First Americans Museum

[Pete]

As I stated, money in the existing TIF #2 could be used, just as it has for many other public projects.

The AICCM falls within the project area for TIF #2 and the most recent projections call for $126 million total budget, with only $90 million committed, leaving $36 million available.

499 Sheridan alone would add at least $20 million to TIF collections and there is a lot more development to come in the remaining 10 years of TIF #2. Both the Clayco and REHCO sites will certainly be developed during this time, and there many more big property tax generators coming on-line soon, with a bunch more planned.

I bet TIF #2 will end up taking in close to $200 million and they have only obligated $90 million thus far.

[Just the facts]

Okay, I see what you are saying now, and honestly, that is howTIFs should work. The money is supposed to go to public projects, not back into the hands of the developer.

[Pete]

Promise in pieces: Funding issues cloud future of American Indian Center
City could take back land; Proposals for site include casino
By: Molly M. Fleming, Brian Brus and Dale Denwalt April 9, 20150


OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Jeff Hickman is the 11th speaker of the Oklahoma House to face the question of funding the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. The Fairview Republican said he thinks this will be the year the state passes legislation to provide financing to finish the project.

“I think the House’s position is hoping to find some type of a solution to that,” Hickman said. “We don’t know what that is yet. In numerous meetings this session and before session with our members, including our new members, we really have come to a consensus that the story has to have an ending of some sort. We’re looking at every option.”

The project dates back to the 1980s, when the state wanted to draw tourists. A study determined the story that Oklahoma could tell was about the Native Americans being forced to travel from the southeast U.S. to settle in the state. In 1994, the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority was created and tasked with building a Native American cultural center and museum. The city of Oklahoma City deeded 60 acres along Interstate 40 for the project.


Construction started in 2006, but came to a halt in 2012 when the state ran out of money. The state has already spent nearly $90 million, including $816,000 annual in upkeep, since work stopped. The museum sits unfinished, behind a mound of dirt that partially shields it from downtown Oklahoma City.

Since 2012, the state Legislature has reviewed proposals to finish the project. It is estimated that it would take $80 million; tribes and private donors have pledged $40 million if the state funds the other half. Getting the state to come up with that money has been tough, especially in 2015 when there is a $611 million budget shortfall.


Confidence remains high
Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby, who serves as NACEA board chairman, said he knows something is in the works.

“The House of Representatives, with the leadership of Speaker Hickman, has worked hard to try to come up with a solution,” Anoatubby said. “I’m confident that they will come to a conclusion about what maybe we need to do. The authority is prepared when funding is available to complete the project and move forward with its opening.”

J. Blake Wade, NACEA executive director, said he believes in Hickman’s abilities as well.
“I’m confident that the speaker will find a way to complete this project,” Wade said.

Yet this isn’t the first time the museum supporters have heard the state would approve the funding. In the 2014 session, Hickman had a bill that would have put $40 million from the state’s unclaimed property fund toward the center. He failed to take it to the floor because he didn’t have the support of the Republican caucus, though the measure gained enough votes to get out of the House.


If funding falls through
People have speculated about what happens to the property if the House and Senate can’t agree on funding.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said he thinks the city could take back its land, though he did not offer a deadline as to when the city would begin pursuing that option.

“I think that at some point, the city should exercise its claw-back (clause) and take the land back,” he said. “I think that’s an idea with merit. What would happen at that point would be another level of discussion, and that’s kind of too far in the future to map out.”

Anoatubby said the Chickasaw Nation does not have an interest in taking over the museum to get it completed. And no matter what entity finishes it, it should remain a cultural center and museum, rather than being adapted for another use, he said.

“This is a project of the state of Oklahoma,” Anoatubby said. “It would be very difficult for the Chickasaw Nation to proceed with something like this. It would be very complicated. We have an interest in it being completed. But as far as actually taking it, operating it and completing it, I think it would be very difficult to accomplish that.”

Anoatubby said Oklahoma City could consider taking over completing it, since the deed states that the site will be used for a cultural center. He said the city has already provided funds for the infrastructure and is part of the $40 million matching money.

That’s not the issue on the table, however. The matter stands in the Legislature’s hands, and the representatives at 23rd and Lincoln have differing views about the project’s future.

