(PROJECT) A Gathering Place For Tulsa

[swake]

What are you sorry for? I supported the dams in the previous elections. So, I am not biased. I am seeing them from a different perspective than you guys, though thats for sure. I offered in the past to conduct a trip from the Keystone Dam down to Zink Lake on my canoes and kayaks so that people on here could see what they are doing and pick my brain. No takers. I offered a ride on a double decker English bus that would or could have enlightened some folks around here. Once again no takers. Its feeling a bit personal and yet I am on record with my background while others I feel are not so forthcoming.

How many of you have fished, swam, boated, researched, promoted, invested in or otherwise utilized the river? Who has had direct experience with the new caretaker of the Gathering Place, RPA? Other than myself, I know of two, Conan and V2025. I will ask them, have my views changed? Am I anti-river development? Haven't I been open to discussion and flexible in my views on the river?

We could have such a vibrant river, canoing, kayaking, interactive science, zip lines, swimming, .....fun stuff. But folks are so thankful that a foundation has fulfilled its mission by donating funds to improve its local community that they feel any criticism is tantamount to crazy. I suggest you step back and look at what was presented to you and by who. Who stands to benefit most and why no economic numbers have been forthcoming. Then, most importantly, ask how it was presented to you. It wasn't, "What could we do with money from V2025," but "here's what we're doing with V2025 money, what kind of imput do you have?". Any salesman will tell you, you've just been had.

Your bitterness against RPA is well known. And I certainly don't recall you being in favor of the last river vote. I recall you greatly arguing in favor in keep the river in its current (yet unnatural) state. You repeatedly professed your love of the "braided prairie  river" if I recall correctly.

And while RPA will be the owner of the park, they will not run it. The foundation that runs Guthrie Green will run it.

The complicated legal transaction approved Thursday leaves River Parks as the owner of 58.37 acres of new park land on which Phase 1 of A Gathering Place will be constructed. The GKFF Parks Conservancy LLC will be responsible for the programming, operation and maintenance of the park.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/newshomepage3/kaiser-foundation-donates-a-gathering-place-to-river-parks-authority/article_6091fc55-f5ed-52e2-b381-bed1abd8d474.html

[AquaMan]

Not true. Contact Kirby Crowe and review posts. I supported the last program after having pie with him, reviewing his renderings and discussing issues. Yes, I do love braided rivers.

Also do yourself some research. The foundation may control the park, but not the river and the paths. Never will. RPA owns nothing. It is public land under the auspices of the county, the city and surrounding cities.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Your bitterness against RPA is well known. And I certainly don't recall you being in favor of the last river vote. I recall you greatly arguing in favor in keep the river in its current (yet unnatural) state. You repeatedly professed your love of the "braided prairie  river" if I recall correctly.

And while RPA will be the owner of the park, they will not run it. The foundation that runs Guthrie Green will run it.

Are you saying that since it isn't in its "natural state" we should just go ahead with any ole nonsense idea that comes along? 

This Gathering looks like it could be good.  With or without water in the sand pit.  If it won't succeed without water, then another dam won't make it work in and of itself.

[swake]

Not true. Contact Kirby Crowe and review posts. I supported the last program after having pie with him, reviewing his renderings and discussing issues. Yes, I do love braided rivers.

Also do yourself some research. The foundation may control the park, but not the river and the paths. Never will. RPA owns nothing. It is public land under the auspices of the county, the city and surrounding cities.

So you got bought off for a piece of pie.

Go reread my post and see if RPA owns anything, maybe the World got it wrong, maybe not.

[AquaMan]

So you got bought off for a piece of pie.

Go reread my post and see if RPA owns anything, maybe the World got it wrong, maybe not.

Bought off? You are an arrogant prick. You don't read my posts for comprehension and you and Grizz cherry pick from them while ignoring the points you can't answer. Why would I pay any attention to either of you? Oh, yeah. I won't. 

[sgrizzle]

[Ed W]

Wow. Usually they tell kids they'll go blind or at least have to wear glasses. But it actually turns your fist to water. Who knew?

[Conan71]

Bought off? You are an arrogant prick. You don't read my posts for comprehension and you and Grizz cherry pick from them while ignoring the points you can't answer. Why would I pay any attention to either of you? Oh, yeah. I won't.  

He was one of the whiners after the tax grab failed I keep referring to.  Kaiser's money was gone forever because of our short-sightedness.

Fast-forward seven years and looks like before it's all said and done Kaiser will put at least $400mm into river projects.  More than twice what he committed to the package back then.

Guys like you and I weren't bought off.  We were ignored.  No one wanted the input of anyone with intimate knowledge of practical uses of the river as i recall.  Do you concur?

[sauerkraut]

Some of those pictures look like  everything is going to be crowded in, too much going on. Why not let there be more open space without all those bridges and walkways all over the place. For me the only thing I use the Riverparks for is the jogging trails, I'm no fan of all sorts of frills, bells and whistles- But that's just me. Just give me a good trail to jog on and I'm happy.

[swake]

Bought off? You are an arrogant prick. You don't read my posts for comprehension and you and Grizz cherry pick from them while ignoring the points you can't answer. Why would I pay any attention to either of you? Oh, yeah. I won't. 

Calm down Susan, it was a joke.

[swake]

He was one of the whiners after the tax grab failed I keep referring to.  Kaiser's money was gone forever because of our short-sightedness.

Fast-forward seven years and looks like before it's all said and done Kaiser will put at least $400mm into river projects.  More than twice what he committed to the package back then.

Guys like you and I weren't bought off.  We were ignored.  No one wanted the input of anyone with intimate knowledge of practical uses of the river as i recall.  Do you concur?

There's still no water in the river and we are about to vote again.

That said, in hindsight I'm glad it failed. I was always unsure of the retail thing on the west side, I worried it might sap the momentum from downtown and with the Great Recession it might have done that and also left us with an empty, expensive eyesore.

[Townsend]

Area Leaders Tour Low Water Dam Sites and the Levees

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/area-leaders-tour-low-water-dam-sites-and-levees

The river task force takes a bus tour of the sites for proposed low-water dams and the levee system along the Arkansas. Tulsa City Councilor Jeannie Cue's district includes much of the east and west river bank area. County and city leaders went along on the tour, and Cue says that's important because all jurisdictions involved have to be on the same page.

A tax is being considered that would impact citizens in communities affected by projects that would help keep water in the river.

[Arkansas Rio Gator]

"Federal grant OK'd for Riverside Drive improvements"

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/federal-grant-ok-d-for-riverside-drive-improvements/article_f0fde191-e253-5ec5-b528-f7a64075e04f.html

[Townsend]

"Federal grant OK'd for Riverside Drive improvements"

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/government/federal-grant-ok-d-for-riverside-drive-improvements/article_f0fde191-e253-5ec5-b528-f7a64075e04f.html

So the land bridge went away or just not covered by the grant?

[carltonplace]

So the land bridge went away or just not covered by the grant?

What I surmise from the story is that the TIGER grant covers the road repairs and top bicycle deck of the pedestrian bridge (to create one deck for wheels and one for feet).

The Land bridge will be funded by the foundation and the private donations and construction will start on the land bridge before the work on Riverside Drive begins sometime next spring (pending final approval of the grant review). Seems like the foundation hoped to get the land bridge funded in as part of the TIGER so they could spend money on "something else"...no idea what "something else" would have been.