City council tentatively sets aside Vision2 quality-of-life funds

BY BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Thursday, September 20, 2012
9/20/12 at 11:25 AM

Read continuing coverage of Tulsa’s City Council.

Tulsa’s City Council has tentatively set aside $71 million in potential Vision2 funding for Arkansas River dams.

Of that amount, $41 million would go to repair and make safety improvements to Zink Dam, along with raising the structure by three feet and adding a whitewater feature.

And $30 million would go to partner with other sources, possibly Jenks and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation on a new $60 million south Tulsa dam.

Councilors held a Thursday morning session trying to divvy up roughly $158 million that would come with the passage of the proposed Vision2 package for city quality-of-life improvements.

At a Wednesday night meeting that stretched more than five hours, councilors heard funding requests totaling nearly $260 million from various project backers.

Other potential allocations made Thursday include:

$5 million for the Gilcrease Expressway extension

$20 million for the Tulsa Zoo’s master plan

$14 million for the Parks and Recreation Department to create a Lacy Park Regional Recreation Center and modernize the city’s five remaining pools

$4.5 million for neighborhood improvements ($500,000 for each of the nine council districts)

$471,000 for to help clean up brownfield sites

$10 million for the Tulsa Children’s Museum to help build a permanent location

$10 million for the Central Library renovation

$549,000 for the Route 66 Village

$5 million to help the University of Oklahoma-University of Tulsa build medical school downtown

$5 million to help Oklahoma State University-Tulsa build a new Medical and Academic Center on its campus

$400,000 for Morton Comprehensive Health Services to buy an industrial generator for its clinic

$5 million for Langston University to put toward phase two of its nursing school

$7 million for Tulsa Community College to put toward phase two of its fire training center that’s a joint partnership with the Tulsa Fire Department

Councilor Blake Ewing encouraged his colleagues Thursday not to spread the potential funding too thin.

“Don’t try to make everyone happy,” he said, adding the council should pick a handful of projects and “knock them out of the park.”

The council will hold two public hearings on its draft projects list next week before finalizing it with a vote on a resolution next Thursday night.

Associated Images:

City councilors discuss Vision2 spending Wednesday night during a special council meeting at City Hall. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World