“I think the city of Oklahoma City ought to look at negotiating an agreement with one of the tribes to put a casino on the property and use those funds to help complete the museum project, and then you’ll have a funding source to keep the project going for years to come,” said state Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid. He has served in the Legislature since 2004.

This year Anderson proposed Senate Bill 3, which would take some of the gaming exclusivity fees paid to the state from the tribes and use them to finish the museum. Changing how the exclusivity fees are spent would require a complete rewrite of the tribal gaming compacts between the state and tribes. The bill never made it past the House Appropriations Committee.

Anderson said he recognizes that putting slot machines next to a place that would recognize the history of Native Americans seems stereotypical, but the project obviously needs a new funding source.
“It clearly is an Oklahoma City project,” he said. “It’s not a tribal project. It’s not a Tulsa project. It’s not a rural Oklahoma project. The state has contributed a substantial amount of funds toward this project and it’s, in my opinion, Oklahoma City’s problem to solve.”

Other legislators have different plans for how the building should be finished. State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, said the options for completing it include a bond package that would have the most bipartisan support, or giving it back to the city with cash to help with the final work. He doesn’t expect a funding initiative to be passed this year.

“I’m not an odds maker, but the chances of actually getting a piece of legislation off the floor of the House that would move us closer to completion, it’s pretty slim,” he said.

State Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, said he takes legislators on tours of the building so they can understand the project’s scope. He said he is constantly reminding people that it is projected to have an annual economic impact of $170 million for the first 20 years.

“(The House of Representatives is) literally cut up into thirds,” he said. “A third want to burn the thing down. A third don’t want to do anything or care about it, and a third want to see it finished.”

Many argue that the tribes should finish the project. But Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said that although the tribe supports the initiative and is excited to have its story told, it’s not the nation’s responsibility to finish it.

“This is a state project,” Hoskin said. “The state needs to figure out a way to finish this. It can’t rely on the tribes to finish it.”

If funding for the museum is awarded, Anoatubby said, there are plans to build other commercial properties around the building to provide continued funding. Therefore, he said, it would be self-sustaining. That work would be done at the same time the construction is restarted.

While the state is figuring out how to fund the museum, the tribes are moving forward with telling their story. Many have their own art museums and history centers, including the Chickasaw and Cherokee nations.

“Most tribes are encouraged by the fact that the state wants to tell our story,” Hoskin said. “We are a better state for having the tribes. We think the museum is one way to show that.”

Right now, all there is to show is an eye-catching structure along the highway. Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau President Mike Carrier said he often has to tell people new to the city about the vacant structure.

“We talk about the American Indian Cultural Center as an opportunity,” Carrier said. “But we’re also very frank with people and tell them that we’re awaiting legislative action to fund the rest of the facility. In our industry, we can’t make promises we can’t keep.”

He said he would like state leaders to remember those points as well: Promises were made for a unique project that has huge economic potential.

“It would put Oklahoma City in a place no other city could be,” Carrier said.

[Pete]

Promise in pieces: Funding issues cloud future of American Indian Center
City could take back land; Proposals for site include casino
By: Molly M. Fleming, Brian Brus and Dale Denwalt April 9, 20150


OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Jeff Hickman is the 11th speaker of the Oklahoma House to face the question of funding the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. The Fairview Republican said he thinks this will be the year the state passes legislation to provide financing to finish the project.

“I think the House’s position is hoping to find some type of a solution to that,” Hickman said. “We don’t know what that is yet. In numerous meetings this session and before session with our members, including our new members, we really have come to a consensus that the story has to have an ending of some sort. We’re looking at every option.”

The project dates back to the 1980s, when the state wanted to draw tourists. A study determined the story that Oklahoma could tell was about the Native Americans being forced to travel from the southeast U.S. to settle in the state. In 1994, the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority was created and tasked with building a Native American cultural center and museum. The city of Oklahoma City deeded 60 acres along Interstate 40 for the project.


Construction started in 2006, but came to a halt in 2012 when the state ran out of money. The state has already spent nearly $90 million, including $816,000 annual in upkeep, since work stopped. The museum sits unfinished, behind a mound of dirt that partially shields it from downtown Oklahoma City.

