Boathouse Row

[OKCisOK4me]

Why is Sandrige Centers & Commons on the Boathouse Row thread??

[MDot]

Why is Sandrige Centers & Commons on the Boathouse Row thread??

I just noticed that? That's weird.

[gracefor24]

And, now, I hope, gracefor24, that you will return the courtesy.

More particularly, to set the scene for this reply and in this sequence, our exchanges were ... (truncated) ...


... to which you replied ...


... to which I said ...


I'm one of those who has the bad taste residue that I've just identified. I hadn't really intended to say anything more on the subject and was content to let it lie. But, you then said,


To that, my response is that I trust that you, as well, are open to the possibility that your suggestion/inference, as follows, is likewise subject to the same possibility that I conceded to you, when you said ...


... may also be not necessarily so and is open and subject to fair and legitimate challenge and critique, and, that, moreover, the contrary critique, as I've mentioned here in summary form above, may in fact, be correct.

Can I also say about you, gracefor24, "Glad to hear you're open to seeing the full truth?" Put differently, is it possible in your own mind's eye, that SandRidge HAS NOT ALWAYS been a nice corporate person?

Does that work for you, or do you wish to persist in your suggestion that SandRidge has ALWAYS been a nice corporate person? If you cannot concede contrary possibility, then let's just agree to disagree and go on from here.

My issue was relating the entire Sandridge Commons controversy with Sandridge's total corporate persona. It's ridiculous and myopic. So your comment about the "danger" of SD becoming a "nice corporate person" was tongue in cheek but also misguided, similar to how you admonished Spartan in another thread about his comments directed towards Heritage hills residents.

Am I willing to admit that SD made MAJOR mistakes with the Commons process? Of course. Am I willing to say that I think it's bad urban design? Of course. Am I willing to say that that made SD a bad corporate person? No. Because that wasn't the totality of what the company was doing at that time.

At the same time as the controversy SD was busy giving away millions of dollars and creating hundreds of jobs for Oklahomans and filling a block with life that had been dead for a long while.

Now we see SD expanding their reach to the Boathouse Row and specifically with regards to the involvement of children.

With that I'd say it isn't a turn of public relations but just a realization of who they have been in the past that was marred by one unfortunate process.

[Doug Loudenback]

Oh. Anyway, I didn't call SandRidge a bunch of boozers.

[gracefor24]

Oh. Anyway, I didn't call SandRidge a bunch of boozers.

Haha. Very true.

[Spartan]

That's one way to see it. Of course the things Pete has pointed out show a bigger picture. But I think everyone hear sees that you're not into the bigger picture. Just your myopic hate based on a few unfortunate events that cast a shadow on what is otherwise a HUGE win for OKC.

The great thing about it is people like you will never have any real influence in a city like OKC. We need people who can see the bigger picture, treat people with respect, take a loss with dignity, and win with grace.

Why do you think I care about having influence in OKC? I fail to understand what is so insidious about someone merely articulating their thoughts and contributing to larger movements comprised of individuals that do have real influence? Is it just beyond your comprehension that someone's activism could be irregardless of personal ambition? If so, let me just set the record straight, I have no ambitions whatsoever when it comes to political or influential realms. All I have is what I have to say.

All you have evidently is personal attacks, so congratulations on that as well. I can't even say something positive about SandRidge without my devout following of obsessed detractors rearing their ugly head.

[bombermwc]

the only sport that brings in money is OU football (basketball has before) .... OU spends millions on all kinds of sports that don't make money ... and the 16 mil was all raised from the Athletic dept ... not from general funds ... if OU wants to win at women's rowing (they do) they have to spend the money

Let's get back to the Boathouses here.....

Before we start having people go ape here on football, remember that football (good or bad) actually funds basically the rest of the athletic department. It doesn't take 2 seconds of thought to realize that you need to pay for things like coaches, equipment, travel in things like gymnastics. But you would never make that in ticket sales. It's not just an OU thing, that's true in almost any school...high school or college. The majority of people go to football games and they make more band for their buck because of it. Basketball requires a LOT of games, to facility use cost is high. Think about the electric bill Lloyd Noble has for 40 games, plus all the staff. At OU games, most of that concession staff is volunteer for fund raising (after it's already been contracted out). You don't have to heat/cool the stadium either. And 80+ at $80+ a pop can't compared to basketball either. Basketball is #2 in the cash raising area, but it's not a close #2.

