After three years of planning and debate, the MAPS 3 streetcar project may soon have a route that travels by all key destinations in downtown and Midto Before that happens, however, a public meeting Monday will give Oklahoma City citizens a chance to comment on the four options consulting firm Jacobs Engineering presented during a […]
MAPS 3
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The facts about a convention center hotel
Let me be specific concerning the details. First, Shadid refers to a study conducted by Convention, Sports & Leisure International for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. The councilmen, along with numerous members of the local media, have reviewed the full study in our offices. The study does contemplate the need for a headquarters hotel as […]
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One at a time
Pete White Credit: Mark Hancock Council members were scheduled this week to decide whether to accept a subcommittee’s recommendation to begin negotiations with one potential wellness center operating partner instead of two, as city staff had originally suggested. In a 4-3 vote, the health and wellness subcommittee opted June 26 to recommend negotiations with the […]
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Let there be light
That trademark Hollywood line is the theme of a ceremony Saturday at the Oklahoma River when the world’s first permanently lighted racecourse of its kind will be illuminated. The river-lighting marks the first large-scale MAPS 3 project to be completed, said Oklahoma City spokeswoman Kristy Yager. The ceremony, which is open to the public, begins […]
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Unfortunately, it’s all too conventional
In preparing the MAPS 3 campaign, those who advocated for intensive convention center expansion had two significant problems. First, polling showed overwhelming opposition of 75 to 80 percent. Second, the preposterous conclusion of a 2008 Convention, Sports and Leisure (CS&L) study (never released to the public) was that to triple our existing convention busi ness, […]
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Weighing what’s important downtown
Credit: Brad Gregg Instead, the council wants to see the results of an ongoing market study to show if OKC even needs a hotel for the convention center, which will be funded through the MAPS 3 sales tax. The hotel is an independent project with no financing at this point. The hotel market analysis is […]
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Senior class
Mike Dover Credit: Mark Hancock An initial request for proposals attracted four applicants — Putnam City Baptist Church, the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, Valir Health and NorthCare — with different backgrounds related to their respective work with senior citizens. But none of the applicants was willing to take on all four centers. Each proposed to […]
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Street smarts
Skyline Ink Organized as a way to inform, educate and clear up misconceptions about the MAPS 3-funded project, city officials and their paid consultants delivered a bevy of facts and figures that centered on previous studies, future construction and success stories from other cities. Mike McAnelly, senior planner and project manager for Jacobs Engineering Group, […]
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Streetcar vs. bus
The streetcar system in Portland, Ore., is among those being used as a model for OKC. An outspoken critic of the modern streetcar project, the Ward 2 councilman claims voters were misled about that part of the MAPS 3 plan. Shadid, a supporter of the Metro Transit bus system, has repeatedly called for more funding […]
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New faces
OKC city hall Credit: Mark Hancock With Marrs and Kelly no longer at the council chamber’s horseshoe, 14 combined years of council experience are being replaced by rookies James Greiner and John Pettis Jr., two men who now find themselves in the middle of critical decisions, including several MAPS 3 projects. The new council members […]