Journalism at its best
Okay, here's an article from today's Oklahoman, about recent growth in downtown.
What in the heck is the purpose of the last paragraph? Does it even relate?
Going strong: Downtown growth continues apace
Oklahoman Editorial
We've written a number of times about the growing vitality of downtown Oklahoma City, so please bear with us as we revisit the issue. Such good news merits a little bragging.
The monthlong "Downtown in December" festival was a hit once again. What began four years ago with the Braum's skating rink and boat rides along the Bricktown canal has expanded a little each year, the latest addition being a snow tube at SBC Bricktown Ballpark. Downtown bustled throughout the month.
"It was by all standards a huge success," said Alison Oshel, vice president of operations for Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., which is host of the festival.
It was capped by a New Year's Eve celebration that saw 19,000 attend a Hornets game, 8,400 watch the Blazers play hockey and thousands gather downtown for the Opening Night celebration to bring in 2006. Hotels downtown and around the city were booked solid.
More hotels are in the works. As detailed by The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer in recent days, the sale of the historic Skirvin Hotel closed in late December and, after renovation, the building is scheduled to open as a Hilton property by March 2007. Another historic downtown site, the Colcord office building, is being transformed into a boutique hotel.
Offices, lofts and retail space are planned for a stretch of Main Street in Bricktown, the last undeveloped block in what was the old core of the warehouse district. One of the developers said such a plan would have seemed far-fetched a decade or so ago. "But today, looking at where they are, with the improvements, the canal, the ballpark, the hotels, Bass Pro Shops, the Hornets, everybody wants to be a part of it," he said. Two recent power outages darkened Bricktown restaurants for hours each time and frustrated their owners. The incidents were certainly unfortunate and deserve attention, but shouldn't serve to dim the optimism that downtown continues to foster.
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