There was a story on this once during the Yale Avenue Bridge argument. A family donated this land to the Riverparks authority with the stipulation that it is to be used as a park.
Here is something I found on the intrawebs:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100906_11_0_CityCo895517Park creation on donated land a priority for Tulsa councilor
By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Published: 9/6/2010 9:17 PM
Last Modified: 5/4/2011 6:07 PM
Correction
This story originally contained an incorrect name for Cousins Park. The story has been corrected.
City Councilor Bill Christiansen will try to raise private money to finally transform some south Tulsa land into a park after a dozen years of waiting, he told the Tulsa World.
The Cousins family donated 10 acres at the southwest corner of 121st Street and Yale Avenue to the Park and Recreation Department in 1998, with the stipulation that it remain a conservation area and that the family be involved in the design for its use.
The city purchased 35 more acres bounded by 121st Street, Yale Avenue and the Arkansas River for $950,000 with the intention of eventually turning the entire site into a park. Even though the land remains a field, it is referred to by the city as the future Cousins Park.
Strapped for cash, the Park Department has been unable to keep up with its current facilities, such as pools and community centers, much less focus on adding parks, Park Director Lucy Dolman said.
But Christiansen said that although Tulsa in general has lots of park land, south Tulsa has hardly any. The city hasn’t focused on adding parks to its growth areas, he said.
“There’s literally thousands of young children and families between 91st and 121st streets who need a park,” he said.
The issue surfaced again during a recent council briefing on the recently completed park master plan. Christiansen was upset to learn that it doesn’t include any specific plans or timeline to create Cousins Park.
“It’s time to do something about this,” he said. “The citizens of south Tulsa have been waiting long enough.”
Dolman acknowleged that there is much less park land per capita in south Tulsa and in east Tulsa than in other sections of the city.
“There are parts of town that are better served than others,” she said. “You can look at any map and see that.”
Michael Wisner, CEO of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Trade and Commerce Authority, said in a telephone interview in March that the Creek Nation hopes to build a toll bridge across the Arkansas River in the area.
The tribe also has plans for major commercial development around the bridge, which would span the Arkansas River from 131st Street in Jenks to Tulsa near 121st and Yale.
Although the area donated by the Cousins family is supposed to remain in a natural state, Christiansen said, the land purchased by the city needs to be cleared and supplied with traditional park amenities.
“I really don’t think it would cost that much to get started,” he said. “I’m not talking about adding a pool or anything like that but maybe a splash pad, a basketball court, some playground equipment.”
Cousins Park would be enormously popular, Christiansen said, noting that the closest park, Hunter Park on 91st Street near Hudson Avenue, is always packed.
The councilor said he plans to call private foundations and other groups to see whether they would be interested in donating.
“I think it’s something that people will really get behind,” he said.
Dolman said she would love to see the land turned into a park, “but then again, we’d love to see a lot of things happen.”
The project poses challenges, she noted. The land is partially in a flood plain, and the area is home to least terns, which must be protected.
“It would be a great thing if it could work out,” she said.
Read more from this Tulsa World article at
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100906_11_0_CityCo895517
