SPECIAL SECTION | SuNdAy, MArCh 8, 2015
JENKS
TULSA
BROKEN ARROW
OUTLOOK 2015 Green Country ofers rich environment for education, arts, health and recreation TULSAWORLD.COM/OUTLOOK2015
BARTLESVILLE
BIXBY
CATOOSA
CLAREMORE
GLENPOOL
OWASSO
SAND SPRINGS
SAPULPA
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This is what a night at the Admiral Twin Drive-in looks like. In 1982, a scene in the movie “The Outsiders” was ilmed at the Tulsa landmark. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World ile
Timeless Tulsa City embraces its cultural landmarks
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By JIMMIE TRAMEL | World Scene Writer
lack gold gave Tulsa the means to embrace culture early in the 20th century. The city embraced pop culture like never before in 2014.
In between, here’s an example of Tulsa’s culture and pop culture worlds colliding: Vincent Price portrayed villain after villain in horror ilms. Sticking to type, he provided the words (and maniacal laugh) at the end of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” song. Price majored in art at Yale. He was a noted art collector and he wasn’t easily pleased. “Popular taste is desperately bad,” he told The Associated Press in 1970. “People will see the best in a museum and then go out and buy a piece of mass-produced schlock because it’s big or matches the drapes.” Six years later, during a Tulsa Town Hall lecture at Southroads Cinema, he said this: “I have an ainity for Tulsa for your two marvelous museums.” Price was talking about Gilcrease Museum and the Philbrook
Museum of Art. In 1968, he wrote in his nationally syndicated art column that the Gilcrease Museum is “an exciting place for lovers of Western art.” He formulated that opinion because he — like countless others — saw the museum treasures irsthand. Quoth “The Raven” star: Show me more? Oil money made it possible for Price to “heart” Tulsa. Men who made their fortunes in oil invested money in the arts and in the construction of grand art deco buildings downtown. This was not going to be a cookie cutter town on the prairie. And so it isn’t. Tulsa is, however, a map dot on Route 66, which adds to the city’s appeal. Historian Michael Wallis elaborated when the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum premiered a “Voices of History” video in Octo-
Gilcrease Museum “is an exciting place for lovers of Western art,” the actor Vincent Price wrote in a syndicated column in 1968. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World ile
ber 2014. Said Wallis: “Route 66 is much more than nostalgia. It’s not just ’57 Chevys and James Dean and poodle skirts. It’s layers of history because what Route 66 is, is the story of America.” Travelers scan the Tulsa area for landmarks, like the Blue Whale in Catoosa or the Golden Driller (at 76 feet tall, it’s one of the country’s largest free-standing statues) or the Praying Hands sculpture, which welcomes visitors to the campus of
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Oral Roberts University. They visit our museums and our performance venues and our River Parks and our districts (Brady, Blue Dome, Greenwood) in a revitalized downtown. An estimated 30,000 people trekked to downtown Tulsa in November 2014 for a pop culture convention in which “The Outsiders” actor Ralph Macchio talked about ilming the movie at various Tulsa locations in 1982.
One of those locations was the Admiral Twin, a drive-in theater which is still in operation following a post-ire rebuild. Macchio, who said he used social media to help generate funds for the rebuild, is glad the Admiral Twin sprang back to life. Landmarks are meant to be preserved. Some of Tulsa’s irst movie theaters were downtown palaces, and that’s not an exaggeration. Palaces are back in vogue. The amenity-laden $43.5 million Warren Theatre in Broken Arrow opened in December 2014. Owner Bill Warren said he wanted to build the nicest theater ever constructed in America. Tip of the hat to the past? The Warren Theatre is blessed with art deco stylings. Said Warren prior to the unveiling, “Tulsa has some of the most beautiful art deco artistry, all that craftsmanship, and the lighting and the glass, and it’s a very unique style and it’s timeless.” Among movies playing when the much-anticipated Warren Theatre opened: A “Night at the Museum” sequel. Night at a museum? It sounds like something Vincent Price would have loved. Jimmie Tramel 918 581-8389 jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
ONLINE
Young professionals should talk up Tulsa ..............................4
Oklahoma makes list of top moving destinations .....34
We must keep investing in quality of life for all..................5
Discover a renaissance in Tulsa .................................... 36
Bixby, Catoosa .......................44
10 Tulsa attractions you don’t want to miss .......................... 25
Tulsa embodies essentials for good quality of life ................ 38
Jenks, Owasso .......................46
THE COMMUNITIES Bartlesville, Broken Arrow ..42 Claremore, Glenpool............45 Sand Springs, Sapulpa ......... 47
Read news about your community on sites dedicated to you. Let us know what’s going on in your community. Share stories and photos about you, your family, your neighborhood and more from these sites: bartlesvilleworld.com bixbyworld.com brokenarrowworld.com catoosaworld.com claremoreworld.com
glenpoolworld.com jenks-world.com owassoworld.com sandspringsworld.com sapulpaworld.com
Read any story you missed in this week’s special Outlook 2015 section online, and read all the stories from last week’s section focusing on the Tulsa metro business community.
