Just to be clear, I'm not mad or anything. In fact, I'm basically very happy because I'm quite certain this this tower is going to happen.

It's just that hearing the umpteenth gazillion "we should have an announcement soon", which is then perpetually kicked down the road, can really frazzle the nerves at some point.

Yes, I understand the complexities and uncertainties involved, etc.
I also understand that I may lose my mind at some point. :eek:

:)

Pete, didn't you say not too long ago that you'd heard the only thing holding up the official announcement was the release of the California Ave. easement?

Yes.

Don't know where they stand with getting that resolved.

Yes.

Don't know where they stand with getting that resolved.

What exactly does it mean to release this easement? What will it do for the mystery company?

I'm going on vacation end of July thru that first weekend in August. I'm hoping the announcement is after so my vacation time will not be ruined by me logging on to okctalk everyday, lol.

What exactly does it mean to release this easement? What will it do for the mystery company?

allows them to build on that part of the lot

I'm going on vacation end of July thru that first weekend in August. I'm hoping the announcement is after so my vacation time will not be ruined by me logging on to okctalk everyday, lol.

Don't kid yourself... you'll be logging on everyday anyway! :evilsmile

Steve also had a bad prediction for fans of the Turbinomics building.

12:21 Comment From Bob What are the chances of ever seeing Turbinomic in downtown Okc?

12:22 Steve Lackmeyer: Zero. Unless Rand Elliott wins a $2 billion lottery. Then it's on!

Yeah, that is a huge pipe dream. The biggest clue that gives it away that it will never be built is that he gave the presentation at OSU.

Yeah, that is a huge pipe dream. The biggest clue that gives it away that it will never be built is that he gave the presentation at OSU.

Ouch!! And you don't even have the word "Sooner" or "OU" as part of your user name. :Smiley122

Yeah, that is a huge pipe dream. The biggest clue that gives it away that it will never be built is that he gave the presentation at OSU.

He himself is a product of oSu so don't kid yourself. I do agree that it will never happen do to what it would cost though.

Ouch!! And you don't even have the word "Sooner" or "OU" as part of your user name. :Smiley122
Because if you do have "Sooner" or "OU" as part of your user name, some people on here automatically consider you a biased dumbass and discount anything you say.

Because if you do have "Sooner" or "OU" as part of your user name, some people on here automatically consider you a biased dumbass and discount anything you say.

Well screw those guys.

Well screw those guys.

You're safe though since you like Georgetown ;-)

The oge centerpoint mlp is supposed to Close in the second or third quarter. This fits the next 30 day timeline Steve alluded to. I have heard they are hoping to be done in july with the close. Also it says the governance will be 50/50 with oge and centerpoint. It also says Oge will have 60 % of the distribution rights.

CenterPoint Energy, OGE Energy Corp. and ArcLight Capital to Combine Assets to Form Leading Midstream Partnership (http://www.centerpointenergy.com/newsroom/newsreleases/d424fd626fe5d310VgnVCM10000026a10d0aRCRD/)

What exactly does it mean to release this easement? What will it do for the mystery company?

Well depends...if by "release" they mean "vacate" then it is a little more involved. To vacate an easement, there must be District Court action. First, the City will have to close the easement, then foreclose any right to reopen the easement, then have an abstractor determine all persons required by law to be notified of the vacation. Then the party requesting vacation of the easement must file a petition in district court, give notice to the city, all utility companies, and to all property owners within 300 feet of the street/easement being vacated. Notice to the public must also be printed in the newspaper. All these notices must be made at least 30 days before a hearing on the petition. There will be opportunity for protest by anyone required to be notified by the movant, and there will be a hearing in district court. It is not a difficult thing, but it is involved and somewhat time consuming.

Now if "release" means only to "close" that can be done by the city council by ordinance. However, the city would always retain the right to reopen that easement unless or until someone moves to vacate the easement.

So, until someone clarifies what is meant by "release" then we won't really know. I would assume that "release" here means "vacate" but I'm not sure. But if we are waiting for a "vacation" of the easement to know...then there will be council action, and then a court action, with notice to the public. So we will know something then.

Now if "release" means only to "close" that can be done by the city council by ordinance. However, the city would always retain the right to reopen that easement unless or until someone moves to vacate the easement.

Isn't that the section that is already closed with vehicle barriers on each end?

Would they be able to release it to get the project going, and then later close it during construction?

Isn't that the section that is already closed with vehicle barriers on each end?

The street is closed, but the easement is not.

Would they be able to release it to get the project going, and then later close it during construction?

See below


Now if "release" means only to "close" that can be done by the city council by ordinance. However, the city would always retain the right to reopen that easement unless or until someone moves to vacate the easement.

So it sounds like they could go ahead and close the easement and then after plans have been officially announced, then they can move to have it vacated. That way they don't have to spill the beans before the announcement.

Who wants to bet whether the announcement will come by the end of July?

Would love to see something like this.

