Perez Park

[Pete]

City to spend $3 million on new park along OK River

Oklahoma City continues to invest in recreation facilities along the Oklahoma River.

An area along the south side of the river between Robinson and the Lightning Creek inlet will soon receive over $3 million of upgrades and has been christened Manuel Perez Park.

The new park will incorporate parts of Wiley Post Park including the popular action sports complex named after local BMX champion Matt Hoffman.

Currently, most of the area is open space with little improvements. Under the plans put forth by the Parks and Recreation Department and funded by 2007 general obligation bonds, Perez Park would receive a memorial plaza and water feature, landscape / hardscape elements, a family-sized pavilion; restroom building, futsal courts and expansion of the action sports park.

Manuel Perez (1923-1945) was an Oklahoma City native who received the Medal of Honor for his heroics in World War II.

The project comes in advance of completion of the MAPS 3 funded park which includes an upper section (recently named Scissortail Park) and a lower section that will ultimately stretch from the central business district to the north side of the river.

Also as a part of MAPS 3, the river trail system that runs through Perez Park and on both the north and south side of the Oklahoma River, now stretches all the way to Lake Overholser.

At the east end of river on the southern shore, the American Indian Museum and Cultural Center is set to resume construction later this year. And to the west also on the south side of the river, the Wheeler District development has started construction on its first homes and the City has proposed a large equestrian center closer to the Stockyards.

[Colbafone]

Yeah, this DWARFS the old Perez Park that is being swallowed by Lower Park. I think they made out pretty well. More prominent space, and way larger footprint.

[BoulderSooner]

Yeah, this DWARFS the old Perez Park that is being swallowed by Lower Park. I think they made out pretty well. More prominent space, and way larger footprint.

The old Perez park is not being swallowed by the lower park and is not going away

[Pete]

The old Perez park is not being swallowed by the lower park and is not going away

That old park at 301 SW 14th -- which is directly across from what will be the lower park -- no longer has the Perez name; at least for now it is unnamed.

[Colbafone]

Is it being sold, or will it remain a park?

[Pete]

Is it being sold, or will it remain a park?

It's owned by the City, not sure what they'll do.

It's only .08 acres and will front the new park.

[OKC_on_mines]

Hey Pete,

What are futsal courts?

[Roger S]

Hey Pete,

What are futsal courts?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futsal

[dcsooner]

Are all these parks being built on land adjacent to downtown because the city lacks the economic development t momentum to build pockets of retail or residential or commercial ? Seems to me to just be a way to put to use in some fashion land masses that have sat undeveloped or decaying for many years. Not a very forward looking land use plan IMO

[OKC2017]

it seems there are too many parks, too big, too close to one another and perpetuating the great divide between downtown and the south part of the city.
however, the relocation of that small park can open a window of opportunity for other developments. the biggest example i can think of is funk jr. and his stadium project.
in the area close by the river there is potential to find plenty of readily available land, cheap, accessible and within a streetcar ride from downtown. the image should illustrate
the conceptual intent.

[Pete]

The improved Manuel Perez Park could be open by late 2019
by Miguel Rios

Nearly 30 acres of riverfront parkland will get more than a million dollars in upgrades and be named after a local war hero.

Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation department is taking bids on the new Manuel Perez Park along the Oklahoma River. Manuel Perez Jr. was born in Oklahoma City and is a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

“The active part of the park with the futsal and basketball courts will be adjacent and connect to the skate park,” said Donna Cervantes, former executive director of Calle Dos Cinco in Hispanic Capitol Hill. “The veteran’s memorial part will be more of a quiet part for honoring veterans, and it will have a family pavilion and a small playground.”

The former Perez Park was located at SW 14th Street and Harvey Avenue, but officials decided to move the park in 2016. Cervantes, now an associate planner for Oklahoma City, helped make the decision.

Friends of the Manuel Perez Park Committee worked with the city to design the new park, but Cervantes said the committee and local community members were doubtful that the city would come through.

“We were amazed at the commitment that the city made to honor the wishes of the committee and really follow through with designing what the committee asked for. That’s been really rewarding,” she said. “It’s looking like they will build what they said they would, so it really is building trust in the community.”

The department has about $1.9 million available for the improvements.

