14. Special Section - Outlook maps

2S SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | THE WAY WE LIVE

Oklahoma Citys MAPSprograms never have beenabout small ideas.

The original MAPS wasdesigned to create a vi-brant downtown peoplewould want to visit notjust during the workweek,but as a place to live andhave fun. MAPS for Kidstook on crumbling infras-tructure in the OklahomaCity Public Schools, withthe goals of rebuilding orrenovating every school inthe district.

Mayor Mick Cornettsvision for MAPS 3 is simi-lar in scale. Most of themajor projects in the $777million plan will take thetransformative nature ofMAPS to the area betweendowntown and the Okla-homa River.

An area now consideredblighted by the city councilis expected to become a

place people will want totake their kids for a stroll ina new park and a place thatwill attract thousands ofconvention visitors.

I think weve been giv-en an assignment, Cornettsaid. We intend for theseprojects to meet or exceedexpectations. People, Ithink, are enthused aboutthe future of this city andthey take ownership inwhat happens here.

Largest projectsThe three largest parts

of MAPS 3 are a $280 mil-lion convention center, a$130 million 70-acredowntown park and a $130million transit project thatwill include a modernstreetcar and a centraltransit hub.

The park and the con-vention center are expect-ed to be located south ofthe current Interstate 40Crosstown Expressway,which is scheduled tomove south by 2012 and be

replaced with a boulevard.The park would run fromthe boulevard on the northto the new I-40 and fur-ther south to the Oklaho-ma River.

Cornett said its hard toimagine how much differ-ent the city will look in afew decades as all of theseprojects are completed andspur private developmentin the area.

The last 10 years of thiscitys history were incred-ible, but they will not equalthe next 10 years, Cornettsaid. I think you have toalways be careful not toexpect too much too soon.Long term this is going tobe a growth area.

Changing attitudesThe other major effect

of MAPS 3 will be invisibleand will mirror the changespurred by the originalMAPS, former Mayor RonNorick said.

Norick led the planningand implementation of theoriginal MAPS projects.

The one thing thatMAPS did as well as any-thing is it changed the atti-tude of the citizens of Ok-lahoma City, the formermayor said.

They are proud to saythey are from OklahomaCity. They are proud tobring their friends. With-out MAPS that would nothave happened.

Downtown improvementsto unfold under MAPS 3

Above is a rendering of the MAPS 3 plan for a 70-acre downtown park. PHOTO PROVIDED

PROJECTS | CITYS FUTURE LANDSCAPE IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE, MAYOR SAYS

BY BRYAN DEANStaff [email protected]

The last 10 years of this citys historywere incredible, but they will notequal the next 10 years.

MICK CORNETTOKLAHOMA CITY MAYOR

STAFF CREDITS

Yvette WalkerDirector of Presentation and Custom PublishingTodd PendletonArt Director, Cover IllustrationsCaroline DukeDesignerRonisha Carpenter, Jennifer Wilcox/News DeskDesign/editingDouglas HokePhoto Editor

Contributing EditorsKimberly Burk, Assistant Local Desk EditorClytie Bunyan, Business EditorBob Doucette, Assistant Local Desk EditorMark Hutchison, Watchdog, InvestigativeEditorKathryn McNutt, Assistant Local DeskEditorMatthew Price, Features EditorAmy Raymond, Senior News EditorRyan Sharp, Assistant Sports EditorNick Trougakos, Assistant Local DeskEditorGraphicsSteve Boaldin, Graphic ArtistChris Schoelen, Graphic Artist

Y ou might think thatwriting an editorsnote for the annualOutlook section the pastfour years has been atough job. What will Iwrite this year that hasntalready been said? Butthats the thing aboutOutlook and about Okla-homa City. There is al-ways something new.

Always changingTheres no shortage of

progress going on in thismetro area. Lets startwith MAPS 3, which be-gins on this page. Ourreporters and photo-graphers not only tell andshow you about the stateof current projects, whichpropose to change thevery ways we interact both physically and emo-tionally with the city,we also reflect on previ-ous transformative pro-jects. In the Business &Technology section, anaerial photo shows whereprojects will be.

Sports in Oklahoma hascome a long way, too. Weasked you, the readers,what we need to becomeyour sports utopia. Someof you are pretty happywith the state of sportshere. Others would like tosee some changes.

Our sports columnistshave their opinions, too.Youll read: Berry Tramelon the Thunder finding a

boomtown here in OKC;Mike Baldwin on FordCenter improvements;Jenni Carlson on a newconvention center as asporting hub; Ed Godfreyon Triple-A hockey com-ing to the city, and more.

Cool factorEntertainment has

matured as well. Foodeditor David Catheywrites about how thedining scene is growing.IMAX technology istransforming our movieoptions, and our coolfactor is on the rise,thanks in part to theSchool of Rock, theAcademy of Contempo-rary Music.

In later sections, youllread how business andreal estate growth ischanging our landscape.New and renovated hos-pitals will affect thehealth of our residents.Education and jobs re-main one of the mostimportant motivators forthe success of Oklahoma.

As usual, Outlook pro-vides a bit of fun. TheOKC trivia quiz challeng-es, while the photo scav-enger hunt boggles yournoodle. You can share thequiz and the photo huntwith your online friends,so dont forget to go toNewsOK.com for videosand more.

YVETTE WALKER

OUTLOOK 2010: EDITORS NOTE

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A MAPS 3 citizens advi-sory board will provide in-sight and advice as cityleaders begin work on the$777 million plan.

The board includes oneOklahoma City Councilmember and 10 others ap-pointed by the council andmayor.

City Manager JimCouch said the design ofthe board borrows ele-ments from the originalMAPS oversight board, theMAPS for Kids trust andthe board reviewing FordCenter renovations.

The terms will be stag-gered, three-year terms,and the council memberwill rotate every year,Couch said.

Retiring Oklahoma City

University President TomMcDaniel is board chair-man. It includes a memberfrom each of the cityseight wards plus two at-large representatives ap-pointed by Mick Cornett.

The group will review allaspects of the MAPS 3program, including site se-lection, contracts, con-struction updates and ex-penditures, Cornett said.

However, the groupdoes not have veto power

over spending decisions asdid the MAPS for Kidstrust. Also, Cornett canremove the at-large mem-bers for any reason.

Cornett said he has nointention of making theboard a rubber stamp for

the councils decisions.They are there to deal

with the many, many is-sues that will be comingfrom staff needing opinionand insight so they cangive the council direction,Cornett said.

Citizens board to help guide MAPS 3 projectsBY BRYAN DEANStaff [email protected]

Other projects are ...

Senior aquatic centers: $50 million Trails: $40 million Sidewalks: $10 million Contingency funds: $17 million

A LOOK AT THE PROJECTS

COST: $280 million

COST: $130 million

COST: $130 million

NEW CONVENTION CENTER

COST: $60 million

COST: $60 million

WHOS WHO

CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Tom McDaniel, chairman,Oklahoma City Universitypresident. Dee Morales, at-large,self-employed freelance TVproducer. Susan Hooper, Ward 1,self-employed educationconsultant. Michael Dover, Ward 2,chief executive officer ofVariety Care. Kimberly Lowe, Ward 3,self-employed public rela-tions and advertising pro-fessional. Zane Boatright, Ward 4, director of strategicplanning for Tinker Air Force Base Command,Control, Communications and Computers. Michael Adams, Ward 5, vice president andcorporate controller for LSB Industries. Nathaniel Harding, Ward 6, manager of oper-ations for Harding & Shelton. Wayne Williams, Ward 7, operations engineerfor Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. Rusty LaForge, Ward 8, attorney for McAfee &Taft. Larry McAtee, Ward 3 councilman.

Tom McDaniel

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MASS TRANSIT

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Timeline: Read about the history of the MAPSprojects and how theyve affected Oklahoma Cityon Page 6.

Oklahoma City MayorMick Cornett

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LATE 1980SDOWNTOWN IS DEAD AND WEHELPED KILL IT FORMER CITYCOUNCILMAN I.G. PURSER

Following a major downturn in OklahomaCitys economy, companies began aban-doning downtown in favor of office spaceelsewhere in the city. Downtown was asleepy, empty place once workers headedhome for the day. Surrounding districtswere dilapidated, unsafe and went largelyunused by most citizens. Private devel-opers worked to restore the Bricktowndistrict, where many properties wereboarded up and crumbling.

