Movement on LED Streetlight Issue?
We’re getting into street fixture and furniture selections. Interesting tidbit I’ll need to ask about is the status of LED lighting. Jerreck Boss has indicated the city has made a call on LED lighting, but didn’t provide any further indication as to what that might be. If you’ll recall the city had been advised by consultants there was no track record for cities using LED as street lighting. That turned out to be not necessarily so. Hit the search box to the right to learn more on the history on this.
And here’s one big hint, however, on where the discussion may be going:
Boss: “Everything we’re showing is slated to be LED or is offered.”
More Parking, Jeff Speck
Jerreck Boss with The Office of James Burnett, lead Project 180 designer, is giving an update on streetscape planning.
Tidbits: we’re looking at about a 40 percent increase in curbside parking. Currently at 600 to 700 spaces in Project 180 boundaries, will be at 1,000 when done.
Just quoted walkability guru Jeff Speck on need to narrow streets, make them more pedestrian friendly. First nod I’ve heard to the hiring of Speck as a consultant by the Burnett team.
More highlights:
- Early on they had a planned a dedicated bike lane on the narrow stretch of Robinson between Park and Main, now it will be a shared lane.
- Banners on Couch, Colcord, Park, Hudson, Sheridan and E.K. Gaylord.
Live Blogging Continues: “Today we are set to decide some things.”
We’ll be looking at a representative democracy from here on out with Project 180. After having some three or four dozen people at the last meeting two weeks ago on streetscapes, Assistant City Engineer Laura Story has arranged for representatives of the downtown business improvement district board, the downtown strategic initiative (yeah, I know I’ve remiss in telling you about this group), and the Greater OKC Chamber.
Those at the table include Marsha Wooden, a vp at SandRidge Energy, architects Anthony McDermid and Rand Elliott, Kathy Ford-Wallace from Downtown Oklahoma City Inc., downtown broker Jim Parrack and Todd Glass with Devon Energy.
Here’s an interesting teaser to start things off from Story:
“Today we are set to decide some things.”
Good Start on Gardens Budget?
All together, there is $43 million for all of downtown’s existing parks as part of Project 180. The Myriad Gardens accounts for $30 million of it.
Assistant City Engineer Laura Story said she’s encouraged about the budget for the gardens so far.
“The pricetag is not scaring me.
Looking at budgets, I don’t see why we can’t build everything.
I’m encouraged after the last two days.”
Boring Technical Stuff Just Got Interesting
For the past 20 minutes I’ve been tempted to take a nap as the consultants have discussed infrastructure, electrical systems, etc.
But then wireless internet came up. Consultants have put up a proposal to provide wifi in open spaces of the Myriad Gardens. Lead designer James Burnett suggested following NYC’s Bryant Park model, in which Google actually pays to provide wireless. Not that Google or any company might “pay” to provide free wireless here, but maybe, Burnett says, a third party might agree to provide wireless to all of the gardens.
Next question is whether the city might make the deal more doable by providing the hardware, since its streetscape portion of Project 180 will include wireless antennas, etc at each street corner for traffic control, public safety. City IT folks apparently not eager to add service of wireless for the public at the gardens to their workloads.
Group is talking about doing a hybrid – letting third party wireless vendors use the city’s infrastructure. Assistant City Engineer Laura Story is open to that idea as a way to avoid more antenna clutter.
How Deep is the Myriad Gardens Lake?
Nobody seems to know. Consultant suggests 8-10 feet. But another person recites original documents saying it’s 14 feet deep. And that’s why a study is underway to figure out what we have.
Jim Tolbert is questioning the cost of plans to put in a “shelf” into the lake. Points out that a couple of “very, very inebriated people” fell into the lake in the early days, but nothing since. James Burnett responding gardens will have a lot more people, and if it doesn’t cost a lot to make the lake 90 percent safer, should look at that. Another consultant pointing out there may be new codes to deal with. Advises against being forced to surround the lake with handrails.
Waterfall in Meinders Garden, Sheridan and Robinson
Discussion of the Fountains Continues – a Glimpse at the Plan
The consultants, city planners, public works and parks employees, and the unpaid volunteers.
Hopefully you can see some details on this map on where new fountains are planned
Lighting up the Fountains?
The consultant with Fluidity is, I think, Shannon Hoff. More from her on the water pond/ice rink planned in front of the restaurant:
- Add more interest to water pool in front of restaurant? Maybe some flush LED lights below the surface, operated on a dimmer. “As they dim, it will appear as if they’re receeding. They will rise to the surface illusionally. It will create the illusion of depth. As we know it’s only an inch and a half deep, but this will make it look as if something else is going on.”
James Burnett said he is looking into an ice rink in Ann Arbor, Michigan that has colored lights under the ice rink surface.
Link to Fluidity Provided by Reader
Now this is where live blogging gets to be really cool. As I’m in the room reporting what’s being said, a reader has emailed me a link to a cool flash site of Fluidity’s work (the fountains consultant for the Myriad Gardens)
Go here.
