^ OhEmGe!

That's an exciting sight!

^^^
What he said!

Downey to build upper park

Work already underway

By: Brian Brus The Journal Record May 30, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY – A $57.64 million construction contract for the downtown MAPS 3 park was awarded to Oklahoma City-based Downey Construction Co. Tuesday.

The project deals only with the portion of the 70-acre park that lies north of Interstate 40, generally referred to as the upper park, bound by the new Oklahoma City Boulevard, S. Hudson Avenue and S. Robinson Avenue. It is still on schedule for completion in the spring of 2019, said MAPS project manager David Todd, with the southern portion due to be open in 2021. Work orders were signed to begin construction Tuesday.

City Manager Jim Couch said the MAPS 3 amount budgeted for park construction takes into consideration a slow economy.

The revised budget for the upper park totals $95.37 million, of which $36.84 million is already obligated under the MAPS 3 sales tax program. The construction contract allows for several additional expenses, including moving old utility lines, environmental remediation, and architectural and engineering overruns. Other work has been incorporated in the larger project to save money in the long run, Todd said, such as money being provided by the city’s Water Utilities Trust for moving water lines.

The park operator requested about $4 million in additional amenities such as pavilions to allow for more revenue opportunities. Gavin McMillan of the Hargreaves Associates architecture firm said his company worked closely with the Myriad Botanical Gardens to design features complementary to the great lawn, cafe, renovated Union Station, water features, playgrounds and gardens.

Downey also built the whitewater rafting facility at the Oklahoma River near Bricktown.

Spring 2019 will be here before we know it.

http://newsok.com/help-name-oklahoma-citys-new-downtown-park/article/5551162

http://newsok.com/six-names-for-park-reflect-okcs-present-future/article/5551163

Don't dislike any but I love Union Commons..

I agree. All six are pretty decent options.

I'm not fan of Renaissance Green or Painted Sky Park. I wouldn't mind Painted Sky Park to be a name for a park elsewhere in the city but not this one.

That said, I like Union Station Commons the best and will be voting for that one. Would be interested to see a poll on OKCTalk for it.

Very strange to me that the City is using the Newsok site to conduct this poll (you can't vote without visiting their website) when they have the capability to do so on their own, which is how they solicited the names in the first place.

It's a huge conflict of interest -- basically being gifted a ton of web traffic which drives advertising dollars -- for a newspaper that is supposed to be covering the City with objectivity.

Press release from the City:


Vote online to name the MAPS 3 Park
Post Date:06/01/2017 5:46 AM
More than 5,000 MAPS 3 Park name ideas have been narrowed to six, and you can help pick the winner with an online vote.

Vote at NewsOK.com/Name-The-Park through June 14 to select one of the six finalists:

Skydance Green
Union Station Commons
Painted Sky Park
Renaissance Green
Prairie River Park
Scissortail Park

The winning name will be unveiled at the park’s groundbreaking, scheduled for June 29.

“The MAPS 3 Park will be a gathering place for generations in Oklahoma City, and it needs a timeless name that’s meaningful to our community,” said Mayor Mick Cornett. “We’ve got six fantastic choices, and we trust our residents to settle on the name that reflects their vision for the park.”

Mayor Cornett and the City Council invited residents this spring to submit their ideas to name the park. The City collected names online, receiving more than 5,000 submissions through the April 7 deadline. The only restriction was that the park won’t be named after a person.

A committee considered the public submissions and selected the six finalists. The committee members were:

Jim Tolbert, Myriad Botanical Gardens Foundation Executive Board of Directors chairman emeritus
Blair Humphreys, The Humphreys Company urban designer and developer
Claudia San Pedro, Sonic Corp. chief financial officer
Kimberly Lowe, MAPS 3 Park subcommittee chairwoman
Kari Watkins, MAPS 3 Park subcommittee member
David Greenwell, Ward 5 Councilman
Meg Salyer, Ward 6 Councilwoman
Isiah Caldwell, Ward 4 Youth Council member
Christian Coleman, Ward 7 Youth Council member
About the MAPS 3 Park

The MAPS 3 Park will connect the core of downtown OKC to SW 15th Street on the north shore of the Oklahoma River. The 40-acre upper park will extend from the future Oklahoma City Boulevard south to Interstate 40, where the Skydance Bridge will connect it to the 30-acre lower section.