Since 2012, the state Legislature has reviewed proposals to finish the project. It is estimated that it would take $80 million; tribes and private donors have pledged $40 million if the state funds the other half. Getting the state to come up with that money has been tough, especially in 2015 when there is a $611 million budget shortfall.


Confidence remains high
Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby, who serves as NACEA board chairman, said he knows something is in the works.

“The House of Representatives, with the leadership of Speaker Hickman, has worked hard to try to come up with a solution,” Anoatubby said. “I’m confident that they will come to a conclusion about what maybe we need to do. The authority is prepared when funding is available to complete the project and move forward with its opening.”

J. Blake Wade, NACEA executive director, said he believes in Hickman’s abilities as well.
“I’m confident that the speaker will find a way to complete this project,” Wade said.

Yet this isn’t the first time the museum supporters have heard the state would approve the funding. In the 2014 session, Hickman had a bill that would have put $40 million from the state’s unclaimed property fund toward the center. He failed to take it to the floor because he didn’t have the support of the Republican caucus, though the measure gained enough votes to get out of the House.


If funding falls through
People have speculated about what happens to the property if the House and Senate can’t agree on funding.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said he thinks the city could take back its land, though he did not offer a deadline as to when the city would begin pursuing that option.

“I think that at some point, the city should exercise its claw-back (clause) and take the land back,” he said. “I think that’s an idea with merit. What would happen at that point would be another level of discussion, and that’s kind of too far in the future to map out.”

Anoatubby said the Chickasaw Nation does not have an interest in taking over the museum to get it completed. And no matter what entity finishes it, it should remain a cultural center and museum, rather than being adapted for another use, he said.

“This is a project of the state of Oklahoma,” Anoatubby said. “It would be very difficult for the Chickasaw Nation to proceed with something like this. It would be very complicated. We have an interest in it being completed. But as far as actually taking it, operating it and completing it, I think it would be very difficult to accomplish that.”

Anoatubby said Oklahoma City could consider taking over completing it, since the deed states that the site will be used for a cultural center. He said the city has already provided funds for the infrastructure and is part of the $40 million matching money.

That’s not the issue on the table, however. The matter stands in the Legislature’s hands, and the representatives at 23rd and Lincoln have differing views about the project’s future.

“I think the city of Oklahoma City ought to look at negotiating an agreement with one of the tribes to put a casino on the property and use those funds to help complete the museum project, and then you’ll have a funding source to keep the project going for years to come,” said state Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid. He has served in the Legislature since 2004.

This year Anderson proposed Senate Bill 3, which would take some of the gaming exclusivity fees paid to the state from the tribes and use them to finish the museum. Changing how the exclusivity fees are spent would require a complete rewrite of the tribal gaming compacts between the state and tribes. The bill never made it past the House Appropriations Committee.

Anderson said he recognizes that putting slot machines next to a place that would recognize the history of Native Americans seems stereotypical, but the project obviously needs a new funding source.
“It clearly is an Oklahoma City project,” he said. “It’s not a tribal project. It’s not a Tulsa project. It’s not a rural Oklahoma project. The state has contributed a substantial amount of funds toward this project and it’s, in my opinion, Oklahoma City’s problem to solve.”

Other legislators have different plans for how the building should be finished. State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, said the options for completing it include a bond package that would have the most bipartisan support, or giving it back to the city with cash to help with the final work. He doesn’t expect a funding initiative to be passed this year.

“I’m not an odds maker, but the chances of actually getting a piece of legislation off the floor of the House that would move us closer to completion, it’s pretty slim,” he said.

State Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, said he takes legislators on tours of the building so they can understand the project’s scope. He said he is constantly reminding people that it is projected to have an annual economic impact of $170 million for the first 20 years.

“(The House of Representatives is) literally cut up into thirds,” he said. “A third want to burn the thing down. A third don’t want to do anything or care about it, and a third want to see it finished.”

Many argue that the tribes should finish the project. But Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said that although the tribe supports the initiative and is excited to have its story told, it’s not the nation’s responsibility to finish it.

“This is a state project,” Hoskin said. “The state needs to figure out a way to finish this. It can’t rely on the tribes to finish it.”

If funding for the museum is awarded, Anoatubby said, there are plans to build other commercial properties around the building to provide continued funding. Therefore, he said, it would be self-sustaining. That work would be done at the same time the construction is restarted.

