Keeping Tulsa Beautiful, $1 Million at a time

[dsjeffries]

From the Tulsa World

quote:
Endorsing Pride: Grant to support citywide beauty



This artist's rendering shows proposed landscaping improvements for the Oklahoma 11 Virgin Street bridge near Tulsa International Airport.


By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer
8/6/2007

A $1 million grant out of a $5 million pledge from the George Kaiser Family Foundation is going to a Tulsa foundation to beautify the city.

The Tulsa Beautification Foundation was established in 2005 as a supporting organization of the Tulsa Community Foundation with a public-private board overseeing operations.

The foundation had less than $1 million in assets before the Kaiser grant. About $464,000 of the grant has been used in the past two months to enhance the interior and exterior of the Tulsa International Airport.

"We are focusing on gateways into Tulsa," said Phil Lakin, executive director of the Tulsa Community Foundation. "Our first project is all about airport beautification. It is a main gateway for many people coming to Tulsa.

"It is the first and last impression for visitors to our city. The airport does a good job. But there are some elements we thought we could provide to them."

About 84 large potted plants have been placed inside the airport, and the bridge near Oklahoma 11 and Virgin Street has been painted with plans for landscaping.

"Even though it's just paint, it's a pretty drastic change," Lakin
said. "We would like it to look less like a bridge and more like a piece of art, which is very difficult to do with a concrete bridge."

About 10 areas have been identified by the foundation as priorities. Each will be tackled as the opportunities arise, Lakin said.

The funds in the Kaiser foundation pledge will be applied as the foundation commits to a project, Lakin said.

While the foundation does not coordinate volunteers, it hopes to grow its assets with donations.

"If the projects are successful and there is a need, I hope a number of other funders, individuals and corporations, can add to it," Lakin said.

The foundation looks for public partnership in each endeavor. For example, while the foundation provides funding, the public sector may provide labor.

"We need the city and state because they have the manpower and resources to maintain the projects," Lakin said. "They need us to fund the initial launching of the project or to complete it."

Some of the ideas backed by the foundation originated in the Step Up Tulsa project facilitated by the Tulsa Community Foundation. Step Up Tulsa was created at the request of the Funders Roundtable, which is a group representing the region's largest philanthropic foundations.

The funders wanted a more efficient way to determine how philanthropic money could be used. The sense of place aspect of Step Up Tulsa had a city beautification focus.

"Our focus is to keep Tulsa beautiful and make it a more beautiful place," Lakin said.

The foundation has a broad list of areas for beautification ranging from turning bus bench eyesores into more decorative shelters to improving each entrance into downtown.

Alaback Design Associates of Tulsa has been working with the foundation on the landscaping designs.

Lakin said the recent call from Mayor Kathy Taylor for residents to spend 60 minutes cleaning up their property is in line with the philosophy of the foundation.

The foundation would like to help create an awards program to recognize individuals dedicated to beautifying the city.

"We want people to have pride in the community," Lakin said.



Ginnie Graham 581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com



Top areas for Tulsa Beautification Foundation


Entrances and exits of the Tulsa International Airport, Interstate 244 roadways, intersections and bypasses.

Downtown landscaping, lighting, painting and streetscapes.

Kendall-Whittier neighborhood.

Right-of-way sign inspection and enforcement throughout the city.

Bus benches.

Interstate 44 expansion landscaping.

City-county park improvement plan.

Establishing beautification awards.

Urban landscaping throughout city.

This organization is really wonderful.  I'm glad to see they're focusing on downtown and other mid-north areas of town like Kendall-Whittier, etc.  We've been talking about highway bridges needing to be painted lately, and here's a group that's going to do it (for at least part of town).

And I must say, George Kaiser has really done more good for Tulsa than anyone I can think of in the last 50 years.  We're incredibly lucky to have such an amazing and generous benefactor such as him.  And just think, this is only the beginning...

Tulsa is getting back on track to regaining the title of America's Most Beautiful City.

[sgrizzle]

I have heard that a stumbling block to this is that you need to raise funds and pay the city to do it. You can't "modify" an overpass yourself, even if it would save millions.

[TheArtist]

Another thing they have said goes along with the river plan is a fund will be set up that will pay for upkeep and maintenance of the privately donated "gathering areas".  Not sure how much they will initially put into the fund but it might be nice to try and expand it into a "River Parks Foundation" fund.  I would prefer to donate to a fund that will grow, earn interest and pay for park maintenance long after I am gone. It would be one way to lessen the burden on maintaining things along the river.

BTW sgrizzle, where is that website lol. With all this beautification money flowing around it would be nice to make some presentations for that statue I am wanting to have built. If you dont want to do it let me know I know of someone else I can pay to do it.

[aoxamaxoa]

I got my tin hat on this morning and walked outside to America's most beeeuuuuteeeefulll chity. The air outside was cleaned up. I actually saw blue sky! No lie.

Just wondering if the refineries are cut way back this week to give the impression Tulsa is a clean city. You know, like doing the medians and cleaning up the trash. It's authenticity in the city time. Right.

[RecycleMichael]

It was Mother Nature and the wind that picked up last night that made the difference. The solution to pollution is dilution.

You can thank me.

If there is one thing I can do, it is make wind.

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by recyclemichael

It was Mother Nature and the wind that picked up last night that made the difference. The solution to pollution is dilution.

You can thank me.

If there is one thing I can do, it is make wind.

Dilution is the solution to pollution? Hardly, the pollution just moves somewhere else. Image over substantive policy strikes again.

[RecycleMichael]

No DoubleA.

Pollution is measured by parts per million. Our health,  both personal and the planet, is also determined by the amount of exposure at that level. In particular, the odors referred to in the thread above don't stay in the air forever, they eventually will fall to the earth.

I am always amazed by your posts, DoubleA. When you don't know what you are talking about, it is hard to know when to stop talking.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

BTW sgrizzle, where is that website lol. With all this beautification money flowing around it would be nice to make some presentations for that statue I am wanting to have built. If you dont want to do it let me know I know of someone else I can pay to do it.

I've had it done. You haven't replied to my emails about it from last month yet.