In a recent Council meeting (7/20/10), Parks & Recreation Director, Wendel Whisenhunt, gave a presentation and stated that there are 207 miles in the Master Trail plan. AFTER the 57 miles (mol) of MAPS 3 trails are complete, there will be 140 miles of completed trails but there remains 60 miles of trails that are unfunded.

This seemed to come as a surprise by two Councilmen

Marrs: "But I thought the MAPS 3 trails project was going to build all of the trails in the Master Plan?"

Kelley: "It is my understanding then from the MAPS 3 that there will not be funding to complete the trails as mapped out here?"

The answer to both by Mr. Whisenhunt was that MAPS 3 does not fully fund/complete the Master Plan.

The City manager tried to explain it away by saying that MAPS 3 was very fluid before presented to voters and things were being fine tuned. That what they tried to do with the Trails element was take the proposed trails that they thought would get the most use. Of course this doesn't address what was presented to voters and what the reality was then and now.

Can understand their confusion as during the campaign, phrases like "virtually completing" and "almost complete" were used...

From the City's site: http://www.okc.gov/maps3/summary.html (Summary of MAPS Projects)
Description: This project will construct 57 new miles of bicycling and walking trails, all but completing Oklahoma City’s trails master plan.
Oklahoma City unveiled MAPS 3 plan today (Oklahoman, 9/17/09)
The city's trails system would also be finished off with $40 million included in MAPS 3. The city has slowly been upgrading its trails, but would need decades to finish the 57 miles of trails left in the plan without MAPS funding.
Smaller projects included in Oklahoma City MAPS 3 proposal explained (Oklahoman, 11/29/09)
City officials came up with a master plan for trails 15 years ago. But at the rate funding has become available, it would take decades to complete the plan.

Many of the trails are already built around city lakes and the Oklahoma River. MAPS 3 would help connect them with 50 to 60 miles of new trails.

"The MAPS 3 money would do the big majority of what we need,” said Hal McKnight, chairman of the Oklahoma City trails advisory committee. "It would create a large contiguous circle around Oklahoma City of about 40 miles.”
From Yes for MAPS http://www.yesformaps.com/ (10/20/09)
The trails component of the proposal will complete a series of biking / walking / running / rollerblading trail loops throughout Oklahoma City, creating one of the longest and most impressive trail systems in the country. Over 50 miles of new trails will be added, and will create connections that give access to major destinations like the Oklahoma River, Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser, Lake Stanley Draper and other points of interest.
from an Oklahoman article (before the vote)
AT A GLANCE: MAPS 3 DETAILS
A master plan calling for additional bicycle and walking trails all across the city has been largely unfunded. This money would pay for 57 miles of new trails, virtually completing the city’s trails plan.
I can appreciate the fluidity the City Manager spoke of, but why was it never corrected? The quote I provided from the City's site is current, it still gives the impression the trails will be complete or nearly so.

Question is, when you heard those phrases did you realize that only half of the proposed remaining trails of the Master Plan were being funded? That although 57 miles (mol) are being funded w/MAPS 3, that 60 miles are still unfunded?

"The City has a trails master plan that will not be complete for decades, unless this initiative passes." (from the City's site) But the reality is that even with MAPS 3, it might be decades before the remaining 60 miles are completed.

This is one of the lesser projects and hope it doesn't apply to the rest, we can only wait and see if what was presented to voters aligns with reality.