PLANiTULSA - Get Involved and Think Big!

[PonderInc]

PLANiTULSA! Think big!  (Dreamers wanted)
Tuesday, July 15, 6:00-8:00 PM
OSU-Tulsa Auditorium

An Invitation from TulsaNow...
To Get Involved in the Comprehensive Plan!

We know what you're thinking: "What the heck is the comprehensive plan, and what does it have to do with me?"

That's why TulsaNow will host a public event called "PLANiTULSA:  Think Big!  (Dreamers Wanted.)"  Speakers will include John Fregonese, lead consultant to the City of Tulsa for the PLANiTULSA project, and Gary Reddick of Sienna Architecture Group.  Members of the City of Tulsa Planning Department will also be on hand to answer your questions.  The event is free and open to the public.

PLANiTULSA will be about "implementing the community's vision."  The process starts with one basic question: "What do people want?"

That's where you come in!    

We want all Tulsans to understand the importance of the comprehensive plan, and how you can play a role in shaping Tulsa's future.

The last citywide update of Tulsa's Comprehensive Plan took place in 1978.  A lot has changed since then.  It's time for a new plan that reflects the needs of Tulsa's future, not the past.

Come learn about how you can become part of the solution!  Please share this invitation with friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and associates...because Tulsa's future belongs to all of us!  See you there!

WHAT: "PLANiTULSA: Think Big! (Dreamers wanted.)"
WHEN: Tuesday, July 15 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM
WHERE: OSU-Tulsa Auditorium, 700 N. Greenwood
(campus is just north of I-244 and east of Detroit)
MORE INFO: www.tulsanow.org and www.PLANiTULSA.org


Download Flier

[inteller]

impossible at this point.  The mayor has already hand picked the "advisors"...mostly the connected midtown elite.

don't beleive me?  

PROOF:





this whole process is officially a big joke....some of the people are even outside the city limits while vast portions of east and south tulsa go unrepresented. WHAT THE ****!!!!


why don't they just come clean and call this PLANMIDTOWNDOWNTOWNiTulsa.

[PonderInc]

If you're concerned that the process won't be inclusive enough, here's a solution:  

Please forward the above invitation to everyone in your neighborhood.  In fact, I hope that everyone will forward it to everyone in their neighborhoods.  Come and learn...and participate in the process.  (Instead of trying to sabatoge it before it even starts.)

I can see that if you plot the advisors homes on a map it might appear that something sinister is going on regarding the mythical "midtown elite."  But I go to a lot of public meetings (city council, BOA, TMAPC, etc, etc) and I have to tell you that it's probably safe to say that "those people" are just more actively engaged in Tulsa's civic life.  

I don't know why people from south Tulsa aren't more engaged in the civic process.  Tulsa is such a small town that all you have to do is care enough to show up and speak out...and voila!  You have a voice!

Maybe people who have never been downtown (and are irrationally scared of it) aren't willing to go there to participate in city government....?

Instead of shouting from the sidelines that the process is corrupt, here's a suggestion:  Get involved.  Bring your friends and neighbors.  Show up in force.  Play a role in the solution.  Don't just complain that there's a problem.  

One of the first tasks the citizens committee (partners and advisors) has been given is to brainstorm ways of getting thousands of people from all walks of life and every part of Tulsa to participate in the PLANiTULSA workshops.  

You can help with that, too. Get involved!  Spread the word.  Show up.  Engage!

(By the way, I was asked to be an advisor to the project.  I'm certainly not part of some "monied elite."  I was asked b/c  I show up to public meetings.  I speak out.  Through TulsaNow, I work to get people involved in the civic process.  I'm passionate about helping Tulsa.  And I guess someone took notice.)

[inteller]

Oh believe me I'm involved.  And when I sit in various public meetings it is obvious that if you don't state a midtown address you get treated in a different manner.  It isn't overt, but it is true.

the time to get out and participate is over.  this is just a dog and pony show at this point.  The blue ribbon panel has been chosen, and Krazy Kathy will get the result she wants.

