| The improvement of the Bricktown area
has been solely funded by a tax increase voted on by the people
of Oklahoma City in 1993. The MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects)
Program, meant new development for a City in desperate need of
revitalization. In the past 10 years we have added the canal
through the middle of Bricktown that flows out to the Canadian
River. The canal begins just east of the Heartland Flyer Train
station, winds through the historic and remodeled warehouse district,
where several successful restaurants and businesses have a great
view of the canal. Next is the SBC Bricktown Baseball field a
12,000 seat field that plays host to the Oklahoma Redhawks as
well as bedlam ball for the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma
State teams, the “brick” as it is referred to also
plays host to the Big 12 baseball tournament. Directly south
of Reno the canal will take you to the new 16 screen movie theatre.
Winding around to the east you will come upon the new Bass Pro
Shop. The Bass Pro Shop opened in November of 2003 and has been
a wonderful addition to the canal. Several other business have
been planned for the canal a new hotel will be breaking ground
by fall of 2004, a 30,000 sq ft mixed use building is being built
north of the new movie theatre as well as several other pad sites
being developed.
Oklahoma City has developed a great beginning for Bricktown.
Surrounding the area with great hotels, both new and redeveloping
the historic Skirvin. With the addition of the Ford Center – a
20,000 seat, state of the art arena that has been host to many
concerts, sporting events, both local and national, several
spiritual and political leaders as well as maintaining the
Cox Convention Center just across the street hosting conferences,
concerts and sporting events. The growth of Oklahoma City is
on the right path. We have come a long way from cowboys and
Indians to a City that is primed for continued growth and improvement.
The people of Oklahoma City believed in Bricktown and Oklahoma
City enough to invest the tax dollars in the MAPS program to
improve our growth and marketability for both national and
local economic development.
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