JANUARY 1992METRO AREA PROJECTS TASKFORCE FORMED

City leaders spent years studying howother cities revitalized downtown areas,and Mayor Ron Norick used that knowl-edge to lay out a vision about how toimprove Oklahoma Citys downtown andits overall image. The task force wascharged with finding out how to makethe vision a reality. Brick and mortarprojects the task force studied includednew sports stadiums and arenas, a reno-vated convention center and riverfrontdevelopments. The projects becameknown as MAPS, short for MetropolitanArea Projects.

SEPTEMBER 1993MAPS PROPOSAL UNVEILED

Officials pitched a $254 million, sales-taxfunded MAPS proposal to voters as away to revitalize downtown and makethe country take notice of Oklahoma City.Projects included were a new baseballpark, a new sports arena, conventioncenter renovations and expansion, adowntown canal, State Fair Park reno-vations, civic center renovations, a newdowntown library, river construction anda downtown transit system. A Decemberelection was called to enact a five-yearpenny sales tax to fund the projects.

DECEMBER 1993VOTERS PASS MAPS

Voter turnout was strong. The MAPSsales tax passed with 54 percent of thevote. At an election watch party, Noricktold supporters: Oklahoma City, wel-come to the big leagues. City Council-man Jack Cornett added: I think wewere either going to fall back or goahead. We had to win it for the future ofOklahoma City. In coming years as pen-ny sales tax revenue collections came in,city officials began planning the projects.

JUNE 1996STATE FAIR PARK RENOVATIONS BEGIN

Renovating and expanding State FairParks arena was the anchor of fair-relat-ed MAPS projects. Because the arenawas outdated, Oklahoma City riskedlosing lucrative and prestigious horseshows and rodeos to other cities. Reno-vations also focused on barns and exhibithalls, many of which were decades old.

AUGUST 1996BALLPARK CONSTRUCTIONBEGINS IN BRICKTOWN

City officials saw the ballpark as themost urgent part of MAPS because Ma-jor League Baseball was pressuring citiesto improve facilities for minor leaguebaseball teams. The pressure was direct-ed at cities like Oklahoma City, where theteam was playing in the outdated AllSports Stadium. After some debate,Bricktown was chosen as the site for thenew $23.2 million ballpark.

SUMMER 1997CONVENTION CENTEREXPANSION BEGINS

Originally opened in 1972, the MyriadConvention Center was in disrepair andwasnt attracting marquee conventionsor conferences. And it wasnt big enough.MAPS promised a 100,000-square-footexpansion and complete makeover for$23 million a cost that would skyrocket.

APRIL 1998BALLPARK OPENS

What is now the AT&T Bricktown Ball-park opened to rave reviews as 14,066fans watched the Oklahoma RedHawkslose to the Edmonton Trappers. Despitethe loss, players and fans alike compli-mented the new ballpark for its amen-ities, intimacy and location. Before thegame, a statue of Mickey Mantle outsidethe ballpark was dedicated to the Yan-kees legend and native Oklahoman. Theballpark remains the home of the Red-Hawks. In 2008, it hosted a Dave Mat-thews Band concert and was praised as astrong outdoor concert venue.

JULY 1998CANAL CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

The MAPS canal project originallyplanned to connect downtown to theNorth Canadian River via a canal system,but that idea was scrapped due to highcost. A smaller canal that would flowthrough Bricktown was proposed in-stead. Groundbreaking for the projectwas mired in numerous delays caused bydisagreements about designs.

SUMMER 1998STATE FAIR PARKIMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED

The refurbished State Fair Arena boast-ed a new lobby and ticket offices. Barnmakeovers led many horse shows torenew contracts with the fairgrounds.State Fair Park improvements were com-pleted on time and on budget and wouldbe the only MAPS initiative to achievethat feat.

SEPTEMBER 1998MAPS EXTENSION PROPOSED

Mayor Kirk Humphreys launched a cam-paign to extend the MAPS sales taxbecause the city had fallen about $10million short of what was needed tofinish MAPS. Most projects were moreexpensive than estimated. The CityCouncil approved setting a Dec. 8 MAPSsales tax extension election by an 8-1vote. The campaign supporting the ex-tension was called Finish MAPS Right.

DECEMBER 1998CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALLRENOVATIONS BEGIN

What was once a crown jewel for playsand concerts had failed to keep up withthe times. Criticized for poor production,the Civic Center Music Hall no longerexcited citizens. The crux of the reno-vations was a redesign of the main audi-torium that would decrease its capacitybut improve production and acoustics.Numerous historical artifacts were foundduring the renovation of the art decobuilding, which opened in 1937.

DECEMBER 1998MAPS TAX EXTENSIONAPPROVED

Voters overwhelmingly answered themayors call to finish MAPS right, with67 percent approving a six-month exten-sion of the MAPS tax. Were the onlycity in America to have passed some-thing like MAPS, and now weve done ittwice, Humphreys said at an electionwatch party.

APRIL 1999CONSTRUCTION BEGINSON FIRST DAM ALONG NORTH CANADIAN RIVER

Oklahoma City residents long jokedabout the river they had to mow. Indeed,little drainage was required when con-struction began on the first of threedams needed to keep the river wet ratherthan dry. Officials hoped that water inthe river would encourage riverfrontdevelopment and recreation.

MAY 1999CONSTRUCTION BEGINSON ARENA

A 20,000-seat arena was the projectmost directly tied to former Mayor RonNoricks promise that MAPS would makeOklahoma City a big league city. Thearena which some speculated mightnever be built because of delays andother projects going over budget wasto be built to meet NBA and NHL stan-dards in hopes of attracting a big leagueteam someday. To the delight of cityofficials, the $64.8 million bid for theunnamed arena came in under budget.An arena site was chosen on the south-ern edge of downtown near Myriad Gar-dens and the Crosstown Expressway.

JUNE 1999TROLLEY SYSTEM OPENS

After failing to secure federal fundingneeded for a light rail or streetcar sys-tem, city officials launched a rubber-tiretrolley system instead. The OklahomaSpirit trolley system was paid for with$4.6 million in federal money and $3.6million in MAPS money earmarked fortransit. The system has stops through-out downtown, the Stockyards and theMeridian Avenue hotel district.

TIMELINE

History of the MAPS projects

Above: A river taxi moves down thecanal in Oklahoma Citys Bricktown inthis file photo. Construction began inJuly 1998, and the canal opened a yearlater. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Nor-ick celebrates after voters approvedthe first MAPS on Dec. 14, 1993.

PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Continued on Page 8 with the openingof the Bricktown Canal in July 1999.

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JULY 1999CANAL OPENS

Only one restaurant had patio seating onthe canal when it opened, but today,dozens of restaurants, clubs and shopsline a destination that is popular for resi-dents and tourists alike. The BricktownCanal also features water taxis that carryhundreds of thousands of passengers ayear. It has become one of the citys toppostcard pictures.

AUGUST 1999CONVENTION CENTER REOPENS

Armed with a new wing of meetingrooms and an attached hotel, the newMyriad Convention Center was a hit withthe convention and conference industrywhen it re-opened. The renovation andexpansion wound up costing $63.1 million,substantially more than the initial esti-mate of $23 million. In 2002, the buildingwas renamed the Cox Convention Center.

AUGUST 2000LIBRARY CONSTRUCTIONBEGINS

Building a downtown library and learningcenter was expected to be a relativelyeasy process compared to other MAPSinitiatives, but it wound up being the lastproject to break ground. The library wasfirst delayed when city officials couldntagree on where to build it. Further delayscame after construction began when thecity wound up in court with a subcontrac-tor because of a building materials dis-pute.

AUGUST 2001MAPS FOR KIDS PROPOSALUNVEILED

Having made a major investment in thecitys core with MAPS, Oklahoma Cityleaders looked next to the citys agingpublic school system. The nearly $700million proposal called for the closure of21 schools, seven new schools, at least $1million in renovations at every otherschool, academic reforms and money forneighboring school districts. Officialsproposed paying for the massive projectwith $512 million in sales tax funds and a$180 million school district bond issue. Inunveiling the proposals, Oklahoma CityPublic Schools Foundation co-chairmanBruce Day told city council members: Iloved MAPS I. I liked the results of it, andall it has done for this city. MAPS for Kidsis a natural evolution. This will be a legacyif we move forward and pass this. Anelection was set for Nov. 12.

SEPTEMBER 2001CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALLREOPENS

Patrons said bravo to the historic build-ings extensive renovations at a three-dayreopening gala that featured perform-ances by Kristin Chenoweth, Bill Cosbyand other stars. More than 25,000 peo-ple attended the reopening.

