July 2018
Amazon announces $130 million fulfillment center
Amazon recently announced plans to build a more than 600,000-square-foot fulfillment center near Tulsa International Airport. The company will invest an estimated $130 million for this state-of-the-art facility, which will employ around 1,500 people with an annual payroll of roughly $50 million.
First nonprofits move into dedicated space
Several nonprofit agencies are moving into a pair of south Tulsa towers bought and renovated to create a community for philanthropic organizations. The Zarrow Family Foundation purchased the former Dollar Thrifty Plaza in 2015 for $5.9 million, announcing plans for a $60 million renovation to house nonprofits. The first to move into the complex include the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma, CAP Tulsa and LIFE Senior Services. Zarrow also plans to construct 50-60 affordable housing units on the site.
Revenue collections hit record high in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s economy is showing continued growth with state treasury collections reaching all-time highs, according to state finance officials. Data from the Oklahoma Tax Commission show a record $12.8 billion in overall collection in the last year, including $1.1 billion in June — also a record. Overall collections in the recently completed fiscal year were above expectations by $1.2 billion, more than 11 percent above the previous year.
Tulsa awarded $3 million for levee system study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a feasibility study on Tulsa’s aging levee system. Tulsa’s Levee District 12 alone, west of downtown, protects the homes of more than 10,000 people and $2 billion of property including several refineries. The $3 million study, secured by U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford, is the first step toward modernizing the system along the Arkansas River.
Cox Business Center begins $55 million renovation
The project to renovate Tulsa’s downtown convention center began in July. The two-year, $55 million upgrade is funded through the Vision Tulsa sales tax package voters approved in 2016. The two main elements of the renovation include the construction of a three-story glass entrance on the east side of the building and a transformation of the convention center arena into a 40,000 square-foot-ballroom.
Developers propose new use for empty former children’s shelter
A group of local developers have proposed redeveloping property targeted for demolition in an adaptive reuse project near downtown Tulsa. The developers want to transform the former Tulsa Boys Home and former Laura Dester Shelter site into 60-65 loft apartments. The dormitories were built in 1948 for the Tulsa Boys Home. The building later became home to the Laura Dester Children’s Center.
Gathering Place, Tulsa’s soon-to-open mega park, hiring 200
Gathering Place officials are filling 200 jobs at the soon-to-open park. Those positions include full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs including attractions hosts, cooks, cashiers, security guards, horticulturalists and audio-visual specialists. The $465 million riverfront park is scheduled to open Sept. 8. with a free concert headlined by The Roots.
OKPOP Museum unveils new design
State officials unveiled the final design rendering of the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture (OKPOP), a museum planned for Tulsa’s downtown Arts District. The museum will tell the story of Oklahomans and their contribution to pop culture. The building is designed to house a living experience with event venues, stages and retail space. The outside features neon lights that match the arts district and Historic Route 66 stylings through Tulsa along with bright gold trim. Groundbreaking is scheduled to begin this fall across from Cain’s Ballroom, the celebrated former home of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
WalletHub names Broken Arrow best city for new home buyers
For the second time in four years, Broken Arrow has been named Best City for First-Time Home Buyers by personal finance website WalletHub. WalletHub compared 300 cities on varying size across 27 key indicators of market attractiveness, affordability and quality of life. The data set ranged from cost of living to real estate taxes to property crime rates.
River Parks Authority takes control of pedestrian bridge project
The project to construction a new pedestrian bridge over the Arkansas River is officially contracted out after four years of planning, including a public design competition and numerous discussions between various stakeholders. The Gateway Bridge, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, will match the design of the adjacent Gathering Place. City officials hope to have the bridge construction begin in 2019.
West Tulsa neighborhood receives $30 million revitalization grant
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the Tulsa Housing Authority $30 million to revitalize west Tulsa’s Eugene Field neighborhood. HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced that Eugene Field is one of five neighborhoods nationwide that will receive a combined federal investment of $144 million. The money is dedicated to redeveloping severely distressed public or assisted housing and to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods. The neighborhood is home to Eugene Field Elementary and was designated by the city as a “food desert” without convenient access to a grocery store.
SageNet partners with Tulsa Tech for network operations center staffing
SageNet, a Tulsa-based managed-services and cybersecurity solutions provider, has netted 30 well-qualified new employees after pioneering a partnership with Tulsa Tech. SageNet offers a two-week training program that covers its systems, customer service skills and expanded VSAT information. After initial training, the program features on-the-job shadowing with further immersion before graduation.
State expects historic Rainy Day Fund deposit
The state expects to deposit a record $370 million in its Rainy Day Fund. The Rainy Day Fund, which currently has $70 million in it, was created in 1985 to protect the state during economic downturns. Funds can be tapped to make up for shortfalls in current fiscal year collections, to make up revenue if next year’s general revenue fund collections are forecast to be less than the current year and for an emergency.
