The "this has nothing to do with Tulsa" mega-post

[Laramie]

OKC Bricktown Canal 3 year clean up

YouTube KOCO-TV 5 Cleaning of Bricktown Canal underway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJpTfnzl5RE

[Laramie]

Break Time, Funny Stuff

Funniest Prank Phone Call Ever: Wanda Sykes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eJYI7dKrU

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City to replace Skydance bridge deck buckling issues




Alternating and seasonal colors reflect the impact of the bridge over OKC crosstown I-40


Skydance bridge is a landmark for Oklahoma City residents and travelers on Interstate 40, and a gathering place downtown.
[Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman]

Couch said the new decking would have no impact on the bridge's structural integrity.

Skydance bridge spans the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Interstate 40, and is a landmark for freeway travelers.





The new deck is expected to cost $750,000.

[buffalodan]

Do we know if they are going to go back with the same crappy wood decking? Blows my mind that they did that in the first place.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Agree 100%

Concerned to see a situation where one party dominates the U. S. or the State of Oklahoma where everything is done along party lines.  Do see a situation where Oklahoma has the potential to expand Medicaid because IMO the pros outweigh the cons.  

SQ 802: Medicaid Expansion – Information and resources:  https://okpolicy.org/sq-802-information-and-resources/

Of course they do outweigh the cons.   That's the biggest reason we won't do it... it makes sense and is good for the people of the state. 

[Laramie]

Do we know if they are going to go back with the same crappy wood decking? Blows my mind that they did that in the first place.

The wooden bridge deck will be replaced with lightweight concrete panels.

[Laramie]

Construction has started by Bolt on the Shrine & 2000 seat Basilica with completion by the summer of 2022  The Archdioceses  raised over $81 million of which $40 million will go for the actual construction the Spanish colonial style Basilica and some of the other half will go toward furnishings, church renovations within the Oklahoma City Archdioceses with the bulk targeting Southside OKC Roman Catholic Church restorations which has seen a phenomenal growth of 30% since 2009.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Archdioceses of Oklahoma City


Holy Family Cathedral, Dioceses of Tulsa



Cathedral of St. Andrew, Dioceses of Little Rock

About the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City  
The original Diocese of Oklahoma was erected in 1905, became the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa in 1930, and was erected into the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in 1972. The Archdiocese is comprised of more than 120,000 Catholics in central and western Oklahoma, and covers 46 counties and 42,470 square miles.

On December 13, 1972, Pope Paul VI split the diocese into two, creating the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which ministers to Catholics in the western part of Oklahoma, and the Diocese of Tulsa, which ministers to those in the east and the Diocese of Little Rock, AR.
 

Video of groundbreaking:  https://www.news9.com/story/41265315/catholic-leaders-break-ground-on-shrine-for-honored-priest

[Laramie]

Bricktown Marriott Renaissance

                                                                                                    
                                                                                                    First full-service hotel in Bricktown
                                                                                                    10 stories
                                                                                                    182 rooms
                                                                                                    Developer, Andy Patel

Bricktown Marriott Renaissance, a full service hotel positioned between the OKC convention center complex and the Bricktown Entertainment District houses a majority of the city's restaurants & entertainment venues sits right across from the renovated Spaghetti Warehouse & Nonna’s Ristorante is primed for future development.  Oklahoma City hotel boom will see 4,500 hotel rooms in the vicinity of the convention center complex by 2021.


Finishing touches are being put on the clean up of the 37 acres of the 42 acre Producers' COOP Mill site overlooking the I-40/I-35 Interchange.  The site sits in the area near the convention center complex, riverfront & Bricktown. Mazaheri Properties owns 5.9-acre at 101 SE 4th Street. The property was purchased for $8 million ($31.13 per square foot); it sits north of Producers Cooperative Mill and south of Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16.

(All pics via OKCTalk.com.)

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Downtown Housing Boom

(5,237 units)
[with units proposed 5,878]

[Laramie]

Pic from Google images

Mediator named in gaming compact dispute

         By Randy Ellis
         Staff writer rellis@oklahoman.com

Former U.S. District Judge Layn R. Phillips has been selected to serve as the mediator in a dispute between Oklahoma's gaming tribes and Gov. Kevin Stitt over the status of the state's tribal gaming compacts...

...He served as an Oklahoma City federal court judge from 1987 to 1991 and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma from 1984 to 1987.

Phillips' job as mediator will be to try to negotiate a settlement in a dispute that has been raging for months between Gov. Stitt and Oklahoma's gaming tribes.

...The tribes' primary motive for filing the lawsuit was to obtain a determination as to whether the compacts automatically renewed on January 1, 2020

1395 on main casino complex



World's Largest Casino

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's MAPS 4 multipurpose stadium








MAPS 4 stadium would receive $37 million towards its construction (8,000 - 10,000 seats) as part of a total 16 package projects valued at $978 million.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Skyline

First National Center will house the state's first only FIVE STAR hotel.

LED crowns will illuminate the BancFirst Tower and the new Omni Oklahoma City hotel.

All pics via OKCTalk.com

[erfalf]

First National Center will house the state's first only FIVE STAR hotel.

There aren't any four stars in the state either. There is only 1 in all of Texas. The Mansion on Turtle Creek is even a 4-Star. Seems a bit presumptuous to say the hotel will be a 5-Star before it's even opened.

I think Coury is a fantastic hotelier, however, they don't operate those kinds of hotels that get 4 and 5 star ratings.

[Oil Capital]

There aren't any four stars in the state either. There is only 1 in all of Texas. The Mansion on Turtle Creek is even a 4-Star. Seems a bit presumptuous to say the hotel will be a 5-Star before it's even opened.

I guess it depends which rating system you are looking at.  I don't know whose ratings only have 1 Texas hotel with 4 stars or no Oklahoma hotels with 4 stars.  Forbes has 11 Texas hotels with 4 stars and 1 with 5.  (But no Oklahoma hotels at either level.)

AAA uses a 5-diamond rating system and has at least 10 hotels in Oklahoma with 4 diamonds (and dozens of 4 diamond hotels in Texas plus one 5 diamond, in Houston).

[rebound]

I guess it depends which rating system you are looking at.  I don't know whose ratings only have 1 Texas hotel with 4 stars or no Oklahoma hotels with 4 stars.  Forbes has 11 Texas hotels with 4 stars and 1 with 5.  (But no Oklahoma hotels at either level.)

AAA uses a 5-diamond rating system and has at least 10 hotels in Oklahoma with 4 diamonds (and dozens of 4 diamond hotels in Texas plus one 5 diamond, in Houston).

Forbes would have to be the standard.  But either way,  calling a hotel Five-Star before it is built is a bit "presumptuous". 

I did not know that Oklahoma did not have at least a four-star hotel in the state.  Heck, we don't even have a "recommended", and I think we are getting shafted a bit there.   I have stayed at some of the recommended-level hotels in TX and while they are nice, I wasn't just blown away by, say, the Joule in Dallas. (But it is really nice.)  I'm surprised at least one of the Mayo or Ambassador in Tulsa, or the Skirvin or Colcord in OKC didn't make the recommended level.

I guess though,  I have a personal bias.  I like old and/or funky, boutique-type hotels more than pure luxury.