NOVEMBER 2001VOTERS PASS MAPS FOR KIDS

The Maps for Kids sales tax and bondissue were approved with 60 percent ofthe vote. District officials thanked votersfor investing in the struggling schoolsystem. At a time when education is onthe lips of people across the country, wehere in Oklahoma City didnt just talkabout it, school board chairman CliffHudson said. Early projects included theconstruction of three new high schoolsthat were to serve as the flagship pro-jects for Maps for Kids.

JUNE 2002FORD CENTER OPENS

After securing naming rights from Fordauto dealers, city leaders opened theFord Center with a string of free toursand events. After a year of tweakingseats and the sound system because ofpatron complaints, the arena, whichcame in over budget at a cost of $89million, was named one of the top 10concert venues in the world by a concertindustry publication. Early concerts atFord Center included Paul McCartney,Eagles, The Rolling Stones, BritneySpears and Dixie Chicks. The arena alsobecame home to the citys now-defunctminor league hockey team, the Blazers,and its arena football team, the Oklaho-ma City Yard Dawgz. In 2005, the cityoffered and was chosen to host theNBAs Hornets franchise at Ford Centerafter the devastation of New Orleans byHurricane Katrina. Following the strongsuccess of the Hornets, local business-men bought the struggling Seattle Su-personics franchise in 2006 and latermoved it to Oklahoma City after failing tosecure funding for a new arena in theSeattle area. Oklahoma City voters in2008 approved another extension of thepenny sales tax to pay for $121 million inFord Center improvements needed toplease the NBA. Improvements are underway. The citys first big league team, theNBAs Oklahoma City Thunder, now callsFord Center home.

JANUARY 2004DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOLCONSTRUCTION BEGINS

The first major Maps for Kids construc-tion project was the new Douglass HighSchool in northeast Oklahoma City. Likemany city schools, the old Douglass HighSchool was in disrepair and couldnt meetthe needs of the modern student. Con-struction began with the demolition ofthe old Douglass High School stadium,which was built in 1907.

EARLY 2004NORTH CANADIAN RIVERPARKS, WATERWAYRESTORATION COMPLETED

Federal money was mixed with MAPSmoney to finish the dams and infrastruc-ture improvements needed to keep wa-ter in the river and make it friendly forboating and riverfront development. Theproject cost $54 million, well above the$15 million budgeted in MAPS. A stretchof the river flowing through the city wasre-named the Oklahoma River.

APRIL 2004RONALD J. NORICK DOWNTOWNLIBRARY OPENS

Named after the man widely creditedwith being the father of MAPS, the li-brary opened and marked the end of theoriginal MAPS.

JANUARY 2006DOUGLASS HIGH SCHOOL OPENS

When students walked through the doorof the new Douglass High School, theydid something no Oklahoma City highschool student had done in 50 years:Went to class in a new school. Schoolboard chairman Cliff Hudson told stu-dents to thank voters for their newschool. The investment they made inyou is one we expect to pay off for yearsto come, Hudson told students. Mapsfor Kids projects still are under way.

SEPTEMBER 2009MAPS 3 PROPOSAL UNVEILED

Asking voters to continue the citys pro-gress, Mayor Mick Cornett unveiled anambitious, far-reaching $777 millionMAPS 3 proposal that builds on the pro-gress of previous MAPS proposals. It callsfor grand central park downtown, a newconvention center, a downtown commu-ter rail system and transit improvements,State Fair Park improvements, riverfrontimprovements, trails, sidewalks and se-nior wellness centers. A top goal ofMAPS 3 is to begin extending downtownto the Oklahoma River, redeveloping ablighted area in the process. An electionon extending the MAPS sales tax anotherseven years and nine months to pay forMAPS 3 is set for Dec. 8.

DEC. 8, 2009MAPS 3 PASSES

A record 31 percent of city voters turnedout for the election, with more than 54percent supporting MAPS 3. A spiritedopposition from the citys police and fireunions combined with a relentless televi-sion advertising campaign featuring Cor-nett drove turnout, which was the high-est for any municipal election in city his-tory. The tax collection started April 1,and will continue for seven years andnine months.

JOHN ESTUS, STAFF WRITER

TIMELINE

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett reacts after announcing the passage of MAPS 3 on Dec. 8 during a watch party at theCox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Continued from Page 6

Two classrooms were converted from amedia center at Horace Mann Elemen-tary School as part of a Maps for Kidsproject in 2009. PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL,

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

The exteriorof the FordCenter isshown July17. The build-ing, a MAPSproject,opened inJune 2002.

PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN,

OKLAHOMANARCHIVE

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READERS TELL US: WHAT WOULD YOUROKLAHOMA CITY SPORTS UTOPIA LOOK LIKE?

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 9SOUTLOOK | THE WAY WE LIVE

I would like tosee OKC be-come the mostdiversifiedsports city inAmerica. 1. En-hancements tothe river, ... toimprove andencourage fish-ing. ... 2. Prosoccer with itsown stadium,build the stadi-um so it couldbe configuredto host tennismatches. 3. Aauto race trackcomplex thatcould host any-thing from dirtoval to roadracing.

KOKOPELLI, OKLAHOMA CITY

I would like to see the baseball stadium expanded and get a majorleague franchise. The Redhawks stadium could be expanded to 45-50,000. Maybe Seattle would be willing to provide a team! Next, a70,000 seat stadium that would house an NFL team. It should beable to expand for 80-90,000 for college games. It would be thehome of the annual Dust Bowl game. A retractable roof would benice, but not necessary. Maybe Seattle would be willing to provide ateam! Finally, hotels, restaurants, and a shopping mall would be nec-essary. See Indianapolis! Does Seattle have any of these available?

KEITH, JACKSONVILLE

ONLINE AT NEWSOK.COMWe asked readers at NewsOK.com whatOklahoma City needed to become asports utopia. Heres a look at what someof them said. For more on Oklahomasports, go to NewsOK.com/sports.

A facility or facilities, that can attractpro sports, but can also be used forother events and for public use aswell. Example, a facility for a hockeyteam and ice sports. Allow a citizenleague for hockey, etc. We need exer-cise and activities just as much asthe paid athletes.

EDWARD, RUIDOSO

Oklahoma City is doing fine as is. Wehave one of the most exciting NBAteams. The Redhawks and the newHockey team ... are great minorleague additions. With OU footballand basketball within driving range, Ithink we have it all when it comes toteam sports. I would like to see a fo-cus on individual sports.

DAVID, OKLAHOMA CITY

I would like to see a downtown foot-ball stadium that seats about 70K -80K to attract an NFL team, alongwith an NHL team playing at theFord Center. Other than that, I likewhats in place now.

MIKE, GAITHERSBURG

(A) football stadiumwith retractable ceilingwhere Bedlam footballcould be played everyseason. ... (An) NFLfranchise would relocateto OKC and play in thenew stadium. The BigXII would relocate itsheadquarters to OKC. ...The NCAA moves theirheadquarters to Oklaho-ma City from Indianapo-lis; therefore, every thirdyear the NCAA FinalFour would be in OKC.

A, MUSTANG

We would have a new dirt track speed-way. With lots of specials during the year.Also it would have a nice grandstand.Maybe next to it a 1-mile asphalt trackthat would have the Nationwide Series.

TED, MOORE

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from being named. A hostcity must have about200,000 square feet ofavailable conventionspace for all the eventstied to a Womens FinalFour. Theres an area forfans known as Hoop City,the Womens BasketballCoaches Association con-vention and youth sportsclinics; and all of thattakes space.

The Cox ConventionCenter has about 100,000square feet of availableconvention space.

With that issue ad-dressed with MAPS 3,everything else may be inline for a Womens FinalFour in Oklahoma City.

I definitely think Ok-lahoma City could host aFinal Four, legendaryTennessee coach PatSummitt said when shebrought her Volunteers tothe Ford Center for thewomens regional in2008. When you canfind locations where theysupport womens basket-ball, its a place that canhost Final Fours.

And remember, thatwas before the Ford Cen-ter went through the firstphase of a major reno-vation.

The second phase is setto begin after the NBAseason ends and will becompleted by next fall.

That might help lureother NCAA champion-ships. Wrestling, rowingand volleyball are optionsas well as ice hockey.

Yes, ice hockey.

The wish list for collegesporting events coming toOklahoma City changedwhen voters agreed torenovations on the FordCenter.