tulsaworld.com/outlook
About the section Tulsa and its surrounding communities ofer a high quality of life. Each has something unique, and today, the Tulsa World presents the quality-of-life Outlook for our region. Our 48-page special section features leaders who ofer their perspective on arts, education, faith and health care. It also includes stories from reporters and correspondents as well as custom content from advertisers. Last Sunday, the Tulsa World published an Outlook special section that focused on business in the area. To ind that section and its stories, go to tulsaworld.com/outlook2015.
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Public investments like the BOK Center have catalyzed Tulsa into a new renaissance, making this a very exciting time to be young in our community. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
Talk up Tulsa Young professionals can point to city’s achievements with pride
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hen traveling, I’m often greeted with a common conversation starter: “Where are you visiting from?” In some cities, strangers often look at me with some combination of sympathy and confusion when I share that my heart and home are in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their responses generally include a patronizing apology and disdain for a community they perceive to be left behind. You can’t deny it: The national news that trickles down about Oklahoma doesn’t paint a lattering picture — low school test scores, state-budget cuts that hurt core services, proposed bills that perpetuate inequality. But I know Tulsa, and I always ind myself repeating the same sales pitch, defending my hometown by listing the national retail chains with a presence here, discussing our thriving arts and culture scene and championing the fact that we do indeed have diversity. I must admit, when I was in high school, I never intended to stay in Tulsa. My heart was settled on communities that celebrated inclusion, that had a thriving arts
community and that invested in strong urban cores. Just over a decade ago, our downtown was a ghost town after working hours. However, visionaries like Blake Ewing and Elliot Nelson made early investments into our downtown, and now Tulsans are receiving the fruit of those investments. Additionally, public investments like the BOK Center and ONEOK Field catalyzed Tulsa into a new renaissance, making this a very exciting time to be young in our community. Lots of important infrastructure has been put in place the last decade, as evidenced by our Community Action Project pre-K program, which has been recognized as a national model;
An artist’s rendering shows the George Kaiser Family Foundation’s plans for the Universal Ford building on Main and Cameron streets. The foundation is renovating that and the nearby Fox Hotel building to include restaurants, apartments and oice space as well as an entrepreneurial center. Courtesy
our community investment in making college accessible to all high school students through Tulsa Community College’s “Tulsa Achieves” program; and our consistently engaged philanthropic community, which makes Tulsa the envy of many cities. We see current transformation in our downtown with investments in housing and commercial development, including an 11,500-square-foot renovation of the Universal Ford building, which
will house an entrepreneurial hub and resource center. East Village developments are connecting our “stand-alone” districts, and we’re all excited for the game-changing park, A Gathering Place, that will equate to an estimated $350 million in private investments. In retrospect, Tulsans know why the New York Times named Tulsa as a top global destination in 2015. This new wave of community investment should signal to
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ISAAC ROCHA COMMUNITY RELATIONS & DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, BAMA COMPANIES
companies nationally that we are ready for their investment. We’ve been named one of the top 10 most budget-friendly metros, No. 1 best city for young entrepreneurs in the U.S., and one of the top 100 metro areas among the leading world economies providing critical components to make Tulsa an economically afordable place to live, work and play. So, where’s the disconnect between national perception and reality? How can we change the opinion of Tulsa outside our county lines, now that so much work has been done to warrant a better perception? The answer is: it starts with you. Tulsans have inally taken pride in who we are as a city, embraced our unique culture and are showcasing to the country who we will become. This growing movement will give you plenty of material to refute Tulsa’s ill-conceived national perception. Isaac Rocha is community relations and development oicer for Bama Companies. He strategically helps align their philanthropic giving, government afairs, inclusion initiatives and community impact. Rocha is the immediate-past chair of Tulsa’s Young Professionals, an organization created to attract and retain Tulsa’s brightest young talent. He writes about current issues afecting young professionals, challenges facing the TYPros mission, and other musings from a Tulsa YP. For more information about TYPros, visit: www.typros.org
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TULSA Oklahoma in top ten of moving destinations BY CASEY SMITH World Business Writer
