Laura Story is certain her father would be quite proud if he could see the work she is doing today for Downtown Oklahoma City.

The assistant city engineer for Oklahoma City, she is the daughter of Merrel Medley, who spent his career with the city before he died in 1985.

Medley, former community development director, was passionate about projects such as looking at ways to create waterways in the city and the planning and construction of Myriad Botanical Gardens. He instilled in his daughter a desire to dream big to make the city a better place to live and work.

“I grew up around this environment,” Story says.

Now, she is leading an initiative to blow the dust off Downtown and rip up, replace and spruce up nearly every street, sidewalk and public space to create what city officials describe will be a world-class city when the work is done. That also will include a complete renovation of the Myriad Botanical Gardens her father loved.

Dubbed Project 180, the estimated $140 million initiative is set to launch this year and be completed by 2014. It is to be funded with $24.585 million from the 2007 General Obligation Bonds approved by voters, and the lion’s share of the funds– about $115 million – is expected to be collected from Devon Energy Corp.’s Tax Incremental Financing district, created in response to construction of its world headquarters Downtown.

Story says the renovation of 92 city blocks, accounting for more than 180 acres, will include all areas from “building face to building face.” The project is not part of the voter-approved MAPS 3, which will bring a 70-acre park, streetcars and a convention center to Downtown.

Project 180 includes converting old, familiar, one-way streets to twoway; creating bike lanes and installing bike racks; and adding public art and decorative lighting that will punctuate the urban landscape.

Devon has repeatedly touted the benefits of paying its money into the TIF for the betterment of the central business district. Company officials also have expressed admiration for the city’s vision and planned use of those funds.

“A Downtown streetscape project of this magnitude is unprecedented, and the city is doing a tremendous job,” says Klay Kimker, vice president of administration at Devon Energy. “Project 180 will help create a vibrant Downtown and a better place for people to work, live and visit.”

WORLD-CLASS WORK
In late April, when the tents and concession stands for Festival of the Arts come down, the real work will begin on Myriad Botanical Gardens and Park and Robinson avenues. As the year progresses, work is set to begin on Dean A. McGee, Reno and Walker avenues.

After this year, the project will ramp up with an aggressive construction schedule, starting each year through 2012, with an ultimate completion date of 2014. Those projects will include, in addition to Myriad Botanical Gardens, a sprucing up of public spaces on the lawn of city hall and at Bicentennial Park on the east side of Civic Center Music Hall. The idea is to make them accessible, inviting, clean and dotted with public art to encourage people to pause and smell the flowers, have a picnic or take a leisurely stroll in the park.

A key focus will also be on making streets and streetscapes that not only move traffic, but also are more pedestrian-friendly. The pedestrian component builds on the work of urban planner Jeff Speck, who found in his consulting work for the city that Downtown was no friend to those on foot – functionally or aesthetically.

But in creating a world-class Downtown, city leaders know the chaos of simultaneous construction projects likely will also create world-class headaches for denizens, hotel operators and business owners in the central business district over the next four years.

“We have got to stay in touch with the people Downtown and make sure they understand what’s open and what’s closed,” Story says. “The coordination and communication on this project are the two primary things to solve. Everything else is just math or parts of a puzzle.”

NO PAIN, NO GAIN
The Skirvin Hilton is on Park Avenue, one of the first streets set for disruption from the new construction and renovations. Despite many unknowns, Skirvin General Manager John Williams takes the “no pain, no gain” attitude toward potential disruptions to his hotel business.

“We all have to be smart about it, and we all have to recognize the fact that we need to think a day, a week, a month ahead of ourselves to plan for our business,” Williams says. “As long as there’s good communication and a spirit of cooperation, there’s going to be a lot less pain. The end result is going to be a beautiful place to work and play.”

Funding could be another issue. Story says the city fully expects to hit its projected numbers from the GO bond and TIF funds.

“We’re moving forward as if the money will be there,” Story says. “Our only concern is if the TIF funds are lower, and we’re keeping our eyes on that.”

The TIF funds will generate from the Devon headquarters and skyscraper, which is slated to cost in excess of $750 million and should be completed in 2012. Last fall, Devon broke ground on the building, kicking things off with a $95 million loan to the city to get started on Project 180.

Story explains that loan was an advance of anticipated revenues from the TIF.

“It’s actually a loan, but it goes against their future ad valorem tax,” Story says. “The reason we got the loan is so we can do the improvements now.”

With the April deadline for the official start of work looming, Story has her work cut out for her spearheading perhaps the largest urban renovation project in the city’s history, but she is delighted to be doing the work she loves and helping create something she knows her father would have been proud to see unfolding.

“He would be very tickled by all of this,” she says.

For her, it is a chance to leave a lasting mark on the city, even if decades from now, no one quite remembers the name of the city engineer who helped transform Downtown into a modern urban environment.

“It’s the project of a lifetime,” Story says. “I have to pinch myself sometimes.”

photo/Shannon Cornman