Now, the list may bechanging again.

The passage of MAPS 3means a new conventioncenter, and that meansadditional space for fanfests and temporary exhi-bitions and all the otherside shows that accomp-any college sports biggestevents.

What could that meanfor Oklahoma City?

Our fair city, after all,has already become ahotbed for college sports.The Womens CollegeWorld Series has becomewildly successful here.NCAA basketball region-als for either the men orthe women are making analmost annual stop here.

And the Big 12 Con-ference has turned Okla-homa City into a pseudo-home for its tournaments.This has become an allbut permanent home forthe baseball and softballtournaments while themens and womens bas-ketball tournaments havecome to town two of thepast four years.

What more could comeOklahoma Citys way?

The Womens FinalFour is at the top of thewish list.

I just believe thatevent would fit our cityperfectly, All Sports As-sociation Executive Di-rector Tim Brassfield saidat the time of the passageof the Ford Center reno-vation tax.

While All Sports Asso-ciation bid for a WomensFinal Four in the NCAAslast cycle, the lack ofconvention space was nodoubt one of the issuesthat kept Oklahoma City

What will convention center bring?

A view of American Softball Association Hall of Fame Stadium is shown during the 2009 Womens CollegeWorld Series between Missouri and Arizona State in Oklahoma City.

PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Citys MAPS 3 planscould mean new hubfor sporting events

JenniCarlson

COMMENTARY

[email protected]

North Dakota hockey players practice before thesemifinal round of the NCAA Frozen Four hockeychampionships in 2007 in St. Louis. AP ARCHIVE PHOTOSEE JENNI, PAGE 11S

WISH LISTHeres a look at Oklahoma Citys college sportswish list:

Womens Final Four: The NCAA womens bas-ketball championship has been awarded through2016, but with cities such as Denver and Nashvilleamong the upcoming hosts, Oklahoma City seemsto fall in line with the kind of locales that theNCAA is seeking. Womens Rowing: The NCAA only selects itschampionship site for this sport a year in advance.With a facility good enough for a U.S. Olympictraining site, Oklahoma City should make a strongpush for NCAAs. Womens Volleyball: The championship siteshave been awarded through 2012, but the up-coming host cities Kansas City, San Antonioand Louisville should give Oklahoma City hopefor future bids. Frozen Four: The mens ice hockey champion-ship is locked up through 2012 while the womenschampionship is set through 2011. With a smallermarket like Erie, Pa., on the womens docket, Okla-homa City would seem to at least have a shot inthe future.

JENNI CARLSON, SPORTS COLUMNIST

AT A GLANCE

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The All Sports Association bid on themens Frozen Four several years ago butfailed to land the March event.

Its tough to get them to come west,Brassfield has said. Its not unpreceden-ted, though. The Frozen Four has beento Anaheim, Calif., among other westernvenues.

Still, the return of the NCAA wres-tling tournament seems more likely. Itcame to the Ford Center in 2006 after a14-year absence from Oklahoma City.And it was a sold-out success.

The All Sports Association plans tobid this year for another wrestlingchampionship.

Another bid upcoming bid processinvolves the Womens College World

Series. Even though the softball cham-pionship has made an almost permanenthome out of Hall of Fame Stadium, it ison a two-year renewal cycle. TheNCAAs current contract with OklahomaCity runs through 2011 when the NCAAcan choose to stay or take the tourna-ment somewhere else.

City officials have said they wouldprefer a more long-term deal. Still, they

understand why the NCAA hasnt of-fered one; the WCWS has become al-most too popular in Oklahoma City.

The event is on the verge of outgrow-ing Hall of Fame Stadium. Improve-ments have been ongoing for years, but amassive overhaul would likely require avote of Oklahoma City taxpayers.

Note to city leaders: put Hall of FameStadium on the to-do list for MAPS 4.

Jenni: Final Four may be possible in city, coach saysFROM PAGE 10S

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tude environments and anendless pool.

Thats where the eliteathletes will train, Chesa-peake Boathouse DirectorMike Knopp said. Wevealready had a lot of athleteswho have moved to Okla-homa City to begin train-ing in the USA Canoe/Kayak under 23 programs.It will be state of the art inevery way.

The Head of OklahomaRegatta also will return toits larger form in October.A scaled down event washeld last year because of

Once just a dream onpaper, the Oklahoma Riveris beginning to look a lotlike community leadershad hoped it would whenthe Chesapeake Boathousewas completed.

The new Devon Boat-house is nearing comple-tion and work on the Che-sapeake Finish Line Toweris underway. Boathousesfor the University of Okla-homa and the University ofCentral Oklahoma also arenearing the constructionphases of their develop-ment.

The completion of theDevon Boathouse bringsnew opportunities for ath-letes who are part of na-tional training programsfor rowing, canoeing andkayaking.

The facility will have apropulsion tank, hyper-baric chamber to simulatecompetition in high alti-

construction along theriver. Some constructionremains, like the Chesa-peake Finish Line Tower,which will be completed inearly 2011, but for the mostpart the event will returnin its traditional form.

Well have the nightracing which has been verypopular and there will besome other surprises instore, Knopp said.

The American CollegiateRowing AssociationChampionships will alsoreturn to the OklahomaRiver May 22-23.

Regattas, rowingkeep river busy

At left, Oklahoma City University rowers compete during the 2009 Boot of theOklahoma on Oct. 3 on the Oklahoma River. PHOTO BY SARAH PHIPPS, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

AT A GLANCE

OKLAHOMA RIVER EVENTSHeres a quick look at upcoming events:

May 1: Big 12 Rowing Championship May 8-9: U.S. Rowing Central District YouthChampionships May 22-23: American Collegiate Rowing Associ-ation Championships June 26: Rose Rock Regatta

OKLAHOMA RIVER | MORE BOATHOUSES BEING BUILT

BY MATT PATTERSONStaff [email protected]

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EDMOND During itsquest to become a moreprivate club, Oak TreeNational ironicallyopened its doors to one ofthe nations most presti-gious events with openqualifying.

Oak Tree National hasroughly half its previousmembership since newownership took actionlast year to make the golffacility more exclusivewith higher membershipentry fees and monthlyrates.

The place formerlyknown as Oak Tree GolfClub will host the U.S.Senior Open on July 31-Aug. 3, 2014.

The date will allowlongtime Oak Tree resi-dent Scott Verplank tocompete. Verplank turns50 on July 9, 2014. Any-one who is 50 and olderwith a handicap of 3.4 orless can qualify for theSenior Open. A Cham-pions Tour player is eligi-ble if he turns 50 on orbefore the day of his firsttournament obligation.

By the time the 2014U.S. Senior Open arrives,other original members ofthe Oak Tree Boys willbe age eligible. Bob Twayturned 50 in May of 2009and has joined the Cham-pions Tour. Willie Woodturns 50 on Oct. 1.

Gil Morgan, Doug Te-well, David Edwards andMark Hayes already haveplayed on the senior cir-cuit. Morgan is still goingstrong, but will be 67when the 2014 SeniorOpen arrives.

Other notable PGATour players who turn 50between now and the2014 U.S. Senior Openinclude Stillwaters BillGlasson, Mark Calca-

vecchia, Kenny Perry,Brad Faxon, former OUAll-American AndrewMagee, Duffy Waldorf,Steve Elkington, RoccoMediate, Colin Mont-gomerie and Vijay Singh.

Other courses plansSeveral local courses

have plans to renovatetheir courses. These reno-vations are mostly forupkeep and improve-ments, but not with theintent to lure a major proevent. Sponsorship mon-ey has dwindled on tourand a local course couldbe in search of an event.

The state remainsdeeply involved in juniorand collegiate golf events.Oklahoma States KarstenCreek Golf Club will hostthe 2011 NCAA menschampionship.

Though getting the2014 U.S. Senior Open isgood news for Oak TreeNational, it might be asbig as it gets for the 148-acre golf haven in northEdmond.

Major championshipson the PGA Tour haveoutgrown Oak Tree Na-tional, which remains oneof the countrys finesttests, but theres notenough leg room to stagea PGA Tour major cham-pionship. Majors on othercircuits pose no problem,however.

There simply isntenough space to host themass of humanity thatnow swarms major cham-pionships.

Oak Tree National canthandle 40,000 fans a day.The place was filled whenit hosted the 1988 PGAChampionship and rough-ly 25,000 arrived daily,which was an impressivenumber back then.