“Each of the bids have to be evaluated to see if they ticked off all of the checked boxes,” said Doug Kupper, cirector of OKC Parks & Recreation. “We want to see what the unit prices are, what we can afford to build with the money we have and see who’s got the best value.”

After evaluating bids, the department will decide to pick one or go back to the drawing board if the bids are too expensive. But if all goes well, improvements could be completed as early as next summer.

“By the time we evaluate the bids, go to city council, get approval of a bid and the contractor gets their startup time, we may be at the end of summer or next fall before construction is done,” Kupper said.

The park will span from Robinson Avenue nearly to Central Avenue on the south side of the Oklahoma River.

The 27-acre area will incorporate and add onto Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park. The existing skate park is designed primarily for BMX bikes, so Kupper said the addition will include features for skateboards. A basketball court and two futsal courts will be added near the skate park.

Manuel Perez Memorial will be the most difficult thing to construct, as it is an intricate, creative space, Kupper said.

It is a veteran’s memorial in the park’s cul-de-sac with small structures surrounding a blue circle with stars. An Oklahoma flag, an American flag and a Medal of Honor flag will stand over the memorial’s wall where Manuel Perez’s plaque will hang next to the words “We Remember.”

A pavilion area and playground will be added near the memorial.

“This park is really just another testament to investment and commitment to honor this neighborhood and listen to their needs,” Cervantes said. “It’s not just building a park; it’s building a community bond, so it means a lot.”

Bids for the park’s improvements are due Nov. 20.

[sgt. pepper]

Very nice park. would be cool to see a couple of soccer fields with the futsal area. Plenty of room for development.

[wunderkind]

Regarding the futsal courts- it seems the multi-use aspect of hard surface courts is an excellent way to increase participation in a lot of different activities. Purportedly the fastest growing sport in USA is Pickleball and there are a number of places to play around OKC. However the demand just keeps growing and these multi-use courts should be very popular.

https://greaterokcpickleballclub.wildapricot.org/

https://sports.good.is/articles/pick...-growing-sport

[Pryor Tiger]

Purportedly the fastest growing sport in USA is Pickleball and there are a number of places to play around OKC. However the demand just keeps growing and these multi-use courts should be very popular.

I have heard on good authority we will have new pickleball courts coming somewhere along the Oklahoma River near the edge of Scissortail park! I already bought my rackets and balls lol!

[Laramie]

Thank God the City has plans to upgrade & expand Manuel Perez Park; it is currently hidden in an area just north of Grand Lawn where it doesn't get the attention most parks in our city receives. Oklahoma City native Manuel Perez Jr., Private First Class was a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in 1945 in the Philippines.

Glad to hear about the future plans; thanks for the information, Pete.

[David]

Imagine a streetcar expansion going down Robinson to Capitol Hill with a stop along the way to service both this and Wiley Post Park.

[amocore]

Anybody knows if there is project to have a walkable\Bikeable link between the Lower Scissortail park and the Wheeler/Perez parks ?

The bridge on Robinson has sidewalks but it is not very inviting.

[Urbane]

The actual memorial is kinda pentagrammy. Won't matter at ground level, but since most aerials are north-at-top ...

[jedicurt]

The actual memorial is kinda pentagrammy. Won't matter at ground level, but since most aerials are north-at-top ...

yep, the typical star with regards to the US is a pentagram. i don't see any issue with it. do people look at the flag and just see 50 pentagrams?

[Pete]

The memorial is based on the Medal of Honor:

[Urbane]

The more you you know ��

Thanks for the education

[LakeEffect]

The memorial is based on the Medal of Honor:

It's based on that, but since it doesn't have the defined circle and instead connects through, it certainly looks like something else from an aerial view.

[LakeEffect]

yep, the typical star with regards to the US is a pentagram. i don't see any issue with it. do people look at the flag and just see 50 pentagrams?

No, because the stars on the flag are filled and in the single point faces up...

[CS_Mike]

I would say that the memorial actually most closely resembles the emblem for the Order of the Eastern Star (inverted pentagram or pentacle with a pentagon in the center). Is it possible he was a member?

I suppose there are people out there who are just as suspicious of Freemasons as they are of Wiccans, Naturalists, or Satanists.

[wunderkind]

That would be great to have Pickleball courts somewhere downtown. As far as I know there aren't any in this area close by. Woodson park has indoor courts but that is the closest.