Arkansas River Master Plan meetings THIS WEEK

[sgrizzle]

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11137873

Meetings Planned On Arkansas River Master Plan
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 9:02 PM Updated: Sep 16, 2009 6:17 AM
TULSA, OK -- You have a chance to weigh in on the master plan for the Arkansas River.

Tulsa County Commissioners will hold three meetings over the next couple of days to talk about the plan, including low water dam construction, ecosystem restoration and recreational uses.

This part of the master plan is being paid for by Vision 2025 funds and federal money.

The first meeting will be on Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 at the Jenks City Council Meeting Room.  Thursday, there will be a meeting at the Tulsa Central Library at 1:30 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. at the Case Community Center in Sand Springs.

[waterboy]

Not too convenient for midtowners who have a job. Wednesday at 1:30? Or I could drive to Jenks or Sand Springs at 5:30. No thanks.

[PonderInc]

I'm having deja vu all over again...

Didn't we do an Arkansas River Master Plan--complete with public meetings and input--a couple years ago?

[Townsend]

Not too convenient for midtowners who have a job. Wednesday at 1:30? Or I could drive to Jenks or Sand Springs at 5:30. No thanks.

Ditto, can't make any of them.

[SXSW]

I'm having deja vu all over again...

Didn't we do an Arkansas River Master Plan--complete with public meetings and input--a couple years ago?

I thought so too, what are they planning to do now? 

[YoungTulsan]

Was it the Master Plan you were thinking of, or just plans/proposals surrounding the River Tax and Channels?

[PonderInc]

Not the Channels.  I'm talking about the Arkansas River Vision Plan and Arkansas River Corridor Master Plan, etc, etc. ...approved in 2004 by the INCOG Board of Directors, TMAPC, Tulsa City Council, and the Tulsa County Commission as part of the comprehensive plan. 

http://www.incog.org/ark%20river/default.htm

[sgrizzle]

Obviously that's not a REAL plan since it would bar anyone building a park at 41st because a bridge is supposed to go there...

[Conan71]

I thought so too, what are they planning to do now? 

My mole at INCOG tells me it's got to do with Low water dams.  Tulsa World sez so too.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=16&articleid=20090913_16_A4_TulsaC609945

[waterboy]

I think its just an update as to what is happening with the low water dams. There is funding that has been approved in congress but not appropriated or some such bs. Some v2025 money is being spent for designs etc.

This is not a meeting for much imput from what I read. Just to keep people informed as to what is being done on something they voted down several times but is being done anyway.

[ARGUS]

Not a fan of damming the river. Yes I do use it. Yes I want to be able to put in at Keystone/Swift and go all the way to where ever I could. The river is alive as it is today.
IF IF these low water dams are built they absolutly must be able to be portaged around easily!
My.02

[Vision 2025]

Please make an effort and attend a meeiting.  There is a specific desire and need for public comment.

The meetings have specific goals which include:

Confirmation of what is included in the plan and budget and what is not, there has been much confusion in this area.
Identify for the public where we are in the process, again there has been much confusion here.
Present concepts for many of the options we have heard that areas are interested in having that must be studied for cumulative effects during the likely EIS process.
Begin to introduce the community to the EIS process with these presentations.

Sorry if the times and locations are inconvenient to some but this pretty much follows the methodology utilized in development of the master plan... some day, some evening, multiple locations... except that here all three meetings are the same.

Our intent is to have periodic meetings and presentation, if you miss these there will be more in the future and all of the presentation materials will be available via the web following shortly.

[waterboy]

Please make an effort and attend a meeiting.  There is a specific desire and need for public comment.

The meetings have specific goals which include:

Confirmation of what is included in the plan and budget and what is not, there has been much confusion in this area.
Identify for the public where we are in the process, again there has been much confusion here.
Present concepts for many of the options we have heard that areas are interested in having that must be studied for cumulative effects during the likely EIS process.
Begin to introduce the community to the EIS process with these presentations.

Sorry if the times and locations are inconvenient to some but this pretty much follows the methodology utilized in development of the master plan... some day, some evening, multiple locations... except that here all three meetings are the same.

Our intent is to have periodic meetings and presentation, if you miss these there will be more in the future and all of the presentation materials will be available via the web following shortly.

long sigh. If its so important, don't rest on past history of meeting schedules which simply don't work for people who work 9-5 and live in the middle of town. Didn't look like the turnout was real great. It is defensible to do so but the imput you will get is skewed. I like what I saw.

[waterboy]

Not a fan of damming the river. Yes I do use it. Yes I want to be able to put in at Keystone/Swift and go all the way to where ever I could. The river is alive as it is today.
IF IF these low water dams are built they absolutly must be able to be portaged around easily!
My.02

If? Its just a matter of funding now. Unless you know something I don't.

[sauerkraut]

Not a fan of damming the river. Yes I do use it. Yes I want to be able to put in at Keystone/Swift and go all the way to where ever I could. The river is alive as it is today.
IF IF these low water dams are built they absolutly must be able to be portaged around easily!
My.02

I think there was talk about building a lake or something in the Arkansas River (or something like that), or it was in one of the plans that got rejected. The new jogging trail is darn nice but all those extra frills like those new light posts that are going in south of the I-44 ramp are very expensive. Each light post must cost a few thousand dollars, the old ones were cheaper and gave off more light. I did a 4- mile run Sunday from the Playground south and noticed all the erosion going on and parts of the riverbank are just a few feet from the new jogging trail- instrad of spending all that money of frills they should first shore up the riverbank and stop the erosion.  I don't know what the RiverBanks Parks people plan to do about that, but something needs to be done.