(PROJECT) A Gathering Place For Tulsa

[patric]

Stava told me that the lights are not blue and are all on auto dimmers.

Ill see if I can sneak a peek.

My comparison model is the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, lighted entirely with shielded amber (not sodium).
Amber is generally referred to as "turtle friendly" but the wildlife scope is much broader, as they must light the park for human use with minumal impact on nature.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I don't ignore the past, but how necessary is it really to keep dredging up things like the Race Riot as if it just happened? To me that is the antithesis of healing and progressing.  I feel fortunate to have grown up in a post CRA era where attitudes were changing towards other races.  I believe that was important.  However, to keep picking at scabs like the race riot, Tate Brady, etc. seems really counter-productive.  As you said we are projecting it.  I already know how bad and ignorant racial attitudes were 100 years ago, I don't need a daily refresher course to feel whole.

I agree - it is old history.  And it sadly, is one of the things we are "known for".  

About the CRA thing - yeah, you grew up after the act but that really only changed the law, not hearts and minds.  We see this every day as recently as Charlottesville, and pretty much every day, in tweets from our 'Federal Housing Lawbreaker in Chief'.  I believe we have a smaller "core" of those radical people than years ago, but that also means the bile becomes more concentrated and intense in that smaller group.  People that may not have had the full dose of fanaticism have mellowed more and drifted away from the worst aspects.  Still see plenty of Confederate flags around (even though we were neither Confed or Union).  And the people who fly that flag still deny reality and try to pass it off as "history" with no basis in slavery.  Showing they cannot even read English....and are too morally bankrupt and intellectually deficient to even try to learn the truth.


I have seen improvements over the years, with some very strange ebb and flow to the overall situation.  NPR was talking about human 'progress' yesterday, and yeah, we are experiencing progress across most fronts.  But for Oklahoma - when we have a legislature that keep on doing the stupid stuff they do, like passing laws over and over they know are illegal, damaging education, massive incarceration rates for trivial offenses.  Well, the map that gets posted from time to time about 0 days without a National Embarrassment is absolutely spot on.  Doesn't even take into account the racism and bigotry exhibited and reported on a national scale of legislators/Governors like Sally Kern and Frank Keating.   Really, Frank - we oughta just kill teachers.??  These things stick in minds outside of the state and build the view that people have.  How many years of nothing but sugar and spice and everything nice and unicorns do we have to project to get the backwards, hicks from the sticks images out of people's minds??


As an indicated of just how far we HAVE come - I worked with a guy for quite a while who was extremely 'pro-white'.  He told me one time about a decade ago that he had mellowed a lot over the years.  He literally said, "Well, I could deal with it if one of the grandkids wanted to date or even marry a Black guy.  But they better not ever bring home a "Jew"...!!"  

In reality, he would also have blown a gasket for any non-white person one had brought home...And yet, he claimed to be a devout Christian.  What he really practiced was christianism.  Not Christianity.

[rebound]

I'm really looking forward to it opening.   I hear there is a going to be a preview for the local neighborhood later this month.  If I go, I'll take some pictures and post.

The neighborhood sneak peek is set for Sept 4th, at 5:00.  It looks like there is going to some form of ticketing, but they have not presented that info yet. 

   

[Stone]

The neighborhood sneak peek is set for Sept 4th, at 5:00.  It looks like there is going to some form of ticketing, but they have not presented that info yet. 

   

Do you know what neighborhood/s are included?

[rebound]

Do you know what neighborhood/s are included?

Do not.   I heard about it first on the NextDoor site, where it was mentioned that the Travis Park FB group had posted it.  I also saw it yesterday on the Maple Ridge FB page.  Don't know what other neighborhoods are involved.

[rebound]

Maple Ridge just made the link to the actual sneak peek tickets available.  This link should let you get to the actual ticket site. Not sure how or if they are screening addresses. 


https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gathering-place-neighbors-thank-you-park-sneak-peek-registration-49259398186?aff=efbeventtix

[Conan71]

Maple Ridge just made the link to the actual sneak peek tickets available.  This link should let you get to the actual ticket site. Not sure how or if they are screening addresses. 


https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gathering-place-neighbors-thank-you-park-sneak-peek-registration-49259398186?aff=efbeventtix

I might see if they will take my registration with our NM address just for fun.