While the state is figuring out how to fund the museum, the tribes are moving forward with telling their story. Many have their own art museums and history centers, including the Chickasaw and Cherokee nations.

“Most tribes are encouraged by the fact that the state wants to tell our story,” Hoskin said. “We are a better state for having the tribes. We think the museum is one way to show that.”

Right now, all there is to show is an eye-catching structure along the highway. Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau President Mike Carrier said he often has to tell people new to the city about the vacant structure.

“We talk about the American Indian Cultural Center as an opportunity,” Carrier said. “But we’re also very frank with people and tell them that we’re awaiting legislative action to fund the rest of the facility. In our industry, we can’t make promises we can’t keep.”

He said he would like state leaders to remember those points as well: Promises were made for a unique project that has huge economic potential.

“It would put Oklahoma City in a place no other city could be,” Carrier said.

[One Dot Less Than Nine]

Convert it to an MLS soccer stadium. Maybe we could use a native american mascot or something to tie it all together

The state has screwed the pooch on this project since day one and I cannot blame the tribes for not wanting to clean up the mess. Time to move on and see if theres some way to get some private funds behind this one.

[OKCinsomniac]

Anderson, you cannot be serious.

Hickman screwed us last year. I'll believe it when I see it.

[warreng88]

This is the most ridiculous part of the article to me:

Anderson said he recognizes that putting slot machines next to a place that would recognize the history of Native Americans seems stereotypical, but the project obviously needs a new funding source.
“It clearly is an Oklahoma City project,” he said. “It’s not a tribal project. It’s not a Tulsa project. It’s not a rural Oklahoma project. The state has contributed a substantial amount of funds toward this project and it’s, in my opinion, Oklahoma City’s problem to solve.”

No, it's the state legislature's problem to solve. It was the state's project to begin with. I would love for OKC to take it back over because we would actually finish it, but the state sure as hell shouldn't receive any of the revenue if that is the case.

[Just the facts]

I had to laugh a little at the "museum is hidden behind a mound of dirt" comment. That mound of dirt is part of the museum. I see they are also sticking with the crazy economic projections.

[One Dot Less Than Nine]

With several of the larger tribes having built their own cultural centers in the last few years whats the draw for this one?

[dankrutka]

With several of the larger tribes having built their own cultural centers in the last few years whats the draw for this one?

This has been answered hundreds of times in many ways in this thread... But a short answer is it provides a central center in the state's largest metro for people to start learning about indigenous cultures. After visiting this center then others may decide to drive hundreds of miles to other cultural centers, which are well off the beaten path for most people. Having said that, people worldwide associate Oklahoma with native histories. To not have a world class place for Oklahomans and tourists to explore these histories is financially, culturally, and historically absurd.

If completed correctly, the AICC will give many people a reason to visit OKC that otherwise may not have had one. Even if it doesn't make a ton of money, it will make an incredible difference in making OKC and Oklahoma a unique place with a sense of history. It will also allow people to actually learn from the millennia of wisdom of indigenous peoples. Finishing the AICC should be a top priority.

[Motley]

Any possibility that the AICC can partner with the new National Museum of American Indians in DC and make this a branch location?

[One Dot Less Than Nine]

Thank you, you saved me 7 years worth of reading.

"If completed correctly..." define correctly as it applies to this subject. Project has been a fiasco from day one. Do you expect its conclusion to be any different?

Last time I checked the State wasn't exactly in a great spot financially, I can see why this project hasn't been a "top priority". Do I want to see it sit the way that it is? no. Do I think the City of OKC should step in and pony up the $ to finish?...eh thats a hard pill to swallow.

[Just the facts]

Frankly, it kind of pisses me off that Anoatubby says this is a State project when he was the very one who pushed the State to do it in the first place.

[Spartan]

It is the state that benefits from leveraging its cultural resources for economic and locality development. We have state-ran museums mostly dedicated to hicks, which aren't helping our image problem.

OKC has a very serious issue with this legislature that seems diametrically opposed to the growth that OKC could bring to this state. This legislature's primary goal, second only to getting conservative talk radio airtime, is damaging OKC.