For the irst time since 1995, Oklahoma has made United Van Lines’ list of the most popular destinations for relocating households. Moving company United Van Lines’ 38th Annual National Movers Study ranks Oklahoma No. 9 on its list of top moving destinations during 2014. During 2014, 56.6 percent of Oklahoma moves consisted of people moving into the state as opposed to moving from Oklahoma to a diferent location. It’s been nearly two decades since Oklahoma has been listed as “high inbound,” the classiication the study uses for states where 55 percent or more of domestic household moves conducted by United Van Lines are for incoming people. For 2014, the study is based on household moves handled by United within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. United classiies states as “high outbound” if 55 percent or more moves were coming out of a state or “balanced” if the diference between inbound and outbound is negligible. Oregon was tops on the list, while South Carolina and North Carolina were second and third, respectively. Oklahoma had been on the cusp of becoming an inbound state for years, said Melissa Sullivan, director of marketing communications at United Van Lines. The state’s moving patterns have been classiied as balanced ever since the end of a “surge” of people moving into Oklahoma during the 1980s and early 1990s, Sullivan said. “Oklahoma has never been classiied as a high outbound state,” Sullivan said. During 2013 United Van Lines data found 54 percent of Oklahoma moves were inbound; 53.7 percent of Oklahoma moves were inbound during 2012. Relatively inexpensive home
Top Moving Destination states The top-10 inbound states of 2014 were: 1. Oregon 2. South Carolina 3. North Carolina 4. Vermont 5. Florida 6. Nevada 7. Texas 8. District of Columbia
9. Oklahoma 10. Idaho Source: United Van Lines’ 38th Annual National Movers Study
Employee Thomas McClellan prepares to place household items into storage at Armstrong Relocation in Broken Arrow earlier this year. Residents and businesses can store their things temporarily at the warehouse while they’re in the process of moving. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World file
prices and unemployment rates below the national average are working in Oklahoma’s favor, said Michael Stoll, an economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Last year United Van Lines also conducted a separate survey track-
ing the reasons their customers moved. “About 77 percent of them indicated they moved to Oklahoma because of a job-related move,” Stoll said. “Either a company transfer or to take a new job.” That’s higher than the percentage of job-related moves nation-
wide, Stoll said. Across the United States 62 percent of households moving to a diferent state indicated the move was job-related. High demand led Armstrong Relocation’s Broken Arrow location, one of United Van Lines’ agents, to recently add an additional 34,500 square feet to warehouse storage
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space, location president Todd Peterson said. The Broken Arrow moving company has 57,500 square feet of warehouse space for storing household and commercial goods the company moves. The company is part of the Memphis-based Armstrong Relocation Co. network. Both the Broken Arrow company’s household and nonhousehold business has increased, Peterson said. Many of the household moves it handles are job-related, he said. “I just think it’s the boom within the oil and gas and energy sector that obviously we have so much of in town,” Peterson said. But if falling oil prices persist, 2015 migration data may tell a different story for Oklahoma, Stoll said. Low prices may begin to afect jobs in the energy sector and its related industries such as manufacturing, both heavyweight employers. “Given that’s such an important part of the economy in Oklahoma it’s likely to have an impact,” Stoll said. “But to what extent is unclear.” Casey Smith 918-732-8106 casey.smith@tulsaworld.com
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TULSA Cultural renaissance adds to appeal JOHN HENNING SCHUMANN, M.D. INTERIM PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA-TULSA
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’m the newest tulsan among this section’s columnists, so I’m especially pleased to be able to share with you what attracted my family here and has helped us plant roots in a short time. my wife and I are doctors, and we were inspired to come to tulsa to work on the multifaceted challenge of improving the region’s health — which, as you know, is ranked near the bottom in important indicators such as cardiovascular health, tobacco use, mental health and obesity. we were struck by the visions articulated by those we met promoting the idea of a “school of Community medicine,” one that would broaden the medical education curriculum to include the topics of poverty, poor educational attainment and neighborhood efects as key drivers of ill health, beyond the “traditional” biologic factors. moreover, seeing the philanthropic community’s involvement, creativity and support in these eforts made it clear that tulsa was a place in which we could make a diference. It’s been meaningful and engaging work, which continues day by day. Collectively, we and our colleagues are working to improve our state’s health. what we did not foresee upon moving to tulsa
The Woody Guthrie Center is vital because it’s not only a museum, it’s a performance space and a living archive to which scholars from around the world travel to study its one-of-a-kind source documents. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World file
was that our work efort would be complemented by remarkable regional renaissance. talk about good timing! to me, a great symbol of the area’s renaissance is the woody Guthrie Center, which helps anchor what we now know as the Brady Arts District. newly opened in 2013, the center is vital because it’s not only a museum, but also a performance space and a living archive to which scholars from around the world travel to study its one-of-a-kind source documents. Across the street, the Guthrie Green is a beacon to our son and daughter because of its music, markets, food trucks and fountains. Part of an industrial reclamation project, the park also embod-