[patric]

Stava told me that the lights are not blue and are all on auto dimmers.

They appear to be warm white, maybe even 2700K, but definitely what I'd like to see on Tulsa streets instead of the cold blue that is a few yards away on Riverside Drive.  Im waiting for a closer look but from my vantage i'd give it a thumbs up.

[Jeff P]

So we have the Williams employee sneak peek coming up Wednesday evening.  Of course it's the one day this week where some rain is forecast, so we'll see if I actually get the sneak peek...

[patric]

Stava told me that the lights are not blue and are all on auto dimmers.

Of course being an aquatic environment, amber lighting would have been preferred by biologists.

[RecycleMichael]

This from a friend's Facebook page...

"The lighting is thoughtfully done in a beautiful way. LED lights are sustainable and the lights on poles are pointed down and domed so there is as little light pollution as possible. This park is the former home of the secret dens of our neighborhood foxes and the nests of neighborhood owls. Once the construction is past, I bet the wonderful critters of Mapleridge will return to the wilder areas of the park and I am grateful that they will not be inhibited by bright lights. Also, when it is time for humans to leave, the lights will be dimmed in stages as our signal to leave the park to the night creatures."

[patric]

This from a friend's Facebook page...

"The lighting is thoughtfully done in a beautiful way. LED lights are sustainable and the lights on poles are pointed down and domed so there is as little light pollution as possible. This park is the former home of the secret dens of our neighborhood foxes and the nests of neighborhood owls. Once the construction is past, I bet the wonderful critters of Mapleridge will return to the wilder areas of the park and I am grateful that they will not be inhibited by bright lights. Also, when it is time for humans to leave, the lights will be dimmed in stages as our signal to leave the park to the night creatures."

Thanks for posting that.  Dimmable streetlights seem a long way off for us, maybe this will inspire more people.

[SXSW]

I haven't been to the park but a few things have stood out to me from the pictures I've seen:
1. The light poles everywhere are really distracting, maybe these will not be as noticeable once the trees mature?
2. I haven't seen any pics from the actual riverfront, is that part still unfinished?  Everything I've seen is from the interior pond and playground areas.  I'm really interested in how they rebuilt the jogging/bike path.
3. Curious how this ties into the MV trail that will eventually go across the river when they build the new pedestrian bridge.  That is an important link for connecting this park to other areas. 
4. Will the cafe be operational after the grand opening?  Looking forward to having lunch there, or getting a drink after a bike ride.

[Red Arrow]

It looks nice from 1000 ft up.

[BuiltRight]

I haven't been to the park but a few things have stood out to me from the pictures I've seen:
1. The light poles everywhere are really distracting, maybe these will not be as noticeable once the trees mature?
2. I haven't seen any pics from the actual riverfront, is that part still unfinished?  Everything I've seen is from the interior pond and playground areas.  I'm really interested in how they rebuilt the jogging/bike path.
3. Curious how this ties into the MV trail that will eventually go across the river when they build the new pedestrian bridge.  That is an important link for connecting this park to other areas. 
4. Will the cafe be operational after the grand opening?  Looking forward to having lunch there, or getting a drink after a bike ride.

SXSW I got the chance to go to a preview day last weekend, 1) I agree that the light pole are a little distracting in the "new growth" areas where there are less mature trees, but in the play ground area where they were able to save the existing mature trees, you don't even notice them. I'm guess is that when they new areas mature they will not be noticeable.

2&3) They currently have the River parks trail fenced (I assumed that they had reopened it) and that is why you haven't seen any pics from that side. When you are at the park preview you cant get over there.

4) The restaurant in the boat house (which looks amazing) is still under construction and I don't see it getting finished by the opening. there is a more buffet/cafeteria style cafe in the first floor of the lodge that looks much closer to being completed. Both were closed on the preview day and were being worked on. At the preview day that I was at they had a large number of food trucks available for food and beverage, so I would assume if nothing else they would have that for opening weekend.