It would be a pleasantproblem to have, USGAExecutive Director DavidFay said of accommodat-ing huge crowds for the2014 U.S. Senior Open.We hope we will getnumbers comparable towhat was here for thePGA.

The 2006 Senior PGAChampionship at OakTree Golf Club drewroughly 70,000 for theweek, and there wasplenty of wiggle room.

Some PGA Tour stopshave drawn 70,000-plusfans per day.

Oak Tree National

hosting a PGA Tour majorchampionship would beakin to Oklahoma Statesold Gallagher Hall hostingan NCAA mens basket-ball regional.

You love the setting,but more seats are re-quired unless one of progolfs organizations iswilling to take a serioushit at the admission gate.

The Oak Tree Nationalcourse is undeniably wor-thy, but hosting a U.S.Open, another PGAChampionship or theRyder Cup are long shots.

Owner Ed Evans saidofficials from the USGA,PGA of America and PGATour have visited OakTree National recentlyand he is optimistic morenoteworthy events will beforthcoming.

I think the generalconsensus is we certainlyhave room on the venuesite to host whatever wewant to host, Evans said.The only challenge werefaced with is ... gettingpeople in and out of here.Weve had very construc-tive conversations withcity and state officialsabout that.

Widening WaterlooRoad is much more feasi-ble than widening trafficareas on the course.

Evans said the frontnine and back nine will be

swapped for the 2014 U.S.Senior Open, which hehopes will ease potentialcongestion.

The 10th tee will be-come the first tee. Thefirst tee will become the10th tee. This will flip-flop No. 9 and No. 18,which was done in the1988 PGA and 2006 Se-nior PGA to allow spacefor a large grandstandbehind the final green.

Once Oak Tree Nation-al has hosted the U.S.Senior Open, the orga-nization will be betterequipped to render a de-cision about a futureUSGA event potentiallybeing held there.

We do it one step at atime, Fay said. This U.S.Senior Open will be ahuge event here. Youthrow in all the localknowledge and interestwith golf from this area,and its a recipe for suc-cess.

Looking forward to2015 or 2016, our dancecard is filled. But whenyou finish a champion-ship here, its not like youroll up the golf course andit goes away. Its a build-ing block. This golf courseis relatively young(opened in 1976), but italready has built up animpressive resume ofevents.

Oak Tree prepares for U.S. Senior Open

Principal owners, from right, Ed Evans, Everett Dobson and Brad Naifeh hit ceremonial tee shots to officially open the new golf course for-merly called the Oak Tree Golf Club. The club was rededicated July 22 as Oak Tree National. PHOTO BY JIM BECKEL, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

ONLINE

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AT A GLANCE

USGA EVENTSIN OKLAHOMAThe USGA annuallyhosts 13 nationalchampionships.When the 2014 U.S.Senior Open is heldat Oak Tree Nation-al, it will be the 12thdifferent USGAchampionshipstaged in Oklahoma.All that remains ishosting the U.S.Mid-Amateur.Here is a look atUSGA champion-ships held in Oklaho-ma:

U.S. Open Southern HillsCountry Club (1958,1977, 2001)U.S. Womens Open Muskogee CountryClub (1970) Cedar Ridge Country Club (1983)U.S. Senior Open Oak Tree National(2014)U.S. Amateur Oklahoma CityGolf & Country Club(1953) Southern Hills(1965, 2009) Oak Tree Golf Club(1984)U.S. Womens Amateur Southern Hills(1946) Tulsa Country Club (1960)U.S. Junior Amateur Southern Hills(1953) Twin Hills (1967)U.S. Girls Junior The Oaks CountryClub (1960)U.S. Amateur Public Links Jimmie Austin OUGolf Course (2009)U.S. WomensAmateur PublicLinks Page Belcher GolfCourse (1988)U.S. Mid-Amateur NoneU.S. Womens Mid-Amateur Southern Hills(1987)USGA Senior Amateur Southern Hills(1961)USGA Senior Womens Amateur Tulsa Country Club (2008)

JOHN ROHDE, SPORTS COLUMNIST

GOLF | COURSES SEEK ROOM TO GROW AS MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS DRAW BIGGER CROWDS

JohnRohde

COMMENTARY

[email protected]

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With the problems the Arena FootballLeague was having, Oklahoma City fanswere wondering what the fate of the Ok-lahoma City Yard Dawgz of the arenafootball2 league was going to be.

Despite the AFLs issues, the af2 wasowned separately and was never in dan-ger. And when the AFL and af2 decided tomerge to create a new Arena FootballLeague, Oklahoma City was one of thefirst cities to sign up.

This year there will be 15 teams in theleague, though there could be expansionin the years to come.

This is a real exciting time for us, YardDawgz general manager Christie Cooksaid. Were happy to be a part of some-thing new, and we think its going to begreat for everybody.

During its six-year run in the af2, Okla-homa City made the playoffs five times.

And with management continually look-ing to players with Oklahoma ties, attend-ance has been high for the Yard Dawgz.

Head coach Sparky McEwen is return-ing for his second full year with the cluband has brought a different, winning atti-tude to the club.

This is a great place for arena footballto be, and Im excited to get the chance tocome back, McEwen said.

A change in the economic model hasCommissioner Jerry Kurz excited aboutthe future of the league.

Kurz said the league is learning fromMajor League Soccer and is having allplayers and coaches employed by theleague. He said they have learned fromtheir mistakes.

The new AFL already has a contractwith NFL Network to broadcast a selectamount of games. Oklahoma City andTulsa will be televised July 30.

The 2010 season will mark the secondyear in a row Oklahoma City will play inthe Cox Convention Center.

Al Hunt of the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz celebrates after a touchdown againstthe Milwaukee Iron during an Arena League II football game June 13 at the CoxConvention Center in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

BY ROBERT PRZYBYLOStaff [email protected]

Merger wont put Dawgz outdoors

We have Czech players.We have Swede players,Finnish players, Olcyksaid. I think the fans willreally enjoy the speed andphysicality aspect of (theAHL).

No longer being in theCHL, Oklahoma City losesits most hated rival, theTulsa Oilers. But Olcyksees the possibility for newrivals between OklahomaCity and the AHL clubs inTexas: the Houston Aeros,San Antonio Rampage andthe Texas Stars, based inCedar Park, Texas.

When the puck is drop-ped in October for theopening of OklahomaCitys first AmericanHockey League season, thecity will have a brand ofhockey it has not had inmore than 25 years.

Oklahoma Citys newhockey club is the equiva-lent of the Oklahoma CityRedHawks in baseball aTriple-A franchise affiliat-ed with a major leagueteam.

Unlike the former Dou-ble-A Oklahoma CityBlazers in the CentralHockey League, the AHLfranchise in OklahomaCity will have a parent clubin the Edmonton Oilers.

Like the Redhawks inbaseball, the AHL playersin Oklahoma City will beonly one step away fromthe major league.

Faster gameThe talent in the AHL is

better and the speed of thegame is faster than in theCHL.

Oklahoma City fans willnotice the difference, saidRicky Olcyk, director ofhockey operations for theEdmonton Oilers.

You are going to seeworld-class hockey on adaily basis, he said.

Robert Funk Jr., chiefexecutive officer for Prod-igal Hockey which willmanage the operations forthe new Oklahoma Cityteam and former Blazersowner, agreed.

Its a faster-pacedgame, Funk said of AHLplay. Its crisper. You aregoing to see better per-formance overall. Theseare the Triple-A athletes ofthe hockey world.

You are going to see analmost NHL level qualityof play. These guys arebumped up fairly quickly.

League changesJust like in baseball,

AHL players will be calledup to the Oilers rosterduring the season and proswill be sent down for per-manent or temporary as-signment.

Last season, 10 playersmoved between Edmontonand their affiliate in 16transactions. Players in theAHL come from all overthe world.

Bob Funk Jr. is shown in front of the ice at the CoxConvention Center Feb. 9 in Oklahoma City.

PHOTO BY JOHN CLANTON, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

AHL | UNLIKE BLAZERS, NEW FRANCHISE WILL HAVE TIES TO NHL, EDMONTON OILERS

BY ED GODFREYStaff [email protected]

Triple-A hockey to come to city

QUICK FACTS

THE AHLA look at the Amer-ican Hockey League:

The AHL has oper-ated since 1936 andis in its 74th seasonof play. Top developmentalleague for the Na-tional HockeyLeague. More than 84percent of playerson NHL rostersplayed in the AHL,including 21 of the 27players on currentEdmonton roster. Twenty-three ofthe 30 NHL headcoaches also servedas head coaches inthe AHL. More than 200former first-roundand second-roundNHL draft picksdevelop their skills inthe AHL each year. Other cities withAHL teams are Chi-cago, Houston, SanAntonio, Milwaukee,Toronto, Clevelandand Winnipeg.