ies the cooperative spirit of city leaders who are able to work for the common good. they’ve built it — and we come. Part of what makes the Brady Arts District so wonderful is the high density of artistic and commercial enterprises in a walkable environment. we’ll never forget the day we were given a tutorial in how glass is made at the tulsa Glassblowing studio. Our hope is that more areas of the tulsa metro region will improve their walkability as they strategically plan for the future. walking is better for all of us! Another of our favorite areas is the riverfront pathway. It’s great to see people being active outdoors, whether they’re biking, running
or walking. the tulsa Run and the Route 66 races are superb annual events that show of the best aspects of our region to residents and visitors alike. For our family, race days consist of the kids taking me to a pre-appointed spot to cheer on their mom as she runs by. Also in the river area, we are eagerly anticipating the opening of A Gathering Place for tulsa, which will truly be a transformative project in so many ways. Culturally, tulsa has been a smorgasbord for us: we regularly attend the tulsa symphony with our son and the tulsa Ballet with our daughter, a teen who also prizes the national music acts that visit the BOK Center. we are enamored of the PAC and its
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multitude of performances, and the many lectures and music performances around the city at our libraries, universities, churches and synagogues. we are also big fans of the Circle Cinema, a voice of independence. It’s our genuine good fortune to be a part of a metro area that is collaborative, visionary and resourceful. we are proud to be here. John Henning Schumann, M.D., is interim president of OU-Tulsa and holds the Gussman Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine at the OU School of Community Medicine. A practicing internist and writer, he authors the blog GlassHospital (glasshospital.com). His work has appeared in Slate, The Atlantic, Marketplace and National Public Radio’s health blog, Shots.
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TULSA City’s attraction has increased over time OSU-Tulsa students do classwork in the commons area of the school. Tulsaarea residents can choose from a variety of higher education options.
HOWARD G. BARNETT JR.
STEPHEN PINGRY/ Tulsa World ile
PRESIDENT, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY-TULSA
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t has been more than 60 years since time magazine dubbed tulsa “america’s Most beautiful City.” as a lifelong tulsan, I think we are as deserving of that title today as we were in the 1950s. We tulsans enjoy an exceptional quality of life rarely found and often unappreciated by those who experience it every day. What makes tulsa so livable? Let me start with the “beautiful” part. We are blessed to be situated in rolling hills with abundant public spaces to enjoy such as turkey Mountain, Guthrie Green and River Parks, just to mention a few. a Gathering Place promises to create an exciting addition to these. then there is the architecture. not just the amazing art deco buildings downtown, which remind us of tulsa’s rich history, but more recent additions such as the bOK Center, OneOK Field and the attractive buildings that our universities have added in the past decade. tulsa has a vibrant arts community, which provides world-class cultural experiences. tulsans have many options, ranging from our internationally renowned ballet company to our extraordinary museums, Philbrook and Gilcrease, to specialized facilities such as the Woody Guthrie Center and all the art galleries that have sprung up in the brady arts District. the contributions of our higher
education institutions also make a signiicant impact on our quality of life. tulsa Community College’s tulsa achieves program ofers more and more students the chance to go to college. Our next-level higher education institutions — OsU-tulsa, OU-tulsa, northeastern state University-broken arrow and Langston University-tulsa — are creating an ever more educated workforce, which results in better jobs and higher incomes for our residents. Livability means more than great places to go. It also means great places to live. tulsa has some wonderful old neighborhoods as well as more modern new develop-
ments. Our suburban communities have really enhanced themselves in recent years and provide quality housing opportunities and amenities that beneit all of us. From the RiverWalk in Jenks to the new Warren theatre in broken arrow to the museums in Claremore and bartlesville, the tulsa area abounds in choices of things to do and places to live. these things have generated growing entertainment options. It seems a great restaurant opens every week, and tulsa’s music scene continues to amaze with its abundance and variety. Wonderful historic venues such as the Cain’s
ballroom and Circle Cinema vie for your time along with the new ones. Public golf courses, tennis courts and running trails are just some of the amenities available for outdoor activities. but ultimately the best thing about living in tulsa is its people. Out-of-town guests inevitably point to the extraordinary friendliness of the people — complete strangers — with whom they interact. any attempt to list the attributes that make the quality of life in tulsa so great is going to fall short — there are just too many wonderful things about our city.