Skyscrapers of Warsaw: Lilium Tower (http://wiezowce.waw.pl/lilium_en.php)

http://www.peruarki.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/Lilium_Tower_peruarki_4.jpg

That one is proposed but these are under construction in Warsaw.

http://czarnota.org/gallery/albums/2011/2011_02_25_-_001_-_Warszawa_ul_Towarowa_-_wizualizacja_Warsaw_Spire_-_zrodlo_internet.jpg

The street is closed, but the easement is not.

The city may have blocked the street to vehicular traffic but that is not the same legally as "closing" an easement. Closing the easement allows abutting property owners the ability to utilize the surface but reserves the right for the city to reopen it. So just because the city blocked the street doesn't mean the easement has ever been closed officially. It may have been closed, but the street being blocked doesn't mean the easement was closed.

The city may have blocked the street to vehicular traffic but that is not the same legally as "closing" an easement. Closing the easement allows abutting property owners the ability to utilize the surface but reserves the right for the city to reopen it. So just because the city blocked the street doesn't mean the easement has ever been closed officially. It may have been closed, but the street being blocked doesn't mean the easement was closed.

So, in other words...


The street is closed, but the easement is not.

:)

Would love to see something like this.

Skyscrapers of Warsaw: Lilium Tower (http://wiezowce.waw.pl/lilium_en.php)

http://www.peruarki.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/Lilium_Tower_peruarki_4.jpgDon't think JFT would approve, but I like it!!! lol

But - although it could still be greatly improved - I'll bet he'd like the Marriott next door a lot more. The same approach could have been taken to the condo building. Sexy tower shapes and good street-level interaction are in no way mutually exclusive; it's just that tower architects rarely pay attention to the street.

Warsaw is a really cool city. But the street scenes can sometimes be bleak.

Magical Mystery Tower

(roll up)

I had a dream about the Mystery tower last night lol. I ran into Steve at Target and asked him about it and he said it would be a 951 footer and would be built for the new Centerpoint/OG&E partnership. He showed me a picture of it and it looked similar to the Columbia center in Seattle. Then I woke up.

Steve also had a bad prediction for fans of the Turbinomics building.

12:21 Comment From Bob What are the chances of ever seeing Turbinomic in downtown Okc?

12:22 Steve Lackmeyer: Zero. Unless Rand Elliott wins a $2 billion lottery. Then it's on!

:(


Yeah, that is a huge pipe dream. The biggest clue that gives it away that it will never be built is that he gave the presentation at OSU.

:Smiley181

I love being consistent enough in my message that people know exactly what I will say, think, or feel about something before I can even chime in. Plutonic Panda and Urbanized both hit it right on the head. Now if we can get politicians to be that consistent. :)

I love being consistent enough in my message that people know exactly what I will say, think, or feel about something before I can even chime in. Plutonic Panda and Urbanized both hit it right on the head. Now if we can get politicians to be that consistent. :)

There are politicians that are consistent. They're called ideologues. That's why people like Ron Paul and Ralph Nader, for better or worse, are generally consistent in their positions.

Either this has nothing to do with the rumored mystery tower or everyone was really wrong on the company:

AT&T set to unveil plans | News OK (http://newsok.com/att-set-to-unveil-plans/article/3855915)

Thought about posting this here but wasn't sure.

Thought about posting this here but wasn't sure.

All the big players are at the announcement so that's a positive sign regardless of the news.

Related news:

AT&T hopes to bolster mobile life with new innovation centers | Mobile - CNET News (http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57590823-94/at-t-hopes-to-bolster-mobile-life-with-new-innovation-centers/)

Interesting, but those facilities don't seem to employ many people unlike the "significant employment growth" expected for OKC. Hmmmmmm....

AT&T = Magical Mystery Tower???

I dunno. Doesn't seem likely given what we know -- but then again, what DON'T we know?

It would be quite the turn of events if it did turn out to be them. Talk about flying under the radar! They weren't on anybody's short list (or even long list, at that) for tower contenders.

Anyway, the announcement is probably for something else. All I know is that with all the big-wigs in attendance, it must be something really good for OKC.

Could it be a large call center?

AT&T pledges restored jobs if merger is approved, Oklahoma minority business advocates back federal regulatory consent (http://capitolbeatok.com/reports/at-t-pledges-restored-jobs-if-merger-is-approved-oklahoma-minority-business-advocates-back-federal-r)

Could it be a large call center?

Ugh, that would be extremely underwhelming. I hope it's something far more interesting than that.

Could it be a large call center?

I really doubt a call center is going to be placed in a new tower downtown, they tend to be pretty cheap buildings and the go to for placing for starting a call center (Shepard Mall) will have plenty of space soon when more than half of the space being leased will be vacated by SSA, OHCA and a few smaller agency finish the buildings they have under construction or renovation.

Either this has nothing to do with the rumored mystery tower or everyone was really wrong on the company:

AT&T set to unveil plans | News OK (http://newsok.com/att-set-to-unveil-plans/article/3855915)

http://www.okctalk.com/general-civic-issues/34243-t-make-major-announcement-regarding-okc-jobs.html Once again Pete has a story first!

Maybe my ol' high school lunch buddy, Randy Stephenson (AT&T CEO), decided to do something in his hometown, after all.