How a tilted midtown panel can make intelligent development decisions about the south and east regions of tulsa is beyond me....the composition of this panel should have had a forced geographic distribution.

and I don't know what huge metropolis you come from but there is nothing small about the geographic expanse of Tulsa.  downtown is geographically offset from the true center of the city and I suggest this farce of a planning session make strides to come to the true centers of town and development.

[booWorld]

I think the map was posted on BatesLine.

It's okay to be wary, but I agree with PonderInc.  Anyone who does not even try to attend planning meetings but instead chooses to cry foul from the sidelines is marginalizing himself or herself.

For anyone not satisfied with the planning process in Tulsa:  Talk to your neighbors about the things you'd like to see changed.  Attend public meetings, and take your own recording devices.

For those who love miles of streets, acorn lights, and faux brick unit pavers:  Stay home.

[booWorld]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

...the time to get out and participate is over.  this is just a dog and pony show at this point...

Please remain involved.  I've attended plenty of meetings myself, and I agree that they can be very, very, VERY frustrating.

But I'm not ready to give up...

Get a bunch of your neighbors to attend and show sheer numbers, if nothing else.  Changing Tulsa's planning system will takes lots of effort and time, but it can be done.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by booWorld

quote:Originally posted by inteller

...the time to get out and participate is over.  this is just a dog and pony show at this point...

Please remain involved.  I've attended plenty of meetings myself, and I agree that they can be very, very, VERY frustrating.

But I'm not ready to give up...

Get a bunch of your neighbors to attend and show sheer numbers, if nothing else.  Changing Tulsa's planning system will takes lots of effort and time, but it can be done.

oh it'll be DONE all right.[}:)]

[Double A]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

impossible at this point.  The mayor has already hand picked the "advisors"...mostly the connected midtown elite.

don't beleive me?  

PROOF:





this whole process is officially a big joke....some of the people are even outside the city limits while vast portions of east and south tulsa go unrepresented. WHAT THE ****!!!!


why don't they just come clean and call this PLANMIDTOWNDOWNTOWNiTulsa.

Don't forget that there are people serving who don't even live in Tulsa.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Double A

quote:Originally posted by inteller

impossible at this point.  The mayor has already hand picked the "advisors"...mostly the connected midtown elite.

don't beleive me?  

PROOF:





this whole process is officially a big joke....some of the people are even outside the city limits while vast portions of east and south tulsa go unrepresented. WHAT THE ****!!!!


why don't they just come clean and call this PLANMIDTOWNDOWNTOWNiTulsa.

Don't forget that there are people serving who don't even live in Tulsa.

yes, somehow that was omitted in one of my comments.  that is even a bigger crock....couldnt get someone from east or south Tulsa, but we found someone from sand springs!

[RecycleMichael]

Now that I live in East Tulsa...

I have to say that the people in my neighborhood are mostly not the type who want to get involved in a long range city planning process.

There are some, of course, but an amazingly large percentage of the members of my precinct and my neighborhood association (I am an officer in each) really don't want anything to do with government. They are pleasant about it, but somehow think everybody who works for the city is some kind of revenuewer looking for their backyard still. It reminds me of Idaho. I once tried to buy a lottery ticket in Idaho, and the convenience store manager said, "I don't do any business with the government I don't have to."

I think there are some advantages to living east. My wife and I get appointed to stuff more than we should, the kids in the neighborhood who apply to magnet schools always get in, and we already have wide roads before we even need them.

I don't think that map is necessarily unprecedented. Every Mayor has the challenge that all the mid-towners are involved and the rest of the city is not. I remember the same things being said about Crawford, Randle, Savage and LaFortune appointees. I was impressed that 20% of the people were north of I-244 and 20% were south of 71st street.

