The "this has nothing to do with Tulsa" mega-post

[Townsend]

Tulsa should go a more fun route...

[DowntownDan]

Street's too narrow, not enough parking.

[Townsend]

Street's too narrow, not enough parking.

Well, the cannon firing from the roof of the home with a mast would bring on some haters too.

[sgrizzle]

Tulsa should go a more fun route...

Too many flying nannies.

[swake]

Too many flying nannies.

Is Tulsa a more Flying Nun kinda town?

[Laramie]

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

Going to Hall of Fame Stadium? Bring your sunscreen, water, patience

             
         The latest renovations at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium will change the fan experience at the Women's College World Series. Patience will be important as fans adjust to the changes, which most notably include a                  new two-story pressbox. [PHOTOS BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER/THE OKLAHOMAN]

               

               

         A new two-story pressbox has changed the face of USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. The first level, seen here, will hold print, digital and broadcast media while the second level will be occupied primarily by ESPN, which            broadcasts the Women's College World Series.


John Miller has a message for fans soon to return to USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

Be patient.

"It's not finished," he said with a laugh. "This isn't the finished product."

The man who oversees the home of the Women's College World Series wasn't just talking about ongoing construction, though there's plenty of that. Even with the Big 12 softball tournament this weekend, construction that began last summer isn't quite done. The main stadium won't even be used by the Big 12 because of that. The conference champ will be crowned on auxiliary fields.

But even when the construction wraps up and the stadium opens in a few weeks for the WCWS, the improvements still won't be finished. This is something of a gap year with the final phase of construction and the big payoff for fans still to come.

This year, patience will be as important as sunscreen and hydration.

Renovations at Hall of Fame Stadium have been ongoing for several years, but most changes were out of sight or reach of fans. The early improvements focused on behind-thescenes player-centric areas. Expanded meeting space. Improved dugouts. Airconditioned locker rooms.

The NCAA demanded such improvements if Oklahoma City wanted to keep the WCWS long term, but really, such things were desperately needed for an event as big as this.

But even as big changes were happening at Hall of Fame Stadium, much of what the fans experienced remained the same. The last major overhaul to the shell of stadium happened in 2002 when grassy hills down the baselines gave way to 3,000 new permanent seats. Since then, the stadium has been largely the same.

Same concourses. Same entrances. Same routes.

That has created routine.

This year, routine will be remade because even something as simple as entering the stadium will be different because the entire outside facade has changed.

"They used to know where to go in the past," Miller said of fans but adding he won't know exactly how to cue crowds for entrance until the current construction is done and the NCAA sets up its fan experience tents outside the stadium. "For the fan that's been here a long time, they're going to be really surprised."

Surprise will eventually turn to delight because the latest changes are cool. The old pressbox is gone, replaced by a two-story structure that will give fans an idea of what the last phase of construction will look like. You can see hints of where the upper deck is going to be, where the beams will hold thousands of new seats by this time next year.

"Just even remembering what it used to look like is getting harder and harder," said Codi Warren, who grew up in Oklahoma and is now oversees communications for USA Softball.

But that upper deck – the biggest and best part for fans -- is still just a plan. Until it is reality, fans will have to get used to life without the overhang that used to cover hundreds of seats behind home plate. Things will be different. Feel different, too.

It will take some adjustment.

But softball fans have done it before. Back in 2002, when WCWS attendance was exploding, Hall of Fame Stadium more than doubled its permanent seating, building out the stadium down both foul lines and going from 2,000 seats to 5,000. It was desperately needed.

In the process, though, the beloved burms were lost. Long-timers at the WCWS will remember the grassy hills that long provided seating for fans and play area for an untold number of kids.

"I rolled down probably every single piece of grass," Warren said.

People still miss the burms, myself included, but for Hall of Fame Stadium and Oklahoma City to keep the WCWS, the stadium needed change.

So it is now.

These current renovations, when completely done next year, will keep the WCWS in OKC through 2035. So, when you find yourself a little confused about where to go or a little miffed that things aren't exactly how you recall them, take a deep breath, summon your patience and remember the payoff.

More seats next year.

More softball for years to come.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@  oklahoman.com . Like her at facebook.com/  JenniCarlsonOK , follow her at twitter.com/  jennicarlson_ok or view her personality page at newsok.com/jennicarlson .

"They used to know where to go in the past. For the fan that's been here a long time, they're going to be really surprised."
John Miller

             

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Omni Convention Center Hotel to accommodate NBA players

Omni address will be 400 S Robinson Avenue.  AAA four-diamond rating are required with three to five restaurants and retail at the ground floor. The convention center hotel will be a game changer when compared to the current Cox Convention Center (Old Myriad) and surrounding hotels in the downtown core.  It will provide 605 rooms.

Excerpts from the Oklahoman by Steve Lackmeyer
Published: Thu, April 19, 2018 8:09 PM Updated: Thu, April 19, 2018 10:30 PM

First, recall this project has been in the works for the past year following negotiations between Omni and the city over public participation in the project, costs, scope requirements and discussions on how best to design a convention hotel that can best serve the new convention center, the future Scissortail Park and Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The deal approved last summer by the city council provides $85.4 million in public assistance toward construction of the $235 million hotel. The city is also preparing to build a garage to the east of the hotel that may come with a mix of workforce house as part of the development.

Oklahoma City's downtown Scissortail Park currently under construction

The rooms will be located on the fourth through the 17th floors. The plans indicate quite a few rooms (its difficult to figure out the count) on the 16th and 17th floors are being designed to accommodate NBA players.

