What is the driving force in OKC?

[RabidRed]

With all that is going on in OKC now I wonder what is making the most impact? Maps projects? NBA coming to town? Devon Tower? C2S? Maybe something I haven't mentioned? How would you place everything in order of importance?

Lots of questions huh?

[metro]

I think it's all a collaborative effort and they play off each other.

[OKCMallen]

MAPS > C2S > Devon > NBA


Although when/if C2S comes to full fruition, that would truly be our city's renaissance.

[Tom Elmore]

How many times can the "the many" be fleeced for the benefit of "the few?"

TOM ELMORE

[Rover]

How many times do the few provide jobs, growth, opportunity and stability for the many?

[sdsooners]

It's simple - the driving force is natural gas. CHK, DVN, and to some extent SD are the ones constructing the buildings, hiring the young people who demand a better downtown, paying higher wages that result in OK college grads staying in state, distributing millions in royalties to local citizens, supporting every philanthropical or educational organization, and their leaders are even the ones bringing an NBA team to town. All other industries and organizations are directly benefiting from the success of these companies and their willingness to do whatever it takes to make their hometown a better place.

Fortunately most experts forsee nat gas as the fuel of the future, so there are exciting times ahead for OKC.

[Pete]

Those are good observations sdsooners.

But you also have to give credit to the citizenry in general, who got behind MAPS and really got the ball rolling. This was at a time before all the civic investment and large-scale hiring by the energy companies.

Now, the energy-driven economy and optimism and enthusiasm from the people that live in the metro continue to play off each other, as there is plenty of vision and pride that also needs the financial muscle to bring all these things to fruition.

I see no reason why this won't continue -- with a few little bumps along the way -- well into the future. As these companies keep investing in OKC, it benefits them directly as well as the community at large.

[Kerry]

How many times can the "the many" be fleeced for the benefit of "the few?"

TOM ELMORE

I don't know - you tell me Tom. When are you going to stop holding up progress on I-40? The 1.2 million people in the metro are ready for you to get out of the way.

Now to answer the original question. I think the ultimate catalyst was failure to land the United Airlines maintenance facility. That was the point where OKC realized it was at rock bottom. MAPS was put in place to start the rebuilding process at the infrastructure level but it went beyond that and changed people attitude. Attitude is now the driving force and OKC has an abundance of it right now.

[Midtowner]

Kerry, some of us 1.2 million still like our governmental agencies to not submit falsified reports and/or ignore the law in the name of progress. Some of us think that the end does not always justify the means.

Right now, the project is being held up because of ODOT's own incompetence. Under previous administrations, this never would have happened. Heads need to roll at that agency so that it can be run competently again.

In Oklahoma, we used to have a "Highway Department" and another department for rail. Since ODOT has obviously failed to consider that transportation consists of more than just roads and bridges, perhaps it's time to split those departments up again? Money is a corrupting influence, and at least these days, roads and bridges are getting all of it.

What we have here is a pretty serious evil which no "greater good" formula can ever justify. We have a state agency who knows or should know what the proper procedure to condemn a rail line is. We have at least one business which depends on that rail line absolutely. The government here attempted to wreck this business without affording them notice or an opportunity to be heard. I think it's terrible that anyone can think this is "okay" and we "just need to get this done." That ricockulous attitude is what got ODOT into this mess.

When spending millions, maybe even billions by the time this is over of the taxpayers' money, ODOT has a responsibility to at minimum follow proper procedure and not falsify the things they file with the administrative courts. This is not Tom Elmore or anyone else standing in the way of progress. ODOT is solely responsible for this (and maybe BNSF to a degree). You should be directing your outrage at them.

[Kerry]

On second thought - I don't want to turn this into a Tom Elmore discussion.

[Midtowner]

You brought it up.

So do you support the government being able to ignore the law and due process whenever they feel the end justifies the means?

