Here's my latest blog entry from last night, from my site okcreview.com, which I'm sure will go over like a lead balloon for many here, but it was written in the context of recent discussions concerning MAPS3, C2S and the need for a new convention hotel posited by many of OKC's civic leaders:

I was in Dallas when ground was broken today on the shiny new 1,000-room convention center hotel downtown. To say it was a major event would not do it justice. It was a shindig also tinged with a great sense of relief.

Designed by BOKA Powell, the new 23-story Omni is huge, covering some 8 acres. It’s also every convention planner’s dream, featuring up to 80,000 sq. ft. of meeting space with a 33,500 sq. ft. senior ballroom, a 16,500 sq. ft. junior ballroom, and even 10,000 sq. ft. of outdoor area, likely not to see much use in the tepid Dallas summer sunshine. Oh, and there’s a convenient skybridge to the convention center.

Though the public/private funding deal for this $500 million behemoth was mired in acrimonious debate for much of the past year, construction has now started in earnest and the project is expected to be up and running by early 2012. The project develper is Mathews Southwest.

As Mayor Tom Leppert, a businessman also known for a keen grasp of rhetoric, put it, “This has never been about a building. It has always been about positioning Dallas for success and about keeping Dallas competitive. This hotel is a symbol of our city’s confidence and willingness to invest in its future.”

I know everyone moans at the constant North/South-OKC/DFW comparisons, but the bar has, undeniably, been raised. Now let’s see if OKC has the will and the way to do likewise to compete in the convention business…

See more blog entries on my site, here.