open tower that apparently functions like a ropes course, and this one will apparently be the tallest one in the US. Participants are on belay. I believe the top of it will have the cross-river zip line. It looked like a lot of fun. The design for the Sandridge sponsored building was shown too. It is wedge shaped and will apparently be completely glass. The interior will be a big open space for meetings, gatherings, etc, and will also contain the surf pool (or whatever you call it). The children's park was shown as well. It was stated that the 5th boathouse which was originally mentioned is not planned to be linked to a particular university, but rather that they thought it would hold equipment for the kayak course. A potential site for the kayak course was also selected by the associated committee. I didn't get the exact site, but Phillips is one of the boundaries, so it will be east of the existing boathouses, I believe.

thanks for the update ..i look forward to seeing that presentation online

Interesting presentation at the MAPS Oversight board today on pendng river developments. Multiple projects are likely to be started this year, including one I believe they called a "Skyway". It's a contemporary open tower that apparently functions like a ropes course, and this one will apparently be the tallest one in the US. Participants are on belay. I believe the top of it will have the cross-river zip line. It looked like a lot of fun. The design for the Sandridge sponsored building was shown too. It is wedge shaped and will apparently be completely glass. The interior will be a big open space for meetings, gatherings, etc, and will also contain the surf pool (or whatever you call it). The children's park was shown as well. It was stated that the 5th boathouse which was originally mentioned is not planned to be linked to a particular university, but rather that they thought it would hold equipment for the kayak course. A potential site for the kayak course was also selected by the associated committee. I didn't get the exact site, but Phillips is one of the boundaries, so it will be east of the existing boathouses, I believe.

Betts, you must have missed this one. It was discussed several months ago.

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=27969&page=1

Obviously, I did!

Obviously, I did!

You answered my question though about when it would break ground, which it sounds like it has a good chance of happening this year.

You answered my question though about when it would break ground, which it sounds like it has a good chance of happening this year.

Supposedly, the tower will not only break ground this year, but they hope to have it finished by the fall. The zip line won't be done until after the Sandridge building is done, because they don't want people zipping over the construction site.

Supposedly, the tower will not only break ground this year, but they hope to have it finished by the fall. The zip line won't be done until after the Sandridge building is done, because they don't want people zipping over the construction site.

Wow, that would be fantastic. I can understand why they are cautious about not wanting anyone to zip over the construction site with construction in progress. Either way, I'm ecstatic to hear how soon these things are getting underway as I was not expecting it to be so soon.

I'm picturing a really skinny, 8-10 story, all glass tower...are there any descriptions anyone wants to share?

Here is an example of a park that cleans the river. We could build two or three of these and add more destinations to the river and clean it!

http://www.lafoundation.org/research/landscape-performance-series/case-studies/case-study/424/

That's really cool

I'm picturing a really skinny, 8-10 story, all glass tower...are there any descriptions anyone wants to share?There is a rendering in the original thread on this topic that I linked above.

tallest "ropes course in america" cool 6 story tower that they want to have open by the fall ...

also done this year is the "cover" over the playground ...

starting this year and finished by 2013 the fully glass enclosed sandridge pavalion (with surf tank) zip line will start after pavalion is finished

maybe starting late this year (likely) or early next year are the other 2 boathouses

5 boathouse is possibile in the future .. could interface with the whitewater facility

Here is an example of a park that cleans the river. We could build two or three of these and add more destinations to the river and clean it!

http://www.lafoundation.org/research/landscape-performance-series/case-studies/case-study/424/

Would absolutely love it if they were to buildin some of these parks along the way improving the water quality providing a necessary habitat for birds and some natural river spots that are passively scrubbing the water and softening the edges.

Several projects in the works for OKC’s Boathouse District
Published on March 7th, 2012
Written by: Brianna Bailey
Journal Record

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District is gearing up to begin construction on several projects over the next few months, including illuminating a 500-meter stretch of the Oklahoma River for nighttime events and erecting a 40-foot windscreen.

“It’s going to be unlike anything in the world when it gets finished,” Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation Executive Director Mike Knopp said at a Greater Oklahoma City Chamber luncheon Wednesday.

The district also will host the opening of this year’s deadCENTER Film Festival in June for the first time.

Eventually the district will include a white-water rapids canoe-kayak course and a 16,000-square-foot youth pavilion that will feature an indoor surfing course and a sky trail ropes course culminating with a 700-foot zip-line spanning the river.

Fundraising is under way for the pavilion, with an estimated cost of $5 million to $7 million. SandRidge Energy has already secured the naming rights for the building with an undisclosed donation.

Designated as a U.S. Olympics and Paralympic training site, the Boathouse District has seen as many as 73 athletes train in Oklahoma City at one time this year, said Bryan Volpenhein, head coach for the Oklahoma City National High Performance Center. There are currently about a dozen athletes training in Oklahoma City who are contenders to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, but he said about half that amount will make it to the games.

