July 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 22

MEMBER TO MEMBER

NRPA Hosts Oklahoma City Innovation Lab
By Jayni Rasmussen

uring the mid-20th century, Oklahoma City was heralded as
an oil-producing boomtown. However, the city's once-thriving economy suffered the impact of the 1970s' energy crisis,
which caused an oil surplus during the 1980s. It was an era
that NRPA Innovation Lab speaker and former Oklahoma City Mayor
Mick Cornett, describes as " the Great Depression in Oklahoma. " Not only
did the oil bust force the closure of 200 banks, but it also left the commercial real estate market in turmoil.
Fast-forward to today, and OKC,
as it's affectionately known, is experiencing a rebirth. It was here,
back in May, that NRPA - together with the Oklahoma City
Parks and Recreation Department
- convened its 10th Innovation
Lab, which brought together leaders inside and outside of parks and
recreation to explore how the field
impacts regional economic competitiveness and quality of life. On
the first day of this three-day event,
Cornett and Jim Couch, the current city manager, shared the story

of that rebirth, which includes the
creation of the Metropolitan Area
Projects (MAPS) (https://www.
okc.gov/government/maps-3/
maps-history). Couch, the longest-serving city manager, worked
behind the scenes to make sure
projects got done.
What Is MAPS?
MAPS was a $350 million sales tax
initiative to fund the revitalization
of Oklahoma City's downtown
area, which included improving the
city's national image, developing

an area of empty warehouses, as
well as providing new and upgraded cultural, sports, entertainment,
convention and park and recreation facilities. The original MAPS
project, a massive urban redevelopment initiative of then-Mayor Ron
Norick, passed in December 1993.
As a voter-approved penny tax,
MAPS was a gamble - albeit a
relatively conservatively funded
one. It adhered to a debt-free financing structure, prohibiting projects from starting until they were
paid for by generated tax revenue.
" We weren't going to borrow any
money, because that's what we
promised the voters, " says Couch.
This structure, however, meant that
an already economically depressed
community had to foot the bill for a
series of projects that weren't to be
tangible for several years. According to Couch, the city " oversold it,
and there was angst. "
Then, on April 19, 1995, terror
struck the Midwest with the Oklahoma City bombing. " The same
generation that had been through
such economic wear, had the largest
incident of domestic terrorism in
the country's history at that time, "
recalls Cornett. As devastating as
the attack was, it had a unifying effect on the city. As he describes it,
" The citizens of the city wrapped
hands and dared the world to pull
them apart. And then, the MAPS
projects started opening and there
was a huge emotional surge. "
Oklahoma City Innovation Lab participants take a tour of the city's Bricktown
Canal.

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July 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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