City Councilors completed their plan to visit all nine Council Districts with a tour of District 9 in midtown Tulsa on Tuesday, April 4.
The goal of these tours is to highlight areas of growth, district needs and opportunities, economic development drivers, City facilities and other points of interest that make each district unique. Launching these tours was a direct result of discussions at last year’s Mayor-Council Retreat.
Councilor Jayme Fowler led the tour. Highlights included:
Discovery Lab – an interactive kids' science museum and an educational resource for Tulsa providing outreach museum classes to area schools and organizations. The new site opened in early 2022, where Discovery Lab projects to impact over 300,000 children and families each year. The project received $8 million in voter-approved Vision Tulsa funds.
Johnson Park – the City plans to renovate Johnson Park at 61st and Peoria into a destination for nearby neighbors and the community. The City began with a community engagement process to ensure the park was designed with community needs in mind. Plans are in place for a dog park, covered basketball and event space, walking trails, a water playground and an art wall. Johnson Park received $3.1 million in voter-approved Improve Our Tulsa II funds, and a $5 million ask is part of Improve Our Tulsa III.
South Tulsa Community House - STCU began as a food pantry in 1994 and has expanded to a become a “one-stop social service center” in the heart of Riverwood. Services offered in-house and through partnerships include: access to health and wellness services, a computer lab with free online access for job seekers, access to copy and fax machines for employment and school purposes, available diapers, wipes and formula, and access to free legal advice. Last month, the STCU served more than 1,100 people. STCU received about $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for a new van to deliver food to those in need and for expansion and refrigeration for the food pantry, which is the largest in the community.
Riverview Neighborhood Small Area Plan - the Tulsa Planning Office has been working on a Neighborhood Revitalization and Small Area Plan for the Riverview neighborhood that runs from 51st to 71st and Lewis to Riverside. Residents asked for assistance in improving the area and a group was formed to address challenges and strengths. The plan has three phases: phase one is setting up a structure and plan, phase two is community engagement and working groups and phase three is strategic partnerships and development.
Montereau – one of Tulsa’s premier retirement communities, Montereau is a locally owned, not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving older adults and those who care for them. Montereau was founded in 2003 by The William K. Warren Foundation to serve the Tulsa community. By 2030, all members of the baby boomer generation will be older than 65, representing a large shift in demographics. And now, the average American can expect to live more than 80 years. Montereau focuses on a vitality model, emphasizing successful aging factors such as social, intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional needs.