Momentum has been heating up along Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District since USA Canoe/Kayak announced in December it was relocating its headquarters to here. The organization is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and will host its 2012 Olympic trials in Oklahoma City in April. The organization decided to relocate because of the city’s commitment to making the Oklahoma River a premier training ground for Olympic athletes, USA Canoe/Kayak CEO Joe Jacobi said, with amenities such as the white-water rapids course.

“It’s all about having a bigger vision,” Jacobi said.

do you have a link to this? exciting stuff

What are the several projects? The Pavilion has gone from 3-5 mil to 5-7 mil.

do you have a link to this? exciting stuff

Yes, the last 12 pages of this thread.

Immediate future (2012):
Racecourse lighting
Windscreen along south bank of racecourse
Public sculpture

Near future (2013-15):
Removal of power lines
OU boathouse
UCO bouathouse
Youth pavillion / zip-line / indoor surfing
Whitewater facility
Stadium
Video screens

Was there once a mention of horse trails along the river on the southside area?

Maybe I imagined it, but thought that I read about horse trails going from the Stockyards to Eastern Ave.

They are studying the idea of adding equestrian trails and services to the area.

Immediate future (2012):
Racecourse lighting
Windscreen along south bank of racecourse
Public sculpture

Near future (2013-15):
Removal of power lines
OU boathouse
UCO bouathouse
Youth pavillion / zip-line / indoor surfing
Whitewater facility
Stadium
Video screens

The ropes course might be done by the fall. And the pavilion should break ground late this year

They are studying the idea of adding equestrian trails and services to the area.

I have never really ridden a horse and have no interest in riding one but I do like this idea for a unique attraction to downtown Okc river area. I would imagine this could be a big draw if done right and I wouldn't think it would take much money to make this happen.

Maybe there could be organized rides to the Stockyards and back.

Maybe there could be organized rides to the Stockyards and back.

Last time I was in the Stockyards area there was entire chartered bus full of tourists. They seemed to be loading up on every cowboy related item they could get their hands on. Nearly everyone of them had purchased a hat, vest, and boots from one of the nearby western clothing stores. I would imagine these type of tourists would love to get on a horse and ride over into the stockyards, dine at cattlemans, purchase a hat and boots and then ride back for the day.

Maybe there could be organized rides to the Stockyards and back.

I think that would be awesome.

http://thirdcoastdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/lsparialview.jpg

This is inspiring!

^

That's the SummerFest grounds in Milwaukee. Completely separate from their fairgrounds, it's used about the half the year for all different type of festivals. Directly behind the elevated freeway is their awesome Third Ward district with tons of lofts, galleries, live theater and restaurants.

Further north up the lake shore they have a huge area of manicured parks, lagoons, marinas, beaches and all types of recreation. They also have a massive system of bike trails that take you all over the city and tie into a statewide system that will take you almost anywhere.


Milwaukee is quite possibly the most underrated of all U.S. cities and they are very progressive in the way they do things there.

There's a fantastic book called "The Wealth of Cities" written by John Norquist, who was mayor at the time they created most of their recent momentum.

Also - and I'm not sure whether it is still this way or not - Milwaukee's downtown folks were near-superstars on panels and elsewhere at an International Downtown Association conference I attended a few years back in Los Angeles. It was obvious that the downtown revitalization community thought very highly of what has transpired there. Made me move that city to one of the top places I hope to visit.

Here's a link to the book (http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Cities-Revitalizing-Centers-American/dp/0738201340). I can't recommend it enough; I'm going to have to get it back out and take it for another spin.

Milwaukee is a place I have always really wanted to visit. I think very highly of them and would love to just take a few days and go up there and walk around their downtown if nothing more.

Don't want to sidetrack this discussion so here are two other threads I started regarding Milwaukee. The first is just a general one, the second concerns their amazing public market:

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=7097&page=1


http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=18930&page=1

That reminds me of the old "string of pearls" concept for the river. If I remember correctly one of the pearls was an equestrian center.

Yes, the last 12 pages of this thread.

i have only been on this board for a few months and can already tell just from reading that your one of the 'dicks' that every message board has... you usually have good info though, so you have that going for you. i was referring to the link as to which warreng copy and pasted into his post.

^^^^hahahahaha

LOL :congrats: :kicking:

i have only been on this board for a few months and can already tell just from reading that your one of the 'dicks' that every message board has... you usually have good info though, so you have that going for you. i was referring to the link as to which warreng copy and pasted into his post.
Agree 100%.

do you have a link to this? exciting stuff

Here is the link: http://journalrecord.com/2012/03/07/several-projects-in-the-works-for-okc’s-boathouse-district-real-estate/

You have to be a subscriber to the JR to view it, that's why I posted the whole article.