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and I believe we will continue to build on our current assets to have an even greater city in the future. As president of OSU-Tulsa, Howard Barnett has been working to advance higher education opportunities while ensuring area students can earn an OSU degree in Tulsa. A lifelong Tulsan, Barnett served as chief of staf for Gov. Frank Keating and as the Oklahoma secretary of commerce. Barnett is involved with many local civic and charitable organizations, including the Tulsa Ballet, the Salvation Army, the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa and the Oklahoma Center for Nonproits and is a former chairman of the Tulsa Metro Chamber and past president of Leadership Oklahoma.
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TULSA A GATHERING PLACE FOR TULSA UNDER CONSTRUCTION A Gathering Place for Tulsa is a 33-acre park being constructed along the Arkansas River in Tulsa. The $350 million project is being led by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which is contributing $200 million toward the park. Another $150 million is being raised through other private donations. Planned amenities include an adventure playground, a lodge, a pond, a boathouse, gardens and two grand lawns jutting into the river. It is expected to be completed in late 2017.
A Gathering Place for Tulsa will include many areas that will be a draw for families, including Mist Mountain (above), a playground (top right), a lodge (bottom left) and open grass areas with trails along the Arkansas River (bottom right), all shown in artist’s renderings. COURTESY/Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
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Broken Arrow’s quality of life rates high • Good schools, ample parks and low crime make it attractive.
About Broken Arrow Population (as of July 1, 2013): 103,500, fourth-largest in Oklahoma
Median income (2009-2013):
BY COREY JONES
$65,484
World Staf Writer
BROKEN ARROW — Capturing three-fourths of the vote on a multimillion-dollar school bond issue often is a barometer of how that district is performing and listening to its community, says Broken Arrow Public Schools Superintendent Jarod Mendenhall. Mendenhall said passage Feb. 10 of its $370 million four-phase package — slated to be completed across 12 years — shows school leaders are doing the right things and listening to its community. The district’s booming growth in recent years, which spurred the bond issue, also is indicative of the quality-of-life factor that attracts families to the community and its school system. So the metaphorical weather in Broken Arrow Public Schools must be quite good. “When the community entrusts me to have that kind of money in a bond issue, that’s kind of their gift to me,” Mendenhall said in a recent interview. “And my gift back to them is providing the very best quality facilities for their kids.” The Broken Arrow forecast also appears sunny for the other two factors community leaders cite in addition to the school system that make the city an attractive place to live: parks and recreation and public safety. The school district in the past four years already has constructed three elementaries. Enrollment was 16,300 students only ive years ago, Mendenhall said. Today, enrollment is up to 18,411. “When you grow like that, it’s very
Median home price (2009-2013): $151,300
Contact information: Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow Arrowhead Elementary fifth-grade students Laura Chavez (left), Marysol Mendez, Mary Pearson and Nona Blakeney wait to perform in a dress rehearsal for “The Trojan Horse,” at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
hard to keep up with that,” Mendenhall said, noting Realtors often convey to him that potential home buyers are interested in Broken Arrow speciically because of the school system. “That’s why this bond issue was so important.” Bonds won’t be sold until 2016, Mendenhall said. In the meantime the district will hire architects and engineers to help develop the iner details of the projects. Phase 1 consists of four projects: • Construct a new elementary school. • Remodel Sequoyah Middle School. • Build an addition to the high school for STEM classes (science, technology, engineering and math). • Add on about 20 classrooms to the Freshman Academy. And Broken Arrow Public Schools isn’t the only entity set up to make splashes in further enhancing the city’s livability. Scott Esmond, Parks and Recreation director for Broken Arrow, said
