Opening the Oklahoma River
Well, I thought that the OAR event last June was the opening. Anyway, tonight we'll have a cool holiday boat parade. Try to make it!
By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman
RAIN, snow or shine, organizers hope thousands will gather along the Oklahoma River this Saturday to celebrate the realization of a dream to make the waterway a source of pride again.
Stretching more than seven miles, the waterway has been considered the dividing line between north and south Oklahoma City since statehood.
Former Mayor Ron Norick, who led the campaign for MAPS, says the river has been among the most popular of the downtown area improvement projects.
"When we did the first poll for MAPS, before we set the ballot, there were two issues that had voter approval at the time, and that was the river and the library," Norick said. "All the other projects were in the negative."
Trees and parks once lined river
Even with that support, Norick suspects the public still doesn't grasp what's been done to the waterway. Back in the city's early days, the river was lined with trees and parks that included a Coney Island-style boardwalk, a baseball field, a zoo, a theater and an amusement park.
The waterway was reduced to a floodway in the 1950s after a series of storms caused the river to overflow, devastating nearby neighborhoods. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers straightened the river, removed most of the trees and lined the banks with rocks. All the attractions either moved or closed for good.
For the next 50 years, city leaders pitched one idea after another to fix the fix. Norick thinks the city has finally done just that.
"People have always had an interest in the river, even though they probably didn't know what we were talking about," Norick said. "I don't think I knew what we were talking about. It's just so big."
Combined funding from the MAPS penny sales tax and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided $52 million to build three dams and seven miles of trails and parking lots, plant thousands of trees and install an irrigation system to keep the landscaping alive.
The city is simultaneously opening a $684,000 skate park on the south shore along Robinson Avenue.
Norick hopes that between the skate park and the trails, the river will become a recreational hot spot rivaling Lake Hefner.
Public shows interest
Chad Huntington, manager of Water Taxi of Oklahoma, thinks public interest in the waterway is high, based on questions asked by those visiting the Bricktown Canal. Huntington's company is negotiating a contract with the city to provide ferry service on the river -- an operation he said will be much different than Bricktown's water taxis.
The taxis, he said, are enjoyed as excursion rides -- though he is seeing more passengers using the boats to get from Bass Pro Shops in lower Bricktown to restaurants in north Bricktown.
He expects the river boats could provide transportation between the Meridian Avenue hotel corridor, Bricktown, a planned American Indian Cultural Center, and a planned Dell sales and service center.
"This will set the foundation for water-based transportation in a very important corridor in Oklahoma City," Huntington said. "We're already seeing some amazing things happening there with the development of Dell and the American Indian Cultural Center.
"I think when those pieces of the puzzle come together, we may see economic development along the river eclipse what we're seeing in Bricktown."
For now, Norick is most concerned about ensuring the river enjoys the smooth opening that made the Bricktown Canal one of the city's most popular MAPS efforts.
Opening event sought
Norick, now chairman of the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, said some residents have been itching for a river grand opening for at least the past year. The last of the dams was finished more than a year ago, making the waterway look like an actual river for the first time in more than half a century.
The Oklahoma Association for Rowing has sponsored regattas and rowing classes for the past couple of years in a portion of the river south of Bricktown. With one of those regattas, the Mental Health Association pushed the riverfront authority to let it sponsor a RiverFest -- part of what the association hoped would be a grand opening.
Norick reluctantly agreed to approve the event -- but warned the parties that the event would not be a grand opening.
"If we allowed a grand opening, I was concerned people would think the whole river was open," Norick said. "The bridges weren't in, and it was still a construction site. But we didn't want to wait until next summer, either, because we already have events scheduled for then, as well."
So with the work being completed over the fall, trustees agreed to make this Saturday the official opening date. Norick admits the timing might seem odd, but he's hoping the opening will help kick off a new holiday tradition.
Inspired by his own experience in holiday boat parades at Grand Lake, Norick has asked boat dealers across the city to help sponsor a similar event on the Oklahoma River.
"For the first time, people are going to see a lot of activity on the river," Norick said. "This will be an organized event, with a lot of colors and lights, very festive, and will give people a very good first impression."
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