How would you spend $25 million to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City?

[Larry OKC]

Outdoor Amphitheatre at the Downtown Airpark

Do we need another amphitheater? We are getting one in the Myriad renovations and a larger one in the MAPS 3 Park.

[SkyWestOKC]

And some sort of theatre at the Devon HQ.

[cjohnson.405]

OKC is desperate for a vibrant business community and needs to figure out how to keep talent from moving to Dallas. I like the idea of supporting new startups but also funding a business incubator in downtown and mentor/guide program to help young businesses avoid failure.

[okcboy]

A real amphitheatre like this. Those aren't much more than the water stage at the MBG.
http://www.vzwamp.com/

[Urban Pioneer]

I would devote all of it to planning/starting a major rail hub and planning/acquiring all necessary routes. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. If we don't think big on this from the beginning, we are doomed to failure.

We're already doing that. The HUB Study will be done in March. If "acquiring" means right-of-way acquisition, we have most of what we need. We could probably always use more than the $10 mil in MAPS to fulfill whatever comes out of the hub study though.

[Larry OKC]

Complete the still unfinished Canal that was started with the original MAPS.

Mayor Norrick stressed in an "open letter to the voters" before the election that it was essential that the Canal link the Convention Center to Bricktown to the River. He repeated the thought during the 10 anniversary and announced possible expansion plans for the Canal (connectivity is crucial).

We only got the middle segment (no beginning, no end). Reportedly the $3M(?) "extension" to connect to the River is funded under the 2007 General Obligation Bond issue but isn't scheduled to be done until 2018(?). The extensions really need to physically connect with the existing canal. According to the rendering that was in the Oklahoman, the River segment comes close to connecting but misses it by "that much". If there is any money left over after finishing the originally promised Canal, additional extensions (as proposed before MAPS 3 was announced could be considered as well ($25M)

The City/Chamber has said repeatedly that everything that was promised under MAPS happened "exactly as they said it would". It is far past time to rectify that.

[Watson410]

WORLD CLASS AQUARIUM somewhere DOWNTOWN.

[OKCisOK4me]

WORLD CLASS AQUARIUM somewhere DOWNTOWN.

Adventure District. It'd be out of place downtown...

[Watson410]

Yeah your probably right.. Adventure District would be okay too.. I just want to see a really nice aquarium in OKC.

[Cid]

For true quality of life improvements...

A complete overhaul of Lake Hefner public spaces:

Add more trees, walking trails, biking trails, centralized and peripheral parking, and infrastructure for some truly unique facilities like high/medium/low intensity mountain biking, kayaking pools, radio control boat and wildlife areas, outdoor amphitheater for plays and concerts.

Think central park meets breckenridge meets windsurfing lagoon meets new surprises around every walking trail bend.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...76818&t=h&z=14

Cid

[Kerry]

Adventure District. It'd be out of place downtown...

Yep - the way the Florida Aquarium is out of place in downtown Tampa, or the way the Georgia Aquarium is out of place in downtown Atlanta, or the way the Shed Aquarium is out of place in downtown Chicago, or the way the Tennessee Aquarium is out of place in downtown Chattanooga, or the way.... well, you get the point.

[metro]

Cid, how do you have high intensity mountain biking when we have no mountains in OKC, I get the low and even medium intensity, but for high intensity you have to have some reason to go to Colorado.

[Cid]

Cid, how do you have high intensity mountain biking when we have no mountains in OKC, I get the low and even medium intensity, but for high intensity you have to have some reason to go to Colorado.

A trail running up and down the back side of the Hefner dam might be a start. *shrug*

[Larry OKC]

Complete the Landrun Monument as Originally Proposed

When announced, there were to be 77 statues (one representing each county). That number got cut back to 45 and the last article I read said that it has been cut to 38 (4/14/08)

This is a very worthwhile project and if you haven't seen it yet, even scaled back to the existing pieces, very impressive (would be even more impressive if the City hadn't allowed the irrigation system to fall into disrepair and the surrounding landscaping to be about 2/3 of what was planted).

[Spartan]

Honestly..if we're going to spend the $25 mil of public funds, perhaps the best reason why a development loan fund is the best idea is that it would turn the $25 mil into much more by requiring majority matches from other sources, and being paid back in 8 years. Plus I am tired of the overwhelming majority of "downtown investment" being public projects. We need to ramp up PRIVATE investment.

[Larry OKC]

Spartan,

You make good points and as long as the LOANS are exactly as you have described I don't have any problems with it. My only concern is that traditionally that isn't the format the City has used.

My suggestions have more to do with "promises made, promises kept" more than anything else.