Designs call for everything from a café and sports facilities to a tranquil lake and nature walks. It will be served by the MAPS 3 OKC Streetcar and sit west of the MAPS 3 Convention Center.

The official groundbreaking for the upper park is scheduled for June 29, with scheduled completion in spring 2019. The lower park is scheduled to be finished in 2021.

Yeah, running the poll on Newsok is so very strange.

Very strange to me that the City is using the Newsok site to conduct this poll (you can't vote without visiting their website) when they have the capability to do so on their own, which is how they solicited the names in the first place.

It's a huge conflict of interest -- basically being gifted a ton of web traffic which drives advertising dollars -- for a newspaper that is supposed to be covering the City with objectivity.

Yeah, seriously. What gives?

I'm a little disappointed none of the Native American names that were entered made the cut. I think it could've been much more unique and special that way. I also like "Union Commons" more than "Union Station Commons".

Yeah, seriously. What gives?

I'm a little disappointed none of the Native American names that were entered made the cut. I think it could've been much more unique and special that way. I also like "Union Commons" more than "Union Station Commons".


I'm not crazy about any of the names, although I'd say that Skydance has at least a loose connection to Native American culture.

Doing native names for no reason other than have a native name, with no actual connection or participation of native tribes, just invites controversy about appropriation.

Can't wait for this park to be finished and for this area in general to start being built up. If development starts pushing south from Sheridan to the River and filling in west of this park. Not to mention seeing this entire park area going from a swath of barren parking lots into an actual use will be incredible.

Things are likely to change down there pretty quickly.

Of course, the convention center will occupy the entire east side of the park and the new boulevard will border on the north, although the REHCO property between this park and the Myriad Gardens is not likely to change any time soon.

The real wildcard is the western side, where lots of developers / speculators have purchased and the city owns some key properties it will no doubt put out of RFP.

... for a newspaper that is supposed to be covering the City with objectivity.

You're kidding, right? :evilsmile

BTW, News 9 is running it's own polll where the results are shown after voting, and Scissortail is getting more than half the total votes.

I suspect that is going to be the run away winner.

Very strange to me that the City is using the Newsok site to conduct this poll (you can't vote without visiting their website) when they have the capability to do so on their own, which is how they solicited the names in the first place.

It's a huge conflict of interest -- basically being gifted a ton of web traffic which drives advertising dollars -- for a newspaper that is supposed to be covering the City with objectivity.

They used the Newsok poll to name our NBA franchise (Thunder beat out Barons).


Prairie River Park

Scissortail numbs my tongue IMO...

Don't like Green or Commons, wish the option had been Skydance Park. Prefer Park vs Green or Commons.

I strongly feel (and tweeted to this effect) that they gave us a bunch of crap choices and one okay one to funnel our choice to their choice...

I strongly feel (and tweeted to this effect) that they gave us a bunch of crap choices and one okay one to funnel our choice to their choice...

Why 'Union Station Commons' rather than "Union Commons' or 'Union Park'?

Why name a park about a station that isn't even a part of it?

Union could have lots of meanings, which was part of the beauty of it... It wasn't necessarily just about the station.


The Scissortail thing is going to win by a landslide, pretty much by default.

That's why I feel like it's rigged. Did thousands of people really submit "Union Station Commons" instead of "Union Commons"? Seems unlikely.... or at least show me the data.

That's why I feel like it's rigged. Did thousands of people really submit "Union Station Commons" instead of "Union Commons"? Seems unlikely.... or at least show me the data.