oicials are placing greater emphasis on creating more pedestrian trails and connecting more neighborhoods to trail systems so residents can move around the city without vehicles. Part of that efort is a project on tap for use by the end of fall that will connect the Liberty Trail with Arrowhead Park, near downtown. The trail, which runs along the Creek Turnpike, will be extended north at South Elm Place and pass a couple of schools and neighborhoods. Esmond said a lot of the new feeder trail will be comprised of street sharrows (lanes shared by motorists and bicyclists). Other 2015 projects Esmond highlighted for which there already is funding include: • Tennis courts and a full-court basketball court are under design for Nienhuis Park, with construction expected to begin in May or June. Two football fields will be converted to artificial turf from natural turf be-
City Hall, 220 S. First St., 918-2592400, brokenarrowok.gov. Fast fact: The Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center, the cornerstone of the Rose District, will celebrate its sixth anniversary this year. Broadway tours, concerts and other major shows have come through the venue since it opened in 2009. Well-known resident: Kristin Chenoweth Shopping: There are about 1,650 retailers in Broken Arrow, including a variety of local shops in the newly revamped downtown Rose District.
cause the surfaces get more use than the current turf can support. That transition is slated to start in late November. • Chisholm Trail South Park is in Phase II of an electrical distribution system, which will allow concession stand trailers or music setups to plug in. The work is expected to be finished in mid-April. • Three new tennis courts and a fullcourt basketball court at Central Park are 90 percent complete, with an expected opning this spring. • Crews are wrapping up construction in Camino Villa Park of a small clubhouse that can host birthday parties and other community gatherings. A related boon to those outdoor opportunities is what Police Chief
David Boggs said is an “extraordinarily low” crime rate Broken Arrow enjoys. Answering 85,000 calls for service a year in a town of 103,000 people, the city has a homicide maybe once every year or two, Boggs said. There are crimes like every community has, he said, but the citizenry in large part is involved, pays attention and cares. They feel safe walking in popular spots such as downtown, he said. An illustration of that dedication is schooling community members may voluntarily take in the form of popular academies hosted by the Police Department. Two citizens’ academies are hosted yearly. An initiative Boggs began is a master’s academy, which is an advanced class for those who have completed the irst academy. Boggs said the goal is to discuss the “why” of policing rather than the “how.” The academies build trust and educate the general populace on such topics as speed enforcement, Boggs said. The academies run one night a week for 10 weeks. “We don’t just work here. This is our community,” Boggs said. Corey Jones 918-581-8359 corey.jones@tulsaworld.com
BARTLESVILLE Education, arts are big in Bartlesville • The city has been investing heavily in arts venues and in its schools.
About Bartlesville Population (as of July 1, 2013): 36,258, 12th largest in Oklahoma
Median income (2009-2013): $48,864 Median home price (2009-2013): $111,500 Contact information: Bartlesville City Hall,
BY LAURA SUMMERS World Correspondent
BARTLESVILLE — A commitment to excellence in education and the arts in Bartlesville is keeping construction crews busy building new school classrooms and venues for song and dance in this northeast Oklahoma community. Bartlesville has a long history of supporting ine arts, science and education both inancially and through a dedicated crew of volunteers. The enthusiasm is stronger than ever in 2015, as $36.7 million in work is underway on school construction projects, and $1.7 million in grant funding from Phillips 66 has been dedicated to provide classroom equipment and staf for STEM programs ofering courses in science, technology, engineering and math. “The STEM grant we received will certainly give our students a competitive edge,” said Sherri Wilt, Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce president. “So many of the high-paying jobs today require strong science, technology and math skills, and what these new state-ofthe-art labs will provide for our students is real world application and not just textbook learning, starting in middle school years. Along with the new high school construction projects, Bartlesville has enhanced its competitiveness and attraction for new fam-
Madison Middle School seventh-graders Mallory Wyatt, 12; Taryn Nelson, 12; and Zoe Stratton, 13, walk around the top of the Play Tower in Sooner Park in Bartlesville.