ED GODFREY, STAFF WRITER

You are goingto see betterperformanceoverall. Theseare theTriple-Aathletes of thehockey world.You are goingto see analmost NHLlevel quality ofplay. Theseguys arebumped upfairly quickly.

ROBERT FUNK JR.CHIEF EXECUTIVEOFFICER,PRODIGAL HOCKEY


The national economy cra-tered in September 2008. Okla-homa Citys passion for theNBA did not.

Despite unfortunate financialtiming the recession hitAmerica two months after theSeattle franchise relocated toOklahoma City and fearsfrom some precincts that themarket was too small, theThunder has been a solid addi-tion to the NBA landscape.

The Ford Center has beensold out for most games, cor-porate support has remainedstrong and, oh yes, the team,which was awful in the 2008-09, has turned into a saber-tooth, firmly in the ruggedWestern Conference playoffhunt.

Kevin Durant is turning intoan Oklahoma City icon aswell as an international super-star and sidekicks RussellWestbrook and Jeff Green arentfar behind. Green is 23; Durantand Westbrook both 21. Youngstars for a young city and ayoung franchise.

Boomtown, The Oklahomancalled the whole experience onthe eve of the Thunders debut,and the description is more aptnow than ever.

We are extremely proud ofthe development of our team andthe bond our players and orga-nization have forged with thecommunity, said Dan Mahoney,the Thunders vice president forcorporate communications andcommunity relations. The con-sistent, passionate support of ourfans and corporate partners hasbeen outstanding, and we areexcited about the future of theThunder.

In mid-March, the Thundersaverage attendance of 17,926ranked 11th among the 30 NBAteams. The Thunders percent-age of tickets sold, 98.5, rankedeighth in the league.

The Thunders average isdown but its percentage is up,

since the Ford Center was reno-vated last summer and lostalmost 1,000 seats, in favor ofmore suites. A year ago, theThunder ranked ninth in theNBA in both average attendance(18,693) and percentage (97.7).

In just over a year and ahalf, we are humbled by theunwavering support of themarket, said Brian Byrnes, theThunder senior vice president

for ticket sales and service.With one of the largest

season ticket bases in the NBA,the significant support of ourcorporate partners and the nu-merous community programswe support, we are building astrong foundation for long-term success.

Our sustainability is predi-cated upon the continued sup-port of the entire community.

Given the relative size of ourmarket, we are all in this to-gether.

Oklahoma City remains theNBAs smallest market in pop-ulation and is the third-small-est television market in theleague, ahead of only New Or-leans and Memphis.

So constant diligence is re-quired to keep the Thundervibrant. Fans passion for the

sport. The Thunders customerservice. The on-court product,which has undergone an amaz-ing turnaround from the Year 1record of 23-59.

But all signs point to thisbeing the start of a beautifulfriendship.

Berry Tramel: (405) 760-8080; Berry Tramel canbe heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network,including AM-640 and FM-98.1.

OKLAHOMA CITYS NBA TEAM HAS HAD MAJOR TURNAROUND IN SECOND SEASON

Thunder finds boomtown in city

Oklahoma City Thunders Russell Westbrook defends on Golden States C.J. Watson on Dec. 7 during an NBA basketball game at theFord Center in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

COMMENTARY

[email protected]

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The Ford Center will notbe shut down this summeras originally planned.

Because plans have notbeen finalized for the finalphase of renovation, exca-vation for a new grand en-tryway on the southwestcorner of the Ford Centerwill not begin until Sep-tember.

The new entryway to bebuilt near Robinson andInterstate 40 will be thehighlight of a $53 millionproject that is scheduledfor completion by spring2011.

It will be an iconic en-trance to the arena, saidTom Anderson, OklahomaCitys special projectsmanager. It will have amajor glass element, but itwont look like an add-on.It will complement the ex-isting building with somebrick components.

A few projects will be

completed this summerinside the Ford Center:new concession stands,two new restrooms onboth the concourse andupper-deck levels, andnovelty stands. But mostmajor projects inside thearena were completed lastsummer.

These renovations willnot require us to close thebuilding, said Gary Des-jardins, Ford Center gener-al manager. We will bestaying open.

The Ford Center will beshut down for a couple ofmonths in summer 2011,most likely in July and Au-gust, so constructioncrews can install a newfloor finish on the 100concourse level.

Were going with a dif-ferent floor finish thatsprimarily used in Europebut not widely used in theUnited States, Desjardinssaid. We need more timeto touch and feel it and seehow easy it will be tomaintain.

Grand entrywayto cap renovationsat Ford CenterBY MIKE BALDWINStaff [email protected]

Anyone who has attended a con-cert or Thunder game the past sixmonths has noticed changes in theFord Center. Additional renovationswill be constructed during the next18 months.

Voters approved a 15-month, 1-cent sales tax in March 2008 thatwould be used only if an NBA teamrelocated to Oklahoma City.

When team chairman Clay Bennettmoved the Sonics from Seattle to Ok-lahoma City a few months later, thesales tax began in January of 2009.

The tax was projected to raise $120million, $100 million earmarked forFord Center renovations with an ad-ditional $20 million used to build theThunder a new practice facility innorth Oklahoma City that will becompleted by September.

The Ford Center was shut downfor more than four months last sum-mer so construction crews couldmake major renovations inside theeight-year-old facility.

Whats changed?Renovations included:

A state-of-the-art $3.8 millionscoreboard with 10 all-digital panels.

LED ribbon video board aroundthe arena.

Forty-eight new terrace suiteson both ends that seat four to sixpeople.

Remodeling existing suites. A new locker room for the

Thunder that includes weightequipment and video equipment.

A state-of-the-art control roomin the upper deck to run programs onthe scoreboard.

Concourse light and floor reno-vations in Loud City.

Eleven lavish bunker suites. Host of events

A Kings of Leon concert in earlyOctober was the first event followingrenovations. The past six months,other events in the Ford Center haveincluded concerts, conventionevents, more than 40 Thundergames and the mens NCAA tourna-ment. Oklahoma native Carrie Un-derwood will play there Oct. 20.

The feedback has been very posi-tive from the new scoreboard, ter-race suites, the concourse and otherseats being more comfortable, saidGary Desjardins, Ford Center generalmanager. We achieved what wewanted to achieve.

One unique aspect of the newscoreboard is a wedge at the bottom,essentially a second scoreboard thatmakes viewing easier for fans nearthe court. Its called the Bennettwedge.

Clays inspiration was to deliverthe game video experience for every-one, said Brian Byrnes, vice presi-dent of ticket sales and services. Noother NBA team has this.

The only minor issue has been theloss of storage space, a problem thatwill be resolved in 2011when an addi-tional 300,000 square feet will beadded when the third and final phaseis completed, the highlight being anew grand entryway.

Ford Center continues improvements

People walk outside the Ford Center during Opening Night activities on New Years Eve in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

UPDATES | MORE RENOVATIONS SET TO MAKE FORD CENTER STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY

BY MIKE BALDWINStaff [email protected]

The Oklahoma City Thunder locker room is shown Oct. 11 after reno-vations to the Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City.

The scoreboard and basketball court are shown during a tour Oct. 11 ofthe Ford Centers improvements.

A visitor to the Ford Cen-ter videotapesthe scoreboardOct. 11 during atour of thefacilitys reno-vation indowntownOklahoma City.

PHOTOS BY JOHN CLANTON,

OKLAHOMANARCHIVE

It (the new entryway) will be aniconic entrance to the arena.

TOM ANDERSON OKLAHOMA CITYS SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER


The more things change, themore things stay the same.

Outdoor shows have beenaround for more than 30 years inOklahoma City, but their pur-pose remains the same today asthree decades ago: to get con-sumers to spend money.

One of the longest-runningand most-attended outdoorshows, the Oklahoma TackleShow, has not been held in twoyears at the state fairgounds.

It was bought by an Indianapromoter who said there justwerent enough vendors the pasttwo years to make the show eco-nomically viable.

Other long-running Oklaho-ma City outdoors shows suchas the Backwoods Hunting andFishing Expo, the OklahomaCity Boat Show and the annualCentral Oklahoma RV Show

have continued to prosper de-spite the economic downturn.

