Bridge, casino not likely, District 8 councilor Phil Lakin says
BY P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
4/25/12 at 3:08 AM
Read continuing coverage of Tulsa’s City Council.
South Tulsa residents were assured Tuesday that there would be no south Tulsa bridge across the Arkansas River any time soon and that the construction of a casino there was unlikely.
"There is no bridge that I know of," City Councilor Phil Lakin said to a crowd of more than 100 people during the District 8 City Hall in Your Neighborhood meeting.
"I made a pledge, and I plan to stick by it," the councilor said about his opposition to the bridge proposed at 121st Street and Yale Avenue.
"I know a lot of you are really worried about it."
The crowd was told that the recent street surveying activity in the vicinity of the proposed bridge site is related to a Yale Avenue rehabilitation project funded by the city's Fix Our Streets bond package.
"I know Bixby and Jenks really want a bridge, and for a lot of good reasons from their perspectives," Lakin said. "But I absolutely have to stand by and protect the residents off Yale."
Lakin also said that even though the American Indian heirs of eight acres at Yale Avenue and 111th Street are attempting to put the property in trust and used the word "casino" does not guarantee that gaming will occur there.
Because the property is near a church and a school, he said, experts "have not given it a very high chance of succeeding."
Although the bridge and casino issues continue to draw concerns from constituents, the majority of questions at Tuesday's meeting were about the city's new trash system, which is set to begin this fall.
One constituent wanted to know whether residents could opt out of the program. The answer was no.
Another person wanted to know why the recycling carts that will be distributed to all customers had to be the 96-gallon size, with no option to get a smaller one, as customers can do with trash carts.
Residents seemed to be confused about several aspects of the trash system, even though it has been widely publicized.
Eric Lee, the city's solid waste manager, said that is the reason the city is funding a $1.2 million education program about the system.
Other topics discussed at the meeting included speeding in neighborhoods, a flood zone designation around Hunter Park and a code-enforcement issue involving a resident's bamboo.
Additional meetings
All "City Hall in Your Neighborhood" events begin with a resource fair at 5:30 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. presentation.
District 9: April 30, Whiteside Park Community Center, 4009 S. Pittsburg Ave.
District 6: May 14, Martin Regional Library, 2601 S. Garnett Road.
Meetings have already been held in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8.
Original Print Headline: Neither bridge nor casino likely, neighbors told
P.J. Lassek 918-581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
City Councilor Phil Lakin: At a "City Hall in Your Neighborhood" meeting, he said the property being mentioned for a possible Indian casino is near a church and a school and that the experts "have not given it a very high chance of succeeding."
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