Dallas jumps on the bandwagon

[TurismoDreamin]

So Dallas is building a $375 million dollar outdoor skiing complex called Coolzone Winterplex. It expects about 2 million visitors per year. What a great tourism boost. Good for them. Why can't Tulsa do something like this instead of adding one more out of several other existing places to hold events (i.e. BOK Arena).

http://www.winterplex.com/


Year-round winter sports park planned for Dallas

Thinkwell Design & Production, Baker Leisure Group and McGillivray Consulting Group are among those on board for a winter-themed entertainment venue and sports park planned to open in Dallas in late 2008.

The $375 million Coolzone Winterplex project, which organizers say will be the world's first year-round, indoor-outdoor winter sports theme park, anticipates 1.6 million-2 million visitors per year.

Coolzone Winterplex is in the process of raising capital. The Bearfire Group, formed in late 2004 as the general partner for the project, has enlisted former Congressman Dick Armey to assist in these efforts.

"This is a very exciting and innovative project and will be another economic boost to North Texas," the former House Majority Leader said in a statement. "And besides, I can't wait to hit the slopes in Dallas!"

The Winterplex will use Snowflex, a technology developed by Briton Engineering in Great Britain. Snowflex is in use at some Olympic training parks, and in Europe, the public is skiing outdoors year round, organizers said. Snowflex incorporates a hydrogenated, multilayered skiing mat that mimics real packed powder.

Designs call for the Winterplex to resemble an alpine skiing village with hotel accommodations, fine dining and retail. The park's main attraction will be a 60-acre, 20-story outdoor ski and snowboard mountain complete with chairlifts and a snowboard park with competition halfpipe, toboggan and ski tubing.

The park will also feature two ice rinks, an outdoor ice trail, a winter wonderland for children with snow, an outdoor concert venue, rock climbing and rides.

Bearfire Group said it is talking with a "major motion picture studio" to use its intellectual property to theme a portion of the park.

Baker Leisure Group, responsible for such high-profile venues as Coca-Cola's Olympic City at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and Al Shallal, the largest theme park in the Middle East, developed the feasibility study and business plan. It will provide operational consulting and management for the park. McGillivray will serve as project manager for this attraction.

Thinkwell's projects include the recently announced iPort, part of Harrah's Entertainment's bid for the resort-casino project in Singapore. Kirk Design, which worked on Tokyo DisneySea among its many projects, is also involved with Winterplex.

[AMP]

Big reason.... Low or no taxes and very few Turnpikes in Texas.  

There were plans at one time to build a Snow Ski on Carpet type deal North of the Sand Springs area. Along Hwy 412 I recall.  Never understood why people in certain Geographic areas want to create something that does not fit the climate where they are.

A major Tulsa Grant sent One Million Dollars to build a major Skate Park in Joplin Missouri.  I never quite understood that either.  Tulsa has the old rusted metal ramp skate park out on the West side of the River. It was at McClure Park in a neighborhood at one time.  City thought it best to have it where no one lives???  Kind of like that Aquarium thing in Jenks?  Tore down the Bicycle BMX park that was no where near the Aquarium or it's parking lot because they were told the Aquarium did not like it being there?    

Most of our participants that reside in Texas refuse to haul to Oklahoma for shows due to the fact they have multiple axle vehicles that cost out the Wazoo at three or more Turnpike toll booths to travel round trip from Texas to Oklahoma.  They choose to stay home.

Not to mention Texas has mega square miles of undeveloped land and some of the best highways in the World.  Food is not that great there, but the roads rock.

Once you cross the Red River leaving Texas your vehicle feels as if it has turned into Fred Sandford's old delivery truck off of the Sandford and Son's TV show.  

Ta Da Da Nah Nah, Ta Da Da Nah Nah Nah Nah Na...  

I always hear that theme song in my head the moment my tires hit the rough poorly designed and poorly maintained roads in Oklahoma when I am returning from working our events in Texas.

Go from a super wide highway with bright lights with proper lane reflective paint and markers in Texas to Pitch Black dark in Oklahoma and the speeds increase from 65 to 75mph LOL

Exact same event in Texas draws upward of 700 participants, in Oklahoma around 350.  Gota tell you something.