The Omni, convention center and Scissortail Park are all set to be completed by 2020.

[Laramie]

     

Construction update pic May 11, 2019, Omni Convention Center Hotel


Pic via OKCTalk Forum with new convention center under construction in the background; join the discussion:  https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=35905&page=82

[Laramie]

Same Shells, New Digs: Galapagos Tortoise
Habitat Under Construction at OKC Zoo

The Oklahoma City Zoo's Galapagos tortoises are getting a new, modern habitat located just inside the Zoo's entrance! The approximately $700,000 expansion is under construction in the former Secret Garden area of the Children's Zoo and should be complete by late summer.

The new Galapagos tortoise habitat consists of one indoor and two outdoor spaces. The climate-controlled 900 sq. ft. indoor habitat consists of a nesting area, an indoor pool, natural substrate floors, a vestibule for animal caretakers with a sink and utility space. It also features an open-air viewing area for Zoo guests. The outdoor spaces total 8,000 sq. ft. to roam with natural boulders, a log wall and native landscaping. A walkway for Zoo guests will also be constructed.

Galapagos tortoises are some of the longest living animals in the world, and the Zoo's group of four are its oldest inhabitants. Unfortunately, spotty recordkeeping before they found their forever homes means it's not possible to determine their exact ages. Max, Ellie, Isabela (Isa for short) and Mrs. B range from 70 to 110 years old! Max has lived at the OKC Zoo since 1974, and he's coming up on his 75th birthday. Ellie has been with us since 1986, and she's believed to be in her late 70s. Isa and Mrs. B arrived in 2016 and are the most senior of the group. Isa is about 90 years old and Mrs. B is between 100 and 110. The Galapagos tortoises will benefit from the new addition's larger outdoor space and larger, modern indoor space.

Their current habitat at Island Life will be going away when construction begins on the Zoo's next major project bringing its African species together. Construction on that project is tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-2020.

Galapagos tortoises were on a rapid decline towards extinction, going from over 200,000 individuals in the 1600s all the way down to 3,000 in the 1970s. Due to rigorous conservation efforts, their population is on the rise! There are now about 20,000 Galapagos tortoises in the wild.

Source:  Oklahoma City Zoo website:  https://www.okczoo.org/blog/posts/same-shells-new-digs-galapagos-tortoise-habitat-under-construction-at-okc-zoo

[Laramie]

Pics of the OKC Zoo via OKCTalk

Join the discussion  https://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=40269&page=17&p=1076388#post1076388

Oklahoma City Zoo receives a permanent one-eighth-cent sales tax dedicated to funding capital improvement projects.
The permanent funding went into effect 29 years ago (1990).

OKC Zoo's 10 year plan:
.
A new veterinarian hospital. The building will include an area where the public can see veterinarians at work. The setup can be found at only a few zoos in the country, but it's popular with guests at those locations, Scott said. It should open in about three years or so.

A new restaurant and event center. The pachyderm building at the front of the zoo will be razed to make way for an African-style lodge. The giraffes will be moved into the old rhino yards, so visitors will have an up-close look at the animals.

A better herpetarium. The Canopy Restaurant will be vacant after the new restaurant is built, so it will be remodeled into a bright, modern herpetarium.

A better aquatic center. Aquaticus will be updated and expanded to make room for new and larger animals, possibly sharks and jellyfish.

[Conan71]

Nice stuff going on at the zoo!

[ELG4America]

Oklahoma City Zoo receives a permanent one-eighth-cent sales tax dedicated to funding capital improvement projects.
The permanent funding went into effect 29 years ago (1990).

OKC Zoo's 10 year plan:
.
A new veterinarian hospital. The building will include an area where the public can see veterinarians at work. The setup can be found at only a few zoos in the country, but it's popular with guests at those locations, Scott said. It should open in about three years or so.

A new restaurant and event center. The pachyderm building at the front of the zoo will be razed to make way for an African-style lodge. The giraffes will be moved into the old rhino yards, so visitors will have an up-close look at the animals.

A better herpetarium. The Canopy Restaurant will be vacant after the new restaurant is built, so it will be remodeled into a bright, modern herpetarium.

A better aquatic center. Aquaticus will be updated and expanded to make room for new and larger animals, possibly sharks and jellyfish.

Oklahoma City's Zoo used to be a parking lot with animals. Now look at it. Way to go OKC. This is the kind of investment that zoos need and deserve. Tulsa are we going to step up?

[BKDotCom]

Oklahoma City's Zoo used to be a parking lot with animals. Now look at it. Way to go OKC. This is the kind of investment that zoos need and deserve. Tulsa are we going to step up?

Here's projects the Tulsa Zoo has planned
https://buildingbeyond.org/projects/

[Laramie]

  Oklahoma City by drone:  https://youtu.be/0H5xffrYI_8


Oklahoma City urban/city adds an estimated 69,022  residents between 2010-18

         2010 - 579,999     2010 Census
         2011 - 590,824
         2012 - 601,030
         2013 - 611-999
         2014 - 621,583
         2015 - 632,193

         2016 - 640,144
         2017 - 643,337
         2018 - 649,021     2018 Census estimate

         American Factfinder - Results:  https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

Will Rogers Park Gardens & Arboretum

[Laramie]

Here's projects the Tulsa Zoo has planned
https://buildingbeyond.org/projects/

                   Nice projects planned for the Tulsa Zoo, especially the $21 million Lost Kingdom; can't wait to get up and visit your outstanding zoo.