Now what does that mean for the boathouses. It means if OU has crew, then that money has to come from somewhere. If it comes out the general athletic funding, then that means that it will have to be taken from some other programs that already use it...cause you don't think they have a surplus do you? If it's women's, then Title IX cash can come into play. But that's not going to be used for facilties. The boathouse itself is going to be either out of a general fund (which i doubt they would do), or constructed through fundraising like the others were.

As we've seen, the effort has already been put in to secure the funding. And rather than doing what so many places do, they took the approach OCU takes with any building. Raise the funds first and THEN build it without a loan. The alumni base and community is so behind OU, it would be silly to think they wouldn't be able to secure the funding. Hell, OCU can plop out 100 million for a building out of a single benefactor for a music building, so why couldn't OU get 20 for the boathouse (obviosuly we've seen they already have it).

But these things don't happen overnight. We'd all like to see them all built yesterday, but we just need to wait a little folks. If you wait and let the full funding flow, you'll have a better product than if you put it out there before you have it....just look at the Native Americian Cultural Center...cough cough.

[BoulderSooner]

OU boathouse is fully funded. And has been for a little bit

[Steve]

My understanding is design work on the OU boathouse is underway.

[bombermwc]

Well that was sort of the point of what I said boulder...it's already paid for. They secured funding before building...rather than taking out a loan for it.

People are just antsy when they think nothing is happening, even if it's happening behind the scenes.

[Snowman]

My understanding is design work on the OU boathouse is underway.

Did they want changes made? As of six months ago the boathouse foundation was saying that the design was just waiting on final approval from OU.

[dankrutka]

Did they want changes made? As of six months ago the boathouse foundation was saying that the design was just waiting on final approval from OU.

Exactly. We're not antsy. It's just that final funding has long been secured.

[Spartan]

OU may not be in any hurry to get this done just because they already have bare bones facilities somewhere. This is mostly a PR and cosmetic deal for them.

[Decious]

OU may not be in any hurry to get this done just because they already have bare bones facilities somewhere. This is mostly a PR and cosmetic deal for them.

They do Nick. It's on the river as well. I assume it's leased space.

http://youtu.be/SN_-A9IsiYM

[Snowman]

A consulting agency to rowers evaluating universities is saying that the OU boathouse has been approved.

http://www.sparksconsult.com/reports...womens-rowing/

[stdennis]

They do Nick. It's on the river as well. I assume it's leased space.

http://youtu.be/SN_-A9IsiYM

If you look at http://www.soonersports.com/s-finder/rowing.html

it shows that they use the Chesapeake Boathouse currently.

[bombermwc]

Sure is taking a long time for these other boathouses to even level some dirt....

[Pete]

Update to be presented to City Council next week:

[mmonroe]

I hate how the power lines make the view horrible...

[OKCisOK4me]

Makes you wonder why they can't run the lines on the south shore or even thought of that in the first place... Probably money issues.

[Pete]

The power lines were supposed to be moved.

It was in their plan with specific dates. Have no idea what happened to that but I agree, they greatly detract from the massive investment being made in this area.

[Snowman]

I did not think the ones south of 6th were being touched. Though the small power lines that ran along Laird & 5th are probably being removed, large ones along 6th & the river sounded like they would be converted to what is along 6th.

[dankrutka]

I hope all these plans come to fruition. It's going to be an amazing area that will hopefully attract a lot of private development too. However, I just don't understand the hold up on the OU boathouse. The funding has been in place for a while and they don't even have an estimated date... Just TBD.

[Spartan]

It's going to be an amazing area that will hopefully attract a lot of private development too.

Hopefully. I just don't see how, or where. They've built it in a vacuum merely adjacent to the downtown area. Perhaps if they developed over the proposed surface parking lots and the area with the warehouse..

[betts]

I think expanding the Bricktown Canal will help with accessibility. Not really because of the canal, but because of the path alongside it. That will allow foot traffic and bike traffic to easily access the river.