[TurismoDreamin]

I see where youre coming from about people not building complexes suitable and reflective of their environment. I hate to use Dubai as an example, but they're located in the middle of the desert yet they have a indoor skiing facility. Germany has an indoor tropical resort. Its successful because its attractive. Honestly, if I had an out-of-state friend who asked me why would I want to visit Tulsa? I couldnt say because you could go visit a seemingly nonexistant dilapidated amusement park; I couldnt say because you can go visit our wonderful dried up man-made murky rivers and lakes and see all the unzoned property development on it from a riverfront shopping center to a gas station; I couldnt say you could check out an event at the Performing Arts Center, The Pavillion, The Expo Center, The Convention Center..and if those weren't enough places to list as possible event sanctions (not that we're always booked for such extravagant events anyways), then hell, why not take a gander of our out of place BOK Arena although we have no professional team to speak of to call it its home. It just looks cool. Plus, I think there's gonna be another place to hold events at near Starworld 20, too..ya kno, just in case we run out of places to hold venues. Hopefully we'll have the hotel support. And hey, did I mention Tulsa wants to build a baseball stadium in downtown, moving the Drillers from the FAIRGROUNDS. Speaking of downtown, you could check out a few places to live up there if you ever so choose to relocate. What's that you say...downtown is boring and everything you could need is not in downtown (i.e. shopping, groceries, etc..)? Oh yea, did I also mention that Bell's, a long time resident of the FAIRGROUNDS is moving out as well. Makes you wonder what will be of the city if we keep moving our focus around so much. With everything else moving out, will the FAIRGROUNDS still be the place to hold the fair and will it still be appealing enough to hold such an annual tradition? You're asking me?...hmm; I definately couldnt say, just take a leisurely drive around beautiful destinations such as the slim roads of riverside (or at least the ever so attention hungry northern portion north of 31st street), or even the pothole ridden roads and raised manholes borders of downtown. And the turnpikes are just a disappointing deterrent to residents and nonresidents alike. Honestly, I don't know what I could say about Tulsa that would make others want to visit this place. Sorry. There's nothing appealing to me here except that parts of South Tulsa are a safe place to live...and does that even stand true today? Sure we're the bible belt of the nation and the art deco center of the midwest but how many people want to make a trip based off of those "interesting" points. I mean its nice to preserve, don't get me wrong. I'm all for preserving the city for what it use to be, but times have changed and people want something different and appealing. Maybe I don't see the political aspect of things but i'm still 21 and still learning but thats my realistic take on it.

[grahambino]

1. First and foremost DFW metroplex is approx. 6 times the size of Tulsa MSA.  
2. Superior infrastructure for economic development.  Have you seen the 'hi-five' interchange at 635 and US 75?  it was built in 3-4 years...how long have they been working on the 44-yale interchange? i really dont know...im a recent transplant from Dallas to Tulsa...

im really enjoying tulsa alot more than dallas and it has nothing to do w/ the fact that they have 'town center' type mixed-use developments, professional sports teams and indoor ski resorts.  im not saying that Tulsa and Oklahoma in general doesnt need all the econ. development it can get, but something like this is just a matter of economics.  obviously the smartest place in OK to place such a development would be Stroud.

[TheArtist]

Is the city of Dallas building this winterplex or a private investor?  Thats one difference between it and the BOK arena. The other is the BOK arena is basic infrastructure of the type Dallas has had for a long time.  If we dont have enough of a population or draw for events in it, then its unlikely we would have enough of a population draw for a winterplex.

Sure I would like to have some sort of entertainment draw but those come from private investors who would think that Tulsa is a good bet for a destination, say, over putting it in... Dallas.

The question could be.  What can we do that would make Tulsa the kind of place that would attract the interest of those investors? What can we do to make Tulsa become recognized as a place where people would want to go?

Despite our Dallas to Tulsa transplant example on here, I can personally cite a dozen friends that have moved from Tulsa to Dallas. Its odd that you on the one hand hear so many people gripe about how awful Dallas is, but yet on the other see so many people who have moved there over the last 5-10 years, while Tulsa has been losing population or just holding steady if you count the burbs, during that same time.

BTW I really don't think the turnpikes have a thing to do with where people live lol. One of my friends who lives there now in a 2 bedroom house much smaller than my home was telling me about the utilities there and how high they were. I almost fell out of my chair when I heard about his monthly bills.  You could double the taxes you pay here each month and not begin to make up the differences in what they pay for utilities each month.

[cannon_fodder]

The CoolZone Winterplex is a private development.   Its not very analogous to the BOk center.  Not to mention, as stated above, DFW has twice the population of our entire state...

While I like some of the tax structure in Texas (closer to a Fair Tax mixed with user taxes), the idea that Texans end up paying less is  bit misleading.  In the end, they have to fund the same things every other state does. Whether they call them fees or taxes, the state gets its money.

As per toll roads - keep 'em coming.  If you use the road, you should pay for it.  Nearly all the new highways going in Texas now are going to be toll roads.