Well, I don't know if "rigged" is the right word. They never claimed it was a direct "most submissions win" type thing. It was more "provide us ideas and we'll see what we like" type thing. Otherwise "Parky McParkface" would be on that list.

A group of humans got the raw results and those humans deliberated and provided a filtered list to newsok for the voting... perhaps not outright rigging, but their favorite seems clear...

The arbitrary coupling of the park/green/commons descriptor with the main name also has a big influence.

Seems to me you first decide on whether it's Scissortail or Union or Skydance and then deal with last part of the name separately.

Would Scissortail be as popular if it was paired with 'Green' vs. Park, for example? Of course not.


Intentional or not, the way this was handled pretty much guarantees the outcome.

Scissortail Park seems cartoonish and infantile. Unfortunate.

My favorite was Skydance Park, but then I saw they listed it as Skydance Green and I thought "WTF?" So dumb.

Lame. Union Commons is perfect, but Union Station Commons sucks.

It should also be Union Station Common (no 's').

Do we want to try and make a concerted effort to concentrate votes on a couple names that don't include "Scissortail" or "Union Station?" Of course, this is pointed at those who do not like those names. If you do, vote for what you want and please do not detract.

I like Renaissance Green and Skydance Green the best.

I'm a fan of Painted Sky Park myself. Renaissance green is ok too but would be better without the 'green'

If I could select the name it would be Union Commons. Simple but meaningful. It identifies the uniqueness of union station and connects everyone with commons. If Union 'Station' Commons has to be added - I could live with it but much prefer just Union Commons.

Oh well, can't wait for them to get the park constructed; then, we can enjoy the TAIL while we tell TALES in the Park.

Blah. These are pretty terrible. Union Station Commons sounds like a corporate sponsorship. I'll save my rant about how awful "Skydance Park" is. No issue with that name on a pedestrian bridge, but the keystone park in the center of your downtown should probably be called something less hokey. I like that Painted Sky Park actually references a distinguishing characteristic about Oklahoma City. The sunsets we get here really are superior to most cities, and you'll get a great view of them underneath the skyline. Still feels hokey to me, and a little like an attempt to reference native history, which I agree is a bad idea.

Rennaissance Green refers to some of OKC's recent history, and has a classic feel to it, so that got my vote. I probably would have chosen Union Commons if it were an option.

Union Commons or Painted Sky Park.

whatever Ogle does the 2cent thing on the news was ripping on the names and how many of them were not even submitted as suggestions by the public and wondering why these were the ones in the running. particularly Prairie river park.. since there is no such river by the name. Just thought it was funny because I kind of feel the same way about how they plugged "Green" and "Common" on the tail of many of these as sort of an afterthought that doesn't flow well.

Could be worse. At least OKC Park isn't on there.

Could be worse. At least OKC Park isn't on there.

TRUTH


but even if "OKC Park" had been voted on, the humans involved would have put forth "Oklahoma City Boulevard Greens" or some such thing, and us citizens, based on that name, would simply start calling it "The Median".

whatever Ogle does the 2cent thing on the news was ripping on the names and how many of them were not even submitted as suggestions by the public and wondering why these were the ones in the running. particularly Prairie river park.. since there is no such river by the name.

Nor will the park look like a prairie, or have a river within it. Seriously, these are so bad.

Won't it also be like all the other grass in Oklahoma and be golden brown during the summer and winter months anyway? Makes the whole "Greens" thing seem a bit sillier.

The lost ogle's post on this is quite humorous

Yeah I hate how they went with Green or Commons instead of Park. Why can't it ever just be simple. Union Park was fine like had been so commonly suggested.

I'm just going to call it what it is, Downtown Park. It tells you what it is and where it is right in the name. While it's dumb, it's still better than most of what they came up with.

I won't lie, I voted for Skydance Green.