And even though there arehuge outdoors stores now suchas Bass Pro Shops and Academywhere outdoorsmen can spendtheir money, outdoor showscontinue to draw crowds.

Chuck Devereaux, owner ofBass Tubs of Oklahoma, said at-tendance has been high at everyoutdoor show where hes beenpitching his products this year.

What continues to bring peo-ple to outdoor shows? The mainreason is the opportunity to seeand buy whats new. They alsoattend to learn.

Hunting and fishing showsfeature seminars by experts.Devereaux thinks most outdoortelevision shows are now moreabout entertaining their audi-ence than teaching them thehow-to techniques. Outdoorshows still fill that void.

Outdoor shows still are theplaces where annual duck calling

and turkey calling contests areheld as well as 3D-archeryshoots. They are venues wheresportsmen can get their antlersscored.

They are still the places wheresportsmen can meet and visitwith outfitters and book theirhunting, fishing and campingvacations.

And theyve become kidfriendly with activities such astrout fishing and rock climbing.

The Oklahoma Department ofWildlife Conservation even hasits own outdoor show, called theOklahoma Wildlife Expo.

The agencys purpose with theWildlife Expo held each year atthe Lazy E Arena in Guthrie isnot to sell consumers products,but to sell them on the outdoors.

The event is free, and visitorscan shoot bows and guns for thefirst time, paddle a kayak, ride amountain bike, sample wildgame and more.

State wildlife officials hope

the Wildlife Expo experience willencourage more people to par-ticipate in outdoor activities,such as fishing, hunting andcamping.

We are an urban state for thefirst time in our history, saidRichard Hatcher, director of theOklahoma Department of Wild-life Conservation. Fewer peopleare tied closely to the land likethey used to be.

We dont know how manypeople go to the Expo, then buy a(hunting or fishing) license be-cause of their Expo experience,Hatcher said. What we do knowis that we are exposing lots andlots of people for the first time.Thats worth a lot.

Last year, almost 42,000 peo-ple attended the Expo in Septem-ber, and its become a populardestination for school field trips.

DESPITE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, PEOPLE CONTINUE TO BE DRAWN TO EVENTS FOR FISHING, CAMPING AND HUNTING

Children line the banks of ponds to practice casting Sept. 25 during the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie.

Sportsmen enjoy the Backwoods Hunting and Fishing Expo onFeb. 28 at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City. PHOTOS BY PAUL HELLSTERN,

OKALHOMAN ARCHIVE

Outdoor shows remain popularafter more than three decadesBY ED GODFREYOutdoors [email protected]

THE OKLAHOMAN 19S

It wasnt too long agothat people were worriedabout the future of StateFair Park. In fact, Presi-dent and General ManagerTim OToole remembersback in 2004 the whispersand conversations amongcustomers.

Those days are over. AsOToole said,the StateFair Park has entered the21st century.

Driving the business isthe strength of the horseshows, and Oklahoma Citysolidified another bigevent in the last year.

City is home to twomajor shows

State Fair Park has host-ed the American QuarterHorse Youth World Showthe past couple of years,replacing Fort Worth, Tex-as. However, there is now afive-year agreement forthe event to stay in Okla-homa City instead goingon a year-to-year basis.

There are two thingsthat are crucial for us,OToole said. One, wehave to retain our existingbusiness. Two, we have togrow new businesses.Were very happy with thegrowth and development

of things.The youth show is the

second biggest show forthe AQHA, and OklahomaCity is already the homefor the largest, the AQHAWorld Show.

It was tough for state fairmanagement to try to up-grade the facilities for thesame reason State FairPark has always been sucha hot tourism spot.

Were busy all the time,and we have people herecoming all the time,OToole said. Its a greatthing, but it put us in atough spot of finding thetime.

When MAPS 3 passed inDecember, it was a big dayfor fans of State Fair Park more than $60 million isbeing used to upgrade thefacilities.

The proposed changeswill enable the park togrow from 271events to 327events a year and would al-low simultaneous events.

Because of the upgradesto the buildings, it is esti-mated that those facilitieswill increase attendance atthe events in the upgradedbuildings from 648,000people to 959,000.

Its a real exciting timefor us as we look forward tocontinue the developmentof State Fair Park, OToolesaid.

Nicolette Kindt leads her horse Norma Gene, a 3-year-old mare, in the preliminary working order class dur-ing the 2009 American Quarter Horse Youth WorldShow at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

PHOTO BY JACONNA AGUIRRE, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

State Fair Parkupdates allowfor more events

Georgia Vernal, of North Carolina, shows XperianceThe Impulse during the Holiday Classic Paint HorseShow on Jan. 2 at State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

UPGRADES | MORE THAN $60 MILLION IN CHANGES APPROVED UNDER MAPS 3

BY ROBERT PRZYBYLOStaff [email protected]

Ron Garber, of Boardman, Ore., takes Brennas Arrowto warm up before competing in amateur reining Nov.6 during the American Quarter Horse Associations2009 AQHA World Championship Show at State FairPark in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS,

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

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Oklahoma City Museumof Art, 415 Couch Drive

Near the exit of the DaleChihuly exhibit at the Oklaho-ma City Museum of Art, I finda small room, nothing morethan a pair of displays facingeach other across a 6-foothallway. The room is dim, thewalls gray. Chihulys glisteningglass creations are sparklingbeneath well-placed spotlights.

Moments before, Id beenwandering among the otherdisplays in the sprawling exhib-it, the largest permanent col-lection of Chihulys work in theworld. Id examined blown-glass seashells, plants, vasesand unrecognizable objects thatsomehow seemed organic. Idpassed beneath a glass ceilingcovered in large and small glasssculptures and marveled at afield of slender purple tubesrising from some fallen logs likeundersea cattails.

It was all beautiful and fasci-nating, but this little room mademe stop in my tracks.

On my right is a display titledPutti With Birds. I dont knowwhat putti are a failing of mypublic school education but Iimagine theyre the portly, che-rubesque human figures that

share glass tree limbs, nests andglaciers with a penguin, owl andother birds. The colors are mut-ed: the blue of a shallow ocean,salmon pink, dull orange-gold.

Leering across the hallway atthem is a display called Ikeba-na, a Japanese term for flowerarrangement. Indeed, theseappear to be aggressive tropicalflowers, each more than 4 feettall and spiraling out of gourd-like urns. Four urns stand up-right. The fifth lies on the floor,

a red and green flower spillingfrom it, glass petals gaping like ahungry Venus flytrap. Three ofthe others boast similar petals,plus thrusting, tongue-like ap-pendages that make them in-sistent and predatory. Feed me,Seymour. If one of the pudgyputti humans crosses the hall,the flowers look ready to lurchforward like Triffids in shufflingpursuit. Maybe thats how thered and green flower tipped.

The fifth flower is unlike theothers. While they gape openlike a sharks jaws, the fifth issolid, round and serrated, like abuzz saw blade. The edge isviolently yellow. The inner diskis bronze over blue, dappledwith lemon spots. Its as if thesaw bit deep into a yellow-blooded creature, staining theedge and throwing off spatter.Its troubling that my mindconjures such a brutal narrative,transforming the floral shapesinto a vitrified Rorschach test.Perhaps its the contrast repre-sented in this room: the birdsand humans dull and small, theplants oversized and bright. Idont know why the flowersstrike me as hostile, but they do and theyre all the more cap-tivating for it.

KEN RAYMOND, STAFF WRITER

Pieces by glass artist Dale Chihuly are shown Feb. 15 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art inOklahoma City. The museum is home to the worlds largest permanent Chihuly collection.

PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Artists bright glassspawns vivid stories

ONLINE

Accompany The Oklaho-mans photographers andwriters as they investi-gate some of our statesmost intriguing places seeing what they see,hearing what they hearand feeling what they feel. PLACES.NEWSOK.COM


1. Penn Square Mall1900 NW ExpresswayOklahoma City2. Quail Springs Mall2501 W MemorialOklahoma City3. Sooner Mall3301 W Main, Norman4. Washington Park Mall2350 WE Washington Blvd.Bartlesville5. Woodland Hills Mall7021 S Memorial, Tulsa

6. Tulsa Promenade4107 S Yale, Tulsa7. Oakwood Mall4125 W Owen Garriott Road, Enid8. Central Mall200 SW C. Avenue, Lawton

Major malls in Oklahoma

1

47

8

562

3

ONLINE

BLOGSFashion MattersFor updates on fashion and shopping, visitFashion Editor Linda Millers blogon NewsOK.com.BLOG.NEWSOK.COM/FASHIONMATTERS

Smart ShoppingFrugal shoppers Helen Wallace and Linda Millerkeep you up to date on deals and steals. BLOG.NEWSOK.COM/SMARTSHOPPING

ALSO ...

