Ideas 4 MAPS

[Laramie]

Good presentation on the MAPS 4 Stadium yesterday; it focused on many uses like Soccer football, American football, Lacrosse, Rugby football & concerts with anticipated use depending upon the option selected.

The shift in the focus of MAPS has turned to more community based themes as previous support for mental health, spousal abuse victims & rehabilitation services for offenders will make up 70% of MAPS if we go with these programs.

Realize that projects like a downtown Aquarium didn't get much traction with the zoo. Could be something to push ahead in MAPS 5. Glad we do have a permanent source of funding for the Oklahoma City Zoo, they have used their funds wisely.

[BoulderSooner]

Realize that projects like a downtown Aquarium didn't get much traction with the zoo.

what do you mean by this??

[Laramie]

what do you mean by this??

Very popular project that could have been on the initiative, probably IMO would have paid for itself--need not read anything into that statement, it won't be on MAPS 4; just the take I got from the various presentations.

[chuck5815]

Definitely need to be spending the lion’s share of our MAPS money on economic diversification. I just think the oil market is always going to be in question from this point forward, which is definitely bad news for OKC.

[Laramie]

[OKC Guy]

Definitely need to be spending the lion’s share of our MAPS money on economic diversification. I just think the oil market is always going to be in question from this point forward, which is definitely bad news for OKC.

Agree about oil. Soccer center plus entertainment are other methods. Baby boomers are a big crowd with lots of money and travel a lot and will do so more as that group continues to retire. The medical district (innovation) will be another area to keep focus on. Businesses like Paycom are great too, and its located in far NW OKC. Chisolm Creek and Oak are more nice growth spots.

The metro is growing all over so we need to spend money all over. I do like the idea of Aquarium although it seems to be dead.

Oil will continue to fall and thus our tax collections will decrease. Thats why I hated seeing them taxed more because its gonna start decreasing right when we get even more dependent on them. Then the funding set in place using extra oil taxes is gonna dry up yet outlays won’t. What then? That means something else will get taxed to make up for it.

Legalizing MJ for rec would be a boom with all the Texans coming up they are years away. We share a long border with them too. That would be about 10 years of extra tax before they approve it eventually.

[Laramie]

OKC Guy & chuck5815, you guys nailed it!

When Pete posted the one pic of the Aquarium, said to myself; this will be a centerpiece we can build around in the core or better positioned on the riverfront. Hope I'm alive to see MAPS 5...

[d-usa]

Got off the phone with an opinion pollster, sounds like he was polling on behalf of the groups supporting the animal shelter.

He had me rank various possible Maps 4 projects, which included the 3 stadium/arenas of course, but the list also included a “sports tourism complex”. I don’t recall anything like that from the top of my head.

[Laramie]

Got off the phone with an opinion pollster, sounds like he was polling on behalf of the groups supporting the animal shelter.

He had me rank various possible Maps 4 projects, which included the 3 stadium/arenas of course, but the list also included a “sports tourism complex”. I don’t recall anything like that from the top of my head.

"Sports tourism complex," same here, can't possibly or remotely recall what that could be.

[SouthSide]

"Sports tourism complex," same here, can't possibly or remotely recall what that could be.

Isn't the sports tourism complex the $15-30 million for CB Cameron Park for soccer?

[soonerguru]

I haven’t seen a comment on this here, so excuse me if it has been discussed, but in Bill Crum’s article he wrote that the Energy ownership said they would move the team out of OKC if the taxpayers don’t give money for a new stadium. Personally I find this disgusting and distasteful, and I can’t imagine voters being thrilled to pony up after such a naked threat. Not cool at all, certainly not gracious, and even perhaps disqualifying. It’s as if they are saying this is “their” money, not ours. This also belies the description of this as a city development and not one for the benefit of the soccer team.

