City of Oklahoma City Videos, 15 Oct 2014

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From YouTube: MAPS 3 Fairgrounds Expo Center Groundbreaking

Description

Construction has begun on a new 279,000-square-foot building at State Fair Park as part of MAPS 3. The Expo Center will feature 201,000-square-feet of contiguous floor space among other amenities. Once complete, the hall will be the largest event space in Oklahoma City.

The Expo Center’s modern design includes a 12,000-square-foot lobby, concession areas, ticket space, commercial kitchen and parking for 2,173 cars. A combination of glass and translucent wall panels will create an open, light-filled entrance. The building was designed with maximum flexibility in mind. The open floor plan will allow for a variety of configurations depending on the event’s specific needs including banquet facilities to serve more than 2,000.

The Expo Center will be built where the Travel & Transportation Building, Carriage Hall, courtyard and south parking lot are today. Construction is slated to be completed in spring 2016.

The overall MAPS 3 budget for the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements is $54 million, allowing $44 million for construction of the Expo Center. An additional $4.5 million in MAPS 3 funds are being invested in new parking lots and other site improvements, separate from this project.

About MAPS 3
MAPS 3 is a $777 million construction program designed to improve the quality of life in Oklahoma City. It is funded by a one-cent sales tax initiative that began in April 2010 and ends in December 2017. MAPS 3 funds eight projects: Downtown Convention Center, Downtown Public Park, Modern Streetcar/Transit, Oklahoma River Improvements, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds Improvements, Senior Health and Wellness Centers, Trails and Sidewalks.

A

All right, one, two, three.

B

And today is another benchmark day, another important step in the maps three process as we come to break ground on the new exposition building here at the state fairgrounds.

B

It is a it's a great day for math three, it's a great day for our city and it's a great day for the state, fair and we're glad that every one of you could be here to join us in 2013.

A

The state fair park hosted 203 events and 2 million people came through the turnstiles. It doesn't take a whole lot of thought to realize what an economic impact this facility has. It is in the center of the city in the center of the state in the center of the country, location, location, location.

A

We have every opportunity here, I think, to make great economic development investments, and I think this is the biggest one we've made yet and probably the one that's going to create the most good will and and economy going forward.

A

We have a number of people in oklahoma city's history to to pay thanks to to get us to where we are today in this. This lofty position, um but few um are on the on at the top of the pedestal. The way my next introduction is is- and that is the chairman of state, fair board, inc and the former mayor of oklahoma city and the father of maps. Would you please show your appreciation to ron norick.

C

Thank you, mayor cornett, that was, that was very kind. It it's a pleasure to be here today and pleasure to welcome everybody. I've been associated with the state fair since 1987 been active on the board and then chairman for the last couple years. I've got to follow the leadership of clay bennett and I'm going to say a few things about clay here in a minute and he's here today, but I've been involved with this a long time. There's a building right over here.

C

That happens to have my dad's name, jim nordic arena and right now, if you want to go over the morgans over there, the morgan horse show are participating over there and they'll they'll, be followed by a number of other horse shows right through the end of the year. So this facility is so important to the vitality of our city and for the vitality of our hotel and convention business. It's just phenomenal. What we've done maps won. We provided about 13 million dollars and that's not very much money.

C

They took that money and we started the renovations of the barns, and now you can see what we have now, through all the sales tax that we've done through the hotel, motel tax and so forth, and this new addition for this building when this one comes down this gigantic building, 277 thousand square foot will be here to allow a number of different events to come in something we're very, very proud of this.

D

New facility will allow us to compete in the trade show and exhibition market like we've, never been able to compete before in today's world of internet searches and everything. All the information you need about anything is online.

D

You don't even get to create a lost business call anymore, because people look you up and if they're looking for over a hundred thousand square feet of contiguous rental space, they pass you over and you never find out about that. The national and and regional market for trade show business requires a minimum of two 000 square feet under one roof.

D

When this building opens in the spring of 2016, we will achieve that marker and that will put our trade show and exhibition business on the same level that the citizens have allowed us to put the horseshoe capital of the world for the last 10 years.

D

Today, as we stand here, we have completed over 90 million dollars worth of renovations and upgrades to our equine and livestock facilities, primarily on the west side of the property. When this building is completed in the spring of 2016, the total investment made in capital projects by the citizens of oklahoma city through the city on this property will be in excess of 150 million dollars, and that's that's a magnificent statement to our city and our attitude that we can accomplish things as mayor cornett mentioned. You know we host over 203 events a year out here.

D

The direct economic impact of those events is somewhere north of 330 million dollars when we started the hotel motel tax. That number was about 225 million dollars, so you can see over the years. It's been a good investment for the citizens of oklahoma city to invest in the fairgrounds and the facilities here. We're very appreciative of that. We look forward to the completion of this building and we pledge our continued dedication to continue to make state fair park truly a 21st century tourism destination.

D

B

60 million dollars, or thereabouts of the maps 3 money will go to this project to the state fairgrounds project, which will include not only the new exposition center but of a lot of new infrastructure and parking areas as well. We're really proud of that. We're proud of the great job that tim and his staff do, and particularly how they work together with jim couch and his staff. In making this happen for our city, it is.

B

uh It is truly a great day for our city and we're glad that each of you were here to be a part of it.

B