I look at the list of names and I am impressed that it represents Tulsa in many ways other than geographic things like residence. There are many perpetual cheerleaders and complainers, young and old, and republican and democrat.

[PonderInc]

For those who want to get involved...

1. Show up at the TulsaNow/PLANiTULSA event on 7/15.  

2. Also, if you go to the http://www.planitulsa.org website, there's a newsletter signup so you'll receive notices about public meetings/workshops.

3. Here's a note that on the PLANiTULSA website that caught my eye:
If you have any questions or would like to get more involved in PLANiTULSA, please contact planning@cityoftulsa.org

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

Now that I live in East Tulsa...

I have to say that the people in my neighborhood are mostly not the type who want to get involved in a long range city planning process.

There are some, of course, but an amazingly large percentage of the members of my precinct and my neighborhood association (I am an officer in each) really don't want anything to do with government. They are pleasant about it, but somehow think everybody who works for the city is some kind of revenuewer looking for their backyard still. It reminds me of Idaho. I once tried to buy a lottery ticket in Idaho, and the convenience store manager said, "I don't do any business with the government I don't have to."

I think there are some advantages to living east. My wife and I get appointed to stuff more than we should, the kids in the neighborhood who apply to magnet schools always get in, and we already have wide roads before we even need them.

I don't think that map is necessarily unprecedented. Every Mayor has the challenge that all the mid-towners are involved and the rest of the city is not. I remember the same things being said about Crawford, Randle, Savage and LaFortune appointees. I was impressed that 20% of the people were north of I-244 and 20% were south of 71st street.

I look at the list of names and I am impressed that it represents Tulsa in many ways other than geographic things like residence. There are many perpetual cheerleaders and complainers, young and old, and republican and democrat.

wow, not only are you an expert at recycling ****, you manage to somehow recycle your excuses as well.

what has da mare done for you that you have to be a blind toadie for her?

[RecycleMichael]

The mayor has been very nice to me. So was the last Mayor and the one before him. I have worked for 40 mayors in 12 towns in my career. I have liked almost all of them.

Let me ask you a question...

Why do you have such a miserable attitude?

[MichaelBates]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

Now that I live in East Tulsa...

I have to say that the people in my neighborhood are mostly not the type who want to get involved in a long range city planning process.

Don't you live in Al Nichols's neighborhood? There's someone from east Tulsa who is actively involved in planning issues.

Jim Mautino and Jennifer Weaver are another couple of east Tulsa neighborhood activists who would have made a valuable contribution to the process. Likewise there a number of neighborhood leaders in Layman Van Acres who were overlooked. And there's this former councilor who has been head of the Sequoyah Neighborhood Association for many years -- fellow named Turner.

I don't see any names on the list associated with the South Tulsa Citizens Coalition.

There are many, many people in this city who are vocally and visibly engaged with local government. But they are overlooked when board appointments are made because they don't travel in the right social circles. If they are considered at all for an appointment, they're swiftly dismissed as troublemakers.

It concerns me that anyone could look at that map -- or similar maps of city board and commission appointments -- and not see a problem that needs to be solved. Our midtown mayors have a blind spot. They could turn to the City Council to help them look beyond the same old social set.

There are engaged, intelligent citizens out there ready to help. The problem, I suppose, is they might stir things up more than some people would like.

quote:
I think there are some advantages to living east. My wife and I get appointed to stuff more than we should, the kids in the neighborhood who apply to magnet schools always get in, and we already have wide roads before we even need them.

That's a great deal for whoever appoints you to something. They get credit for putting an east Tulsan on the committee, without having to infect their committee with that nasty *shudder* east Tulsa attitude.

[TURobY]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

wow, not only are you an expert at recycling ****, you manage to somehow recycle your excuses as well.

what has da mare done for you that you have to be a blind toadie for her?

Actually, I know quite a few East Tulsans who like Mayor Taylor much more than they liked LaFortune.