[d-usa]

The reality is that without a regulation size field, the USL will kick Oklahoma City out of the league and the Energy couldn’t stay if they wanted to. That’s what they should focus on messaging if they want to talk about any risk of loosing the team in the city. It’s not a “take my ball and leave” situation, it’s “we won’t have a ball to even take” situation.

The Energy has also given a lot back to the city. I’m sure the Fields & Future articles I noticed today are part of a “hearts and minds” campaign.

[soonerguru]

The reality is that without a regulation size field, the USL will kick Oklahoma City out of the league and the Energy couldn’t stay if they wanted to.

So does that mean we have to pay for it?

[d-usa]

So does that mean we have to pay for it?

If you want a team, maybe?

Funk owes the city a team about just as much as the city owes Funk a stadium to rent.

[soonerguru]

Sorry but we don’t owe him anything either.

[Urban Pioneer]

Got off the phone with an opinion pollster, sounds like he was polling on behalf of the groups supporting the animal shelter.

He had me rank various possible Maps 4 projects, which included the 3 stadium/arenas of course, but the list also included a “sports tourism complex”. I don’t recall anything like that from the top of my head.

The “sports tourism complex” was presented on the first day in the parks presentation.

[d-usa]

Sorry but we don’t owe him anything either.

We didn’t owe a single MAPS dollar to whoever benefited from the spending, but here we are preparing for MAPS 4.

[d-usa]

The “sports tourism complex” was presented on the first day in the parks presentation.

I don’t remember it at all. If it’s the “bunch of fields we can use in a tournament”, it seems like a weird way to make it sounds bigger than it is.

[Urban Pioneer]

It was an extensive presentation by the OKC Parks Director. Stonecipher was gaga over it and former city councilman Pete White spoke to council vociferously against it. Easy to miss in the five hour meeting though.

[soonerguru]

I don’t remember it at all. If it’s the “bunch of fields we can use in a tournament”, it seems like a weird way to make it sounds bigger than it is.

Precisely what I thought. They should have called it “youth athletic fields.” Instead they made a ridiculous argument about some economic development boon it would create. Why not just say it’s “sports for kids?” People might support that without hyperbolic arguments about soccer tournaments filling all of our hotel rooms? I also find it weird they have a very specific place for the complex, way the hell out in NW OKC. Why? Shouldn’t we put it where it has the most impact and is accessible to the most people?

[Urban Pioneer]

The entire argument revolved around economic return and parents wanting their kids in elite squads.

[Laramie]

All previous MAPS initiatives have benefited pubic & private endeavors in many ways:

Chesapeake Energy Arena, Civic Center Music Hall, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark & State Fair Arena to name several... ...yet we don't have a regulation soccer-American football stadium.

If you want to make a case of wealthy ownership; then our Thunder ownership consists of one billionaire & six multimillionaires, much greater funding source than the ownership group of the Energy FC. Oklahoma City is fortune to be the home to one of 30 NBA franchises.

In all fairness, are Thunder ownership being asked to pay one penny toward the improvements to our city-owned arena?

[Urban Pioneer]

Laramie, the sports tourism complex proposal simply cannot be compared to the Thunder. The scales are vastly different.

[Laramie]

Laramie, the sports tourism complex proposal simply cannot be compared to the Thunder. The scales are vastly different.

Sports Tourism Complex and compare it to the Thunder; I'm just as curious about the proposal as many. You've been the only insightful person to me about what little knowledge I've received about this complex.

I didn't make any comparison of the Sports Tourism Complex to the Thunder...

[Urban Pioneer]

Sports Tourism Complex and compare it to the Thunder; I'm just as curious about the proposal as many. You've been the only insightful person to me about what little knowledge I've received about this complex.

I didn't make any comparison of the Sports Tourism Complex to the Thunder...

I'm sorry. Your statement just seemed out of context in the thread line up.

Just to clarify, the argument is that parents with means travel around with their kids in these elite sports leagues and they compete in higher-grade facilities. The argument is that it creates sport tourism revenues for the city.