Botanical garden will be among nation's best

Currently 73° | Thursday, September 09, 2010 | SIGN IN

Home > Opinion > Article

E-Edition

Comment

RSS Bookmark

GARDEN
Burt B. Holmes: The cultural and economic benefits will positively affect Tulsa.

By BURT B. HOLMES
Published: 1/21/2010 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 1/21/2010 4:53 AM

Oklahomans have a rare opportunity to be in on the ground floor of one of the most visionary developments proposed in Tulsa in decades, and many people already have signed on.

The project is the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden/Research and Education Center, which someday will be recognized as one of the finest in the world.

We have a site, master plan, temporary visitor center, lake full of water, walking trail, 700 members, 15-member board of directors, 48-member honorary advisory board, Saturday open houses from May through October, a Web site and quarterly newsletter.

Within a few months we will landscape around the seven-acre lake. Other priorities are continuing the capital campaign, raising money to extend water, sewer and electricity to the site and hiring a full-time executive director.

Oklahoma State University provided money to hire experts in botanical garden development to help select a site and create a master plan.

Designers with MTR, one of the nation's premier botanical garden landscape architectural firms, chose an area that was the best they had ever seen for a botanical garden. The site is seven miles northwest of downtown in the heart of one of the most unique ecosystems in the world — the Cross Timbers ancient forest and prairie. The master plan designates 100 acres for conservation and research and calls for 60 acres of gardens.

A group of investors led by Tulsans Gentner Drummond and Tom Atherton donated the land as a way to give

something back to the community and spur development in Tulsa's northwest quadrant.

The Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission earmarked for the garden $2.1 million from funds appropriated for the state's 100th birthday celebration. The money was for operations and the Centennial Phase — the lake, temporary visitor center and new access road — which was dedicated in April 2008.

Since then more than 1,200 people from across the U.S. and five countries have visited the site.

We believe the garden will ultimately be as well known and respected as the Missouri, Chicago and Atlanta botanical gardens. It will give Tulsa a great deal of national prestige to use in business development. People like to be around first-class facilities and in an environment that is exciting and interesting.

The creators of the master plan have estimated 300,000 people a year will visit the garden when it is complete. Tourists will stay a few days to enjoy the many things Tulsa and surrounding areas offer.

Researchers at the OSU School of Business have projected that 10 years of construction will add $107 million to the economy. The garden will have an annual economic impact of $10 million and a full-time equivalent of 291 employees.

In 2003, I became the garden's first contributor. I sensed from Pat Woodrum, one of the original four boosters, that the scale of this project was larger than anything proposed for Tulsa in many years.

It was the size and vision of a world-class botanical garden, research and education center that interested me.

Now we must raise money for infrastructure. We are operating with a 1,700-gallon water tank and a propane-fueled generator.

Within the next few months, a walking trail, ornamental and shade trees, lawn, and benches will be placed around the lake. We will draw water from the lake for the plants.

Also this year, we will hire an executive director with a background in horticulture and experience in managing public gardens. Pat has served as director for six years and will continue to be actively involved in development.

We have raised a sizable amount of money from foundations, companies, individuals, and garden clubs. People are now calling us.

We encourage everyone to become part of this magnificent project. The cultural and economic benefits will positively affect Tulsa, Oklahoma and the region for generations.

Burt B. Holmes is a Tulsa businessman and chairman of the board of the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden.

By BURT B. HOLMES

E-Edition

Comment

RSS Bookmark

Share

Reader Comments

Add Your Comment

11 comments entered

Show: Newest First

Report comments and help our forums

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the Tulsa World web staff to review the comment and either let it remain or delete it. Comments that will be removed include those that try to bypass our profanity word filter, personal attacks or any other inappropriate comments. Thank you, Web Editor Jason Collington

Comments

Report Comment

Ric, Broken Arrow (8 months ago)

This is great... but, Tulsa has a big problem with counting the chickens before they hatch. Be careful.

Report Comment

joker5, (8 months ago)

Oh crap, don't hire any botanists that might intentionally murder some prize orchids.

Report Comment

joker5, (8 months ago)

Instead, just hire political figureheads, they know everything that is right (or left) with the world.

Report Comment

Daniel Day Simpson, Edmond (8 months ago)

I dunno, the Moody Gardens is hard to beat with all the Rhesus monkeys hanging in the trees. The Moody is a glass pyramid that you see miles away as you enter Galveston.

Report Comment

irwindale, Tulsa (8 months ago)

Who making a buck on this one. Tulsa is about to declare Bankruptcy now we know why. Pie in the sky fools.

Report Comment

okie ridgerunner, Small Country Town State Line (8 months ago)

Sounds great.

Report Comment

Tbone, (8 months ago)

Cool!

Report Comment

irwindale, Tulsa (8 months ago)

$5000.00 rims on a $500.00 car. Can you say bankrupcy.

Go baby go!

Report Comment

kimpri, Tulsa (7 months ago)

Where is this located?

Report Comment

Jay Casey, Tulsa (7 months ago)

It really needs to happen. The only thing keeping me in Tulsa are the River Parks and what little remains of the Turkey Mountain woods. A great botanical garden would be an added attraction. Tulsa needs to work hard to counter the developers that have made so much of our city dull dull dull.

Report Comment

tulsa-foodie, Tulsa (6 months ago)

The people that are against this are probably the same people that did not want the BOK center which is now a great financial benefit for Tulsa. Entertainment and tourist attractions bring in money to a city. Think jobs, hotels, restaurants, and TAXES on all of that!

11 comments displayed

Add Your Comment

In order to post a comment on this page, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.

Mike Strain 'Brainwashed' by Phil Steele's No. 1 ranking of the Sooners	Dave Sittler A Sure Sign Football's Near
John Klein Utah State Was No Fluke	The Picker BCS Haters Rejoice!
Jimmie Tramel Playing catch-up with Billy Sims