Originally Posted by
Spartan
YES to:
Investing in ourselves
Improving the business climate
Facilities for business visitors
Downtown improvement
Quality of life amenities
Transit upgrades
Facilities for events
Upgrading OKC's profile
NO to:
Wasting tons of money
Throwing $ behind a waning idea
Decimating downtown
Separating two parks
Eating up the best development site
Bungling prime boulevard frontage
Insisting on a 90s wet dream in 2012
My point is just that we could use that $250 million for a better use, and while obviously I would first say transit would be an infinitely better investment, if it absolutely can't go to transit then I would still say there is probably at least a much, much more innovative idea for a business visitor facility that would benefit OKC. A convention center will do absolutely nothing for us.
When I was living in Calgary I always loved the fact that they had a tiny, but very nice, convention center that wasn't in the way of anything, despite its central location. And nobody can disagree that Calgary is a major, major North American business hub, esp for the oil industry.
I have frequently brought up the idea of a medical mart, or turning the idea into an OKC-unique concept like an energy mart or aerospace mart or even just a massive $250 million tech incubator, but NOBODY ever responds to that idea. I wonder what that is.. why the dialog is so insistent on a convention center (as conceptualized in the 90s) and no other facility type.
We will absolutely fail if we don't get innovative and think outside the box.
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