[Spartan]

I was never that excited about the Land Run Monument in the first place, and I still consider it a waste of money honestly, and a bad location--but hopefully I will think differently in a few years. Let's look at all the civic projects we have underway downtown..


Projects planned or underway and already funded:

I-40 Crosstown Expressway
Ford Center renovations
Cox Center renovations
New convention center
Myriad Garden renovations
Project 180
New downtown park
New downtown boulevard
OG+E substation (apparently the 8th MAPS project)
Oklahoma River cruises
Oklahoma River improvements
OCU Boathouse
OU Boathouse
UCO Boathouse
Land Run Monument
Downtown streetcar
Bricktown Canal extension
Police HQ
City Hall public art
Downtown elementary
Classen Drive extention
Film Row streetscape
American Indian Cultural Center
Medical Business District Red Cross bldg site
And more

Should I even bring up the Medical District?

Point is...how about some private development, what more do we have to do to "spur" private development with public projects?

[Larry OKC]

Spartan,

Have you seen the Landrun Monument? I agree it isn't advertised the best and it was placed in the wrong place, but public art IS one of the functions that Government should subsidize (IMO). Gov subsidies of private, for profit businesses I don't agree with (development loans where the City is guaranteed to get a rate on return as you described is ok).

Not everything in your list has been funded: Boulevard (0%) and Land Run Monument (partially funded). Aren't the Boathouses mostly privately funded? Isn't the American Indian Cultural Center mostly State funded (and funding has fallen short). Point here isn't to nit-pick but to point out that some of those are the private developments you are talking about, aren't they?

Again, I am not advocating any new, additional projects, just completing the ones we started. Any new ones need to wait for MAPS 4, 5, 6....(in answer to your question "what more do we have to do to "spur" private development with public projects?", that will be the emphasis of those MAPS pitches. We will have to "continue the momentum" yet once again. That goes back to one of the arguments during MAPS 3, will the private economic development that we are still attributing to the original MAPS come to a halt if it hadn't passed? Depending on which set of Chamber numbers you believe has been $2 to $5 BILLION. Yet somehow we needed another round of public projects.

[Spartan]

The Chamber report was including a huge amount of government projects, probably at least half of the total. And I was careful to say civic projects, not city projects, not state projects. I just mean that they are not exactly private development.

I am ready to test the downtown market with some actual real estate, but in order to do that, we need to get some real estate deals going.

[Larry OKC]

fair enough...

[Popsy]

If the $25 million were made available in the near future I would propose that it be temporarily loaned to MAPS for the purpose of jump starting the completion of the river projects. OKC is on the cusp of becoming the premier rowing venue in the world and completing these projects would accelerate and solidify that recognition. Additionally, the white water rafting course could become a prime recreational venue for a substantial segment of our community, plus I can envision it becoming a significant draw from the entire region. The rowing aspect of the projects should bring in more national and world events which equates to additional spending and sales tax dollars. When the funds become available from MAPS the dollars advanced would be paid back and redirected to other quality of life uses.

[barnold]

Hire back the Police, Fire and numerous city workers recently laid off to support the infrastructure that the city needs for future growth! Are you all serious? Aquatics, rafting, boats.......you've gotta be sh**#$ me.

[Spartan]

Hire back the Police, Fire and numerous city workers recently laid off to support the infrastructure that the city needs for future growth! Are you all serious? Aquatics, rafting, boats.......you've gotta be sh**#$ me.

Please highlight where anyone said anything about spending $25 million on rafting, boats, etc. And would you mind once again going over that argument that more police officers will lead to future growth? (I'm presuming you weren't talking about future growth in the law enforcement budget but rather future growth on something else)

You threw the first punch.

[kevinpate]

I think you've unintentionally misstated his argument. Or perhaps I misread his position.

Seems to me his suggestion is this:
(a) OKC is clearly growing
(b) despite this anticipated growth, public safety, and other public services, have been subjected to cutbacks.
(c) if unexpected funds are floating about, those ought to first go to reversing the recent cuts in public safety.

The argument is this type of spending would better serve the growing community than accelerating MAPs venues or other niceties.

It's the same argument many in PS have made since back before MAPs3 passed, and have continued to make as the city bandied about cuts ranging from 12% down to the actual level of cuts. Although the actual cuts were well below the 12% bandied about, they were still cuts.

I don't know whether OKC needs the people PS says they need or not. It does seem there are some very real equipment issues. It also seems clear they are at a lower standing force, for both FD and PD, than the numbers from years gone by suggest the voters directed the city to provide back with the city passed the 3/4 cent tax.

[Spartan]

What about recent cuts made to other city departments? There were good people laid off there, too. I am so annoyed by the superiority complex of these people, and keep in mind that Police and Fire got the least of the cuts because of how they'd milk any public attention around potential cuts.