ShoppingQuestions, or tips, on shopping? Check out ourknow it message board, Lets Talk.KNOWIT.NEWSOK.COM/SHOPPING

Penn Square Mall: 1901 Northwest ExpresswayPHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Quail Springs Mall: 2501 W MemorialPHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Sooner Mall: 3301 W Main, NormanPHOTO BY JENNIFER PALMER, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

SHOPPING

5. Tulsa Promenade4017 S Yale, Tulsa

6. Woodland Hills Mall7021 S Memorial, Tulsa

1. Penn Square Mall1901 NW ExpresswayOklahoma City

F

580-436-0770

P

24S SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMOUTLOOK | THE WAY WE LIVE1Bank of Oklaho-

ma drive-through

at NW 4 and Rob-

inson, originally

constructed by

Fidelity Bank.

2Neal Horton

3Baum Building

4B

5B

6Dean A. McGee

7Big Truck Tacos

8Oklahoma City

Ballet

9Perle Mesta

10 Rand Elliott

11The Oklahoma

City 89ers.

12 Jim and Ron

Norick

13 Deep Deuce

14. Art deco

15 1890

16 Ray Ackerman

17 Ron Norick

18 Douglass High

School

19 Mummers Thea-

ter

20 WKY

21KOMA

22 Delmar Gardens.

23 John A Brown

Department Store

24 Katz Drug Store

25 Grand Avenue

26 Dale Chihuly

27 The Academy of

Contemporary Mu-

sic @ UCO

28 The Oklahoma

City Cavalry

29 Film Row

30 Bunte Candies

31Vince Gill and

Amy Grant

32 Automobile Alley

33 Sonic

34 Calvary Bap-

tist Church

35 The Colcord

Hotel

36 George Shirk

37 Ford Center

38 Anna Maude

Cafeteria

39 Joe Carter

Test your knowledge of OklahomaCitys present and past then checkyour answers to see how you did:

1 What was the first downtownproject completed under the citysUrban Renewal program?

2 This son of a leading OklahomaCity banker renovated the Colcordbuilding and started Bricktown.

3 Which landmark downtownbuilding did the late Mayor GeorgeShirk attempt to move before ulti-mately agreeing to let it fall toUrban Renewals wrecking ball?

4 The new Devon tower is beingbuilt on the site that was once hometo one of the following theaters:

A The Criterion B The Warner C Liberty

5 Which popular downtown eventstarted in 1967 in front of the CivicCenter Music Hall?

A Downtown in December B The Festival of the ArtsC DeadCENTER Film Festival

6 This leading oilman never had abiography written about his life,even though he was a leading forcein redevelopment of downtown, theOklahoma Health Center and con-struction of a skyscraper and theMyriad Gardens. A downtownstreet and an Oklahoma HealthCenter anchor are named after him.

7 This restaurant consists of a bigtruck and little building and its runby little twin and big twin. Every-day they sell a menu item and re-fuse to say whats in it until the dayis over.

8 This performance group gained anew name and a new director lastyear, and they danced in front ofCity Hall and paraded down ParkAvenue.

9 She was known as the hostesswith the mostess for her ability todominate Washington social lifeas her parties brought togetherheads of states and leaders fromthroughout the world, but thisOklahoma City native never forgother home state. A historic neigh-borhood is named in her honorWho was she?

10 This downtown architect isknown for his use of lights andglass and has won numerous na-tional and international honors.Who is he?

11 What was the previous name ofthe Oklahoma City RedHawks?

12 The only father and son toserve as mayors of Oklahoma City.

13 This downtown neighborhoodwas once home to jazz greatsCharlie Christian and JimmyRushing.

14 Name the style of architectureused on City Hall, the Civic CenterMusic Hall and the OklahomaCounty Courthouse.

15 When did Oklahoma City firststart construction on a canalbetween downtown and theNorth Canadian River (nowknown as the Oklahoma River)?

16 This veteran advertising exec-utive was a tireless advocate forthe Oklahoma River and hes beencalled Old Man River.

17 He kicked off downtowns re-vival with MAPS.

18 The AT&T Bricktown Ballparkstands on what was once home tothis once all-black high school.

19 What was the original name ofStage Center?

20 This radio station once calledthe Skirvin Hotel its home.

21 This radio station once calledthe Biltmore Hotel its home.

22 Name the amusement parkthat was once located along theOklahoma River.

23 This legendary Oklahoma Citydepartment store announced itwas closing its downtown oper-ation in 1974.

24 A replica of this downtownstores lunch counter where blackchildren protested segregation atarea businesses can be seen at theOklahoma History Center.

25 Sheridan Avenue was originallyknown as?

26 The Oklahoma City Museum ofArt is home to a collection by thisfamous glass artist.

27 This school is based in Brick-town and has hosted Grammy-winning rock artists Wayne Coyneand Roger Daltrey.

28 Oklahoma Citys love affair withprofessional basketball downtownbegan with this team.

29 The countrys biggest moviestudios once had branches on thisstretch of W Sheridan Avenue.

30 This candy company operatedout of Bricktown for almost 40years.

31 This famous husband and wiferecording duo have cruised theBricktown Canal and attended aRedHawks game at the AT&TBricktown Ballpark. The husbandhas a street named after him.

32 What is Broadway known as?

33 This Bricktown company is oneof the countrys largest fast foodrestaurant chains.

34 Martin Luther King Jr. spoke atthis church but was rejected whenhe applied to become its pastor.

35 This downtown hotel was anoffice building for 95 years eventhough its owners originally in-tended it to be a hotel.

36 This Oklahoma City mayor wasconsidered a leading advocate ofthe preservation movement, yet hepublicly campaigned the demolitionof hundreds of historic buildings.

37 The one original MAPS projectthat came closest to not being built.

38 This beloved downtown cafete-ria was located in the basement ofwhat is now known as the Rob-inson Renaissance Building.

39 This Oklahoma City native hit396 career home runs, includingthe shot that gave the Toronto BlueJays the world championship in

1993. A street is named after himin Bricktown. Who is he?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR CITY?

This native Oklahoman and so-cialite, shown in this 1951 photo,was named the U.S. Minister toLuxembourg. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

The Skirvin Hilton Hotel is shown in this 2008 photo in Oklahoma City. PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER,OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER,THE OKLAHOMAN

This downtown Oklahoma Citydrug store, shown in 1939, wasthe site of a sit-in in 1958.

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Businesses are shown alongBroadway. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN,

OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke atthis downtown church at 300 NWalnut, shown in 2009. PHOTO BY

DOUG HOKE, OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE

ANSWERS

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As youth across Okla-homa prepare to spendtime at Falls Creek thissummer, leaders at theyouth encampment awaitthem with a beloved, fa-miliar Scripture.

Thousands of youngpeople at the Baptist campand conference center nearDavis will be asked to bepart of the new OklahomaBaptist evangelism cam-paign that uses socialmedia to spread the Gospel.

The Baptist GeneralConvention of Oklahomadebuted MY316.com in lateJanuary. It is a website de-signed similar to the pop-ular social network main-stays Facebook and My-Space.

Randy Adams, the con-ventions church outreachdirector, said the site helpsconvey the campaignspremise, which is to en-courage Baptists to sharethe Gospel using a Scrip-ture many of them alreadyknow, John 3:16: For Godso loved the world, that Hegave His only begottenSon, that whoever believesin Him should not perishbut have everlasting life.

Adams said the idea is totake away all of the excusesand self-imposed limita-tions that believers have fornot sharing the Gospelwith others.

Why not help them ful-fill the Great Commissionwith a powerful Scripturemost already are quite fa-miliar with?

Taught to shareThe campaign will be

rolled out to thousands ofyouth campers at FallsCreek and also Cross Tim-bers and some associ-ational camps. Adams saidyouths will be taught toshare Christ usingMY316.com. They willthen be challenged to takethe campaigns slogan to

heart and show theirfriends and family Godslove by serving them andothers in the community.

He said the conventionconducted a survey in fall2009 and f

Documents

14. Special Section - Outlook maps