The amazing thing is we as a region of voters just sit back and take it, mostly because people are too dumb to know otherwise and God forbid we try to drum up a metropolitan voting block which had worked in other states, notably Virginia. OKC itself elects the most damaging legislators like Sally Kern and Ralph Shortey, among countless others. It is literally a matter of time until an Indiana Boycott type of scenario blows up in our face, next time the outside world hears how helplessly ignorant we are. The outside world in 2015 is growing less tolerant of this type of thing, and it could be very, very bad for business.

[metro]

And the lesson of the story is kids, government creates problem, government needs to find a solution, government rarely finds a solution. I've said this is a boondoggle from Day 1, and will remain that way probably for years to come. I've yet to hear one solid argument for why this thing needs to cost estimated $170-$200 MILLION? That's nearly 1/3 of Devon Tower for a mound of dirt and some aluminum buildings not that large. Why can't they launch with what they have, hang some indian art and informational plaques and artifacts up, charge for admission right now to pay for operations, and then build out the master plan in phases? Why can't the state pass or raise the Hotel Tax statewide and let all these visitors coming in out of state to pay for this museum they will supposedly visit? Texas has a ridiculous state hotel tax on top of local hotel taxes, why can't we do the same?

[dankrutka]

Frankly, it kind of pisses me off that Anoatubby says this is a State project when he was the very one who pushed the State to do it in the first place.

If I pushed the state to do a project and they did it, it would still be a state project... because it is a state project.

[dankrutka]

Thank you, you saved me 7 years worth of reading.

"If completed correctly..." define correctly as it applies to this subject. Project has been a fiasco from day one. Do you expect its conclusion to be any different?

Last time I checked the State wasn't exactly in a great spot financially, I can see why this project hasn't been a "top priority". Do I want to see it sit the way that it is? no. Do I think the City of OKC should step in and pony up the $ to finish?...eh thats a hard pill to swallow.

The entire project was audited and found to have done nothing improperly except choose high quality options. Maybe the real issue is they tried to actually make a world class center and everyone is mad they didn't just cheap out.

[Dubya61]

Frankly, it kind of pisses me off that Anoatubby says this is a State project when he was the very one who pushed the State to do it in the first place.

I think it's important for the State (or the city) (and not a single tribe) to finish this. It's important for the governor of one tribe to say that this project is bigger than one tribe and could be so much more.

[Bellaboo]

Whoever in Enid who voted for this Anderson clown needs to reset the button. Put a casino on the grounds ? That'd be illegal.....

[Spartan]

And the lesson of the story is kids, government creates problem, government needs to find a solution, government rarely finds a solution. I've said this is a boondoggle from Day 1, and will remain that way probably for years to come. I've yet to hear one solid argument for why this thing needs to cost estimated $170-$200 MILLION? That's nearly 1/3 of Devon Tower for a mound of dirt and some aluminum buildings not that large. Why can't they launch with what they have, hang some indian art and informational plaques and artifacts up, charge for admission right now to pay for operations, and then build out the master plan in phases? Why can't the state pass or raise the Hotel Tax statewide and let all these visitors coming in out of state to pay for this museum they will supposedly visit? Texas has a ridiculous state hotel tax on top of local hotel taxes, why can't we do the same?

You need to go back to neocon land because there are a lot of problems with that. First of all, that mound of dirt is a Smithsonian affiliated institution with a cultural mission that the state needs. Secondly, the reason you can't finance it that way is bc you'd have to issue revenue backed bonds and then we're still left holding the bag.

I don't think a casino is the WORST idea...

[kevinpate]

Anderson does not strike me as a smart person, at least on this topic. Sadly, he's definitely not alone in that regard.

[Just the facts]

Maybe if this project had been sold on a 'quality of life' platform instead of as an economic development project more people would have bought into the idea. Personally, I think there were so many things wrong with this project from day one that it was never going to succeed. It was a half-baked idea born out of feelgoodism, with a less than half baked sales pitch, and placed in the completely wrong location, at a cost that should have been laughed out of the state. But that's just me. For the $80 million that is still needed to be spent, scrap this location and build it on the Chevy Event Center parking lot.

[Pete]

Sid just sent me this from his flight into town:

[CuatrodeMayo]

[rte66man]

It is the state that benefits from leveraging its cultural resources for economic and locality development. We have state-ran museums mostly dedicated to hicks, which aren't helping our image problem...

Hicks? Be specific. Name sites and locations.