I really doubt a call center is going to be placed in a new tower downtown, they tend to be pretty cheap buildings and the go to for placing for starting a call center (Shepard Mall) will have plenty of space soon when more than half of the space being leased will be vacated by SSA, OHCA and a few smaller agency finish the buildings they have under construction or renovation.

Yeah. I thought it went without saying that if its a call center that no tower is being built.

From the articles Sid posted, looks like their recent trend is to sell buildings than lease them back in order to raise capital.

So, it wouldn't make sense that they would be building a new, expensive building in the middle of downtown.

I don't know, but its starting to make sense. Steve did say in the past that the company building new tower was a company no one mentioned, and AT&T was never mentioned until now. The announcement would fall in the timeline Steve and others predicted. And with Steve making the published report means it has something to do with downtown. Now if it was reported by Richard Mize, then I would think it would be something outside of downtown, because he usually reports on business happenings outside of downtown. But then you have the Governor, the Mayor, Roy Williams in attendance, it has to be something big. I doubt they would make this big deal over a 100 employee call center.

They made a big deal (with the governor and mayor) when Dell announced it's 250 jobs, which is pretty much a call center.

I have a hard time seeing this being the mystery tower, but it would be great for economic diversity to have another significant corporate presence downtown that is not oil and gas. I am kind of hoping that's what this is.

They made a big deal (with the governor and mayor) when Dell announced it's 250 jobs, which is pretty much a call center.

I don't see Steve reporting on something that has nothing to do with downtown, and the phrase "unveil plans" makes me wonder.

I don't see Steve reporting on something that has nothing to do with downtown, and the phrase "unveil plans" makes me wonder.

I think you're reading into it too much. We'll find something out in a few days.

Steve reports mainly but not exclusively on downtown.

He's done quite a few stories and work around the Chesapeake real estate, for example.

They made a big deal (with the governor and mayor) when Dell announced it's 250 jobs, which is pretty much a call center.

True. It's entirely possible that the chamber and governor are appearing not necessarily because it's some real game changer of a deal, but more so because of who is making the announcement. Hopefully, it is something significant, but the AT&Ts and Dell's of the world are used to public displays of appreciation when they add jobs, even if they won't have much effect on the median income stat, so I'm not sure at this point how much we can make out of the fact that the political players are showing up for this one.

Also AT&Ts CEO won't be in attendance, so I doubt it is THAT big.

They made a big deal (with the governor and mayor) when Dell announced it's 250 jobs, which is pretty much a call center.

As a former Dell employee, this is an inaccurate statement. Dell pays even its most basic call center employee very well, and in addition the facility in OKC actually houses many non call center jobs; Project managers, program directors, engineers, and marketing jobs. What is even more crazy, is the advanced techs taking calls make about 65-75 a year. The typical call center manager at Dell makes 60-92 based on experience. I think Dell gets underestimated on its economic impact because of the "call center" label and when it lays off Sales employees. I miss the great culture at Dell, it was really a great place to work.

As a former Dell employee, this is an inaccurate statement. Dell pays even its most basic call center employee very well, and in addition the facility in OKC actually houses many non call center jobs; Project managers, program directors, engineers, and marketing jobs. What is even more crazy, is the advanced techs taking calls make about 65-75 a year. The typical call center manager at Dell makes 60-92 based on experience. I think Dell gets underestimated on its economic impact because of the "call center" label and when it lays off Sales employees. I miss the great culture at Dell, it was really a great place to work.

A friend of mine worked in HR and was making 75 a year. She only left because her husband transferred to a job out of state, but she said she loved her job and actually stayed for 4 months after he moved for a different job.

As a former Dell employee, this is an inaccurate statement. Dell pays even its most basic call center employee very well, and in addition the facility in OKC actually houses many non call center jobs; Project managers, program directors, engineers, and marketing jobs. What is even more crazy, is the advanced techs taking calls make about 65-75 a year. The typical call center manager at Dell makes 60-92 based on experience. I think Dell gets underestimated on its economic impact because of the "call center" label and when it lays off Sales employees. I miss the great culture at Dell, it was really a great place to work.

Thanks for the clarification.

I apologize if my previous remarks mischaracterized the Dell jobs.

I have two friends who currently work at Dell. One is a transfer from London via Houston. Decent pay, excellent employer/company.

They say its pretty much a call center.

:)

A lot of those articles (posted in the other thread) are from 2008.

I have two friends who currently work at Dell. One is a transfer from London via Houston. Decent pay, excellent employer/company.

They say its pretty much a call center.

:)

They may say it's pretty much a call center, but I have friends who work there who don't handle issues with Dell products. No, they sell Dell products. One of them even works from home and maybe goes to the office but once or twice a week. Every business has phone business.

They may say it's pretty much a call center, but I have friends who work there who don't handle issues with Dell products. No, they sell Dell products. One of them even works from home and maybe goes to the office but once or twice a week. Every business has phone business.

I would say half of the IT industry is "Call Center" or basically keeping someone one the other line while you dial in. lol