Just wildly dreaming, but I think something like #6 on this list, the Oslo Opera House, would be a cool addition to the Oklahoma River. It interacts directly with the water, while providing a cool public space in/on an architecturally unique building.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/10/travel/architecture-travel-story/index.html

Well, it beats a convention center.

There were many snide, onanistic jokes about the old "string of pearls" concept way back when. Good times.

What happened to your other post, Spartan? I thought you raised a good point about its architecture.

But, yeah, definitely beats a convention center.

Well, I figured most people would like it since it's shiny, new, and big. I've taken enough barrages on here lately..

So about this new zip-line that is going from the boathouse to the starting point? When is that being set-up?

So about this new zip-line that is going from the boathouse to the starting point? When is that being set-up?

I'm not sure about the construction schedule but it's not going from a boathouse to a starting point. It's going to start from it's own structure and go across the river.

So about this new zip-line that is going from the boathouse to the starting point? When is that being set-up?

After the Sandridge building is complete it will be set up.

After the Sandridge building is complete it will be set up.

From the riversport website:

"The budget for the new Boathouse District attractions including the new surfing feature, youth pavilion, Sky Trail™ and zip line, as well as a mountain bike trail, is estimated to be $5 million to $7 million. Construction of the phased project is expected to begin in summer, 2012."

I was under the impression that the zip line was the first phase.

From the riversport website:

"The budget for the new Boathouse District attractions including the new surfing feature, youth pavilion, Sky Trail™ and zip line, as well as a mountain bike trail, is estimated to be $5 million to $7 million. Construction of the phased project is expected to begin in summer, 2012."

I was under the impression that the zip line was the first phase.

The sky trail structure sounded like it was early in the process but the zip line will not be in place until the building that is going to be constructed under it is finished (or at least the exterior shell is mostly done).

The sky trail structure sounded like it was early in the process but the zip line will not be in place until the building that is going to be constructed under it is finished (or at least the exterior shell is mostly done).

Ok, you may be right. I thought skytrail=zipline.

I still want a lake or large pond spond off the river or directly connects with the river, some place to just fish that is close and clean as well as an attraction for the area. All large cities have great water features, but compared to most cities, I think our river, for being the water feature it is, just isn't big enough, it's like a large creek.

Ok, you may be right. I thought skytrail=zipline.

Sky trail is only the rope course-ish thing under the zipline tower. They made it easy to confuse their terminology by referring to the trail, the climbing wall and the zip line like totally separate items though they are all built off the same frame structure.

I still want a lake or large pond spond off the river or directly connects with the river, some place to just fish that is close and clean as well as an attraction for the area. All large cities have great water features, but compared to most cities, I think our river, for being the water feature it is, just isn't big enough, it's like a large creek.

Maybe you don't remember what it used to be like when it had to be mowed several times a year. I understand what you're saying but it's unlikely that there will ever any kind of lake or pond in connection with the river in the downtown area. Also I don't remember any great water features in a number of larger cities such as Phoenix or Las Vegas (fountains don't count).

Sky trail is only the rope course-ish thing under the zipline tower. They made it easy to confuse their terminology by referring to the trail, the climbing wall and the zip line like totally separate items though they are all built off the same frame structure.

You are correct. The SkyTrails is the white steel framework thing to the north of the building and is discussed to be the first stage. I asked about this today.

Maybe you don't remember what it used to be like when it had to be mowed several times a year. I understand what you're saying but it's unlikely that there will ever any kind of lake or pond in connection with the river in the downtown area. Also I don't remember any great water features in a number of larger cities such as Phoenix or Las Vegas (fountains don't count).
Maybe not the best examples???

How about Dallas? The Trinity River is nothing to speak of. There are numerous examples of big time cities with no outstanding water features.

I still want a lake or large pond spond off the river or directly connects with the river, some place to just fish that is close and clean as well as an attraction for the area. All large cities have great water features, but compared to most cities, I think our river, for being the water feature it is, just isn't big enough, it's like a large creek.

Have you heard of Lake Overholser (directly attached and far cleaner water than one would be near downtown) or Hefner (not directly attached but has more amenities than Overholser)? If you want more than either of these currently have adding more lakes will be unlikely to accomplish that because it will dilute resources.

Maybe not the best examples???

That's exactly my point, Larry. I was responding to the comment that "all" large cities have great water features which obviously isn't true. And Dallas actually has some decent plans in store for the Trinity if they pan out.

Especially when the large city is located in a desert climate???

Ray Ackerman statue is coming.

http://newsok.com/statue-unveiling-will-honor-ray-ackermans-advocacy-of-the-oklahoma-river/article/3667324

I'm not sure if this story works better here or in sports but I'm putting in here for now. There was a very well done video segment on KFOR sports tonight about this same human interest story. There are actually two Cubans here now even though only one is mentioned here. The video in this link is not really related but hopefully the one from KFOR will show up on their website.

http://newsok.com/cuban-kayaker-escapes-to-oklahoma/article/3552184