I've never agreed with Kelly Ogle on his little 2 Cents segments. Landrun Park is a nod to the past. This park is about the future of the OKC Metro!

And how does the word "Skydance" relate to the future of the OKC metro?

I won't lie, I voted for Skydance Green.

I've never agreed with Kelly Ogle on his little 2 Cents segments. Landrun Park is a nod to the past. This park is about the future of the OKC Metro!

I forgot about that part of his segment. I wasn't paying close attention. but I agree. I was like why would you rip up the land run sculptures to relocate them. they are fine where they are.

And how does the word "Skydance" relate to the future of the OKC metro?

well it doesn't tie us to the past the way Land run would. it just ties in with the Skydance Bridge that is there already.

Very strange to me that the City is using the Newsok site to conduct this poll (you can't vote without visiting their website) when they have the capability to do so on their own, which is how they solicited the names in the first place.


It's a huge conflict of interest -- basically being gifted a ton of web traffic which drives advertising dollars -- for a newspaper that is supposed to be covering the City with objectivity.

OKC Central chat:


Steve Lackmeyer replied:
The city occasionally teams up with local media on various matters of interest to the community. A couple of the years ago the Oklahoma City Zoo arranged for an exclusive live web cam on an animal birth with a local television station. It was a great service. The Oklahoman's leadership arranged with the city to run the poll and promote it as a civic service.

Could be worse. At least OKC Park isn't on there.

Aggreee!

The Lost Ogle sums this up pretty well, including the inappropriateness of gifting the Oklahoman tons of free web traffic.

This is far from a 'civic service'"

https://www.thelostogle.com/2017/06/02/name-selection-process-for-maps-3-park-is-a-debacle/

The Lost Ogle sums this up pretty well, including the inappropriateness of gifting the Oklahoman tons of free web traffic.

This is far from a 'civic service'" being given by OPUBCO:

https://www.thelostogle.com/2017/06/02/name-selection-process-for-maps-3-park-is-a-debacle/


When I asked the city about this, I was told they wanted an "impartial 3rd party", which is bizarre because 1) the city should be more impartial than any commercial business; 2) the city handles all types of polling and tabulating of data all the time; and 3) as noted above, the person that the city gave the story, the very next day uses the same pulpit to offer all types of opinions about the names and process.; so much for impartiality.

^^ 100% agree. I'd send in an editorial if I thought there was a chance that newsok would publish it. Everything about placing the poll on a for profit site seems corrupt to me. I'm fine with them filtering and modifying the suggestions (even if I don't like their choices) but funneling traffic to the Oklahoman is blatantly crooked. If I thought any local media would stand up to them I'd contact them.

Forget the park. Let's just keep it like this (from this morning).
13892

Forget the park. Let's just keep it like this (from this morning).
13892

That is so cool. It reminds me of a city in China where I lived. The University where I was staying was outside of town a ways and there was a vast field in between my view and the massive towers of the city. So cool to go from nothing to everything (in terms of cityness anyway)

That picture is amazing. To me, it is a great representation of Oklahoma in one photograph.

That picture is amazing. To me, it is a great representation of Oklahoma in one photograph.

Needs Westbrook and Sonic first.

Why bother voting when the committee picks their own choices and then asks you to vote to validate their choices? Can anybody make a case on why you should bother?

Work has started.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/centralpark061917.jpg

Why bother voting when the committee picks their own choices and then asks you to vote to validate their choices? Can anybody make a case on why you should bother?

If you have a preference of one of the options over another?

i have a feeling that a pedestrian bridge over the river that follows the axis of the skydance bridge along harvey will be needed to create a direct, pedestrian and bike friendly link between downtown, strawberry fields, the park, wheeler district and even as far south as capitol hill.

If you have a preference of one of the options over another?

So what, the naming committee has demonstrated that public input is not going to outweigh the opinion of the committee. If the city is going to solicit ideas they should respect the opinions of those that voted within the original parameters of what was acceptable.