[betts]

MAPS was the inspiration, and the others have followed. I think the NBA will garner us the most national attention, but C2S and the natural growth of businesses, retail and residential around it will make us into a city in which people want to live, and to which people want to move. Devon is building us an icon, and it sounds like jobs will follow as well. What is happening now is synergistic, but MAPS was the catalyst.

[Midtowner]

MAPS was the inspiration, and the others have followed. I think the NBA will garner us the most national attention, but C2S and the natural growth of businesses, retail and residential around it will make us into a city in which people want to live, and to which people want to move. Devon is building us an icon, and it sounds like jobs will follow as well. What is happening now is synergistic, but MAPS was the catalyst.

Absolutely.

[OU Adonis]

How many construction jobs will the tower bring to downtown? That in itself can spur some economic activity.

[OKCisOK4me]

How many construction jobs will the tower bring to downtown? That in itself can spur some economic activity.

I believe they said somewhere around 500 during the press conference.

[Patchy Proot]

How many times do the few provide jobs, growth, opportunity and stability for the many?

Ditto

[RabidRed]

I don't know - you tell me Tom. When are you going to stop holding up progress on I-40? The 1.2 million people in the metro are ready for you to get out of the way.

Now to answer the original question. I think the ultimate catalyst was failure to land the United Airlines maintenance facility. That was the point where OKC realized it was at rock bottom. MAPS was put in place to start the rebuilding process at the infrastructure level but it went beyond that and changed people attitude. Attitude is now the driving force and OKC has an abundance of it right now.

I had forgot about the AA facility and what transpired after that. Maybe out of failure we were able to make giant moves in the future.

I was talking with my son this morning about the Tower and he asked about was there going to be a public access observation deck in the DT? I guess I missed if that has been discussed.

[Kerry]

No observation deck - the general public will not be allowed in the tower itself. I would be happy if they just moved the tower from the fairgrounds to bricktown. Why use it 15 days year when it could be used everyday.

[bombermwc]

I don't know - you tell me Tom. When are you going to stop holding up progress on I-40? The 1.2 million people in the metro are ready for you to get out of the way.

A-FREAKING-MEN on that one!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OKCMallen]

As per usual, I'm with midtowner on this one. Gotta do things the right way; we're nothing without the rules.

[fuzzytoad]

How many times can the "the many" be fleeced for the benefit of "the few?"

TOM ELMORE

AMEN

I wish more of the people in this forum living in their delusional ivory towers would wake up and realize what's really going on in this City.

[Midtowner]

It is not ivory tower thinking that says it's okay to lie and defraud the federal administrative courts in order to get your way.

What an absurd notion.

[Kerry]

So when the forms are resubmitted and the approval is given again to remove the railyard then Tom, fuzzytoad, and all of the others will be on board for the new I-40. Is that what I am hearing?

This whole time I though T.E. was wanting to save the railyard and his vision of the future of rail in Oklahoma. I see it turns out that he really just wanted the demolition paperwork filled our properly.

[Midtowner]

There seems to remain a serious question as to whether the administrative body will approve the application if it contains truthful information. I don't understand the whole process, but seemingly part of abandoning a rail line probably includes some sort of showing that the line is no longer being used.

The body doesn't care if this snafu caused by ODOT will cost ODOT money. That is ODOT's fault, 100%.

If it is approved, then ODOT will have complied with the law and there's nothing more to be said, except maybe, if someone knowingly filed fraudulent documents and they're lawyers, they should be reported to the appropriate Bar Association.

The only reason to file fraudulent papers (if done knowingly) is the knowledge that filing truthful papers could prove problematic to the project. We shall see whether approval is ultimately granted or not.

[BG918]

Add a comprehensive mass transit system to that list. OKC is growing because its two driving industries, energy and medicine, are some of the fastest growing industries. Add to that a comfortable climate, increasing entertainment/dining options, relatively low housing prices, and an educated workforce (due to OU, OCU, and UCO) and you have the foundation for longterm sustained growth in those fields and others. Now if we can just get that mass transit system we can be a national leader in smart growth and lose one of our biggest stigmas: that we're sprawled out (which is true).