918-338-4282, 401 S. Johnstone Ave., cityofbartlesville.org Fast facts: Arts, sports and academics all contribute to the quality of life in Bartlesville — a city known for its music and arts festivals, science fairs and hospitality hosting major sporting events. Well-known resident: Oil pioneers Frank and L.E. Phillips started Phillips Petroleum Company here, movie director Terrence Malick called Bartlesville home for a time, and Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond, a best-selling cookbook author, grew up here. Shopping: A regional shopping base for customers from Washington, Osage and Nowata counties, as well as southern Kansas, Bartlesville ofers more than 40 national and regional retailers at Washington Park Mall. Other national retailers also are located in the city.
MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
ilies relocating to this area.” A new freshman academy is under construction at Bartlesville High School, along with several new classrooms and a new cafeteria and commons area. Beginning this fall, grades 9-12 will be housed in the expanded high school — adding new amenities to the campus that already draws many out-of-town visitors who come to utilize the ieldhouse, ine arts center and stadium. Bartlesville has in recent years drawn both regional- and national-level sporting events, thanks to upscale facilities for basketball, swimming and golf. The city’s many amenities help draw tournaments to the area, as well as fans who have the opportunity to explore beautiful parks, a historic downtown district, local museums and landmark attractions, including Frank Lloyd Wright-
designed Price Tower Arts Center and the 3,700-acre Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve. The community is also home to several prestigious festivals including Oklahoma Indian Summer, Sunfest and OK Mozart International Music Festival. The annual June festival for OK Mozart brings to Bartlesville music lovers from around the U.S. With three decades of success already established, OKM this year embarked on creating a new venue to house some of the festival’s events through the year. With the aid of grant funding, OK Mozart is creating a full arts center atmosphere at Aurora Hall, 415 S. Dewey Ave., including a 125-seat entertainment venue with acoustics ideally designed for live performances. “It’s a new downtown venue suitable for all sorts of programs, particularly our house
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concerts, which makes it big news for everyone, especially young people,” said Randy Thompson, OK Mozart executive director. “It will allow OK Mozart to have a footprint in downtown Bartlesville all year long.” Aurora Hall, which also will be getting a facelift returning the building’s exterior to its historic brick facade, is just the latest arts upgrade project in the community. Bartlesville Civic Ballet last year restored another historic downtown building at 110 S.E. Second St., to serve the dance program that is now in its 45th season. Theater Bartlesville has worked on upgrades to its downtown facility at 312 S. Dewey Ave. as well, and Children’s Musical Theatre of Bartlesville has an ongoing capital campaign underway to renovate an 11,000-square-foot warehouse acquired for the popular youth drama program.
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OUTLOOK 2015
BIXBY City touts top schools, safe neighborhoods • Parents, volunteers and residents helping police make the diference. BY STEPHANIE ANDRE World Correspondent
BIXBY — Most parents would probably identify safety as their No. 1 priority when it comes to their children, with education falling not too far behind. In Bixby, parents can enjoy both — safe neighborhoods and top-rated schools. These two standout features have made Bixby one of the fastestgrowing cities in the state — a trend that is projected to continue in the coming years. To keep ahead of the growth, school oicials and law enforcement have used residents of the community to help maintain the high quality of life that deines Bixby. Bixby Schools Superintendent Kyle Wood cited the combination of a dedicated staf and committed parents as the main reason why Bixby continues to outperform other public schools. “There is a very high correlation between parent involvement and the academic success of students. It still takes a student who is willing and motivated to learn and it takes a good quality teacher, but that third piece — parental involvement — is vitally important.” In the latest statewide evaluation where schools receive a letter grade through the A-F grading system, every Bixby school received an “A” with the exception of one (Northeast Elementary and Intermediate), which received a “B.” The high letter grades placed Bixby among the top-rated schools in the Tulsa metro area. The district also stays ahead of the curve with its high-school students receiving high marks on the ACT. In 2014, the average ACT score was 22.0 — considerably higher than the statewide average of 20.7. On the elementary level, Bixby
Norbert Gallagher, a parent volunteer at Bixby North Elementary School, talks with youngsters. The school has a volunteer program for parents who wish to take an active role in the education of their children. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
North Elementary Principal Phil Streets said it is not uncommon to see parents in the hallways of the school reading or playing learning games with students. The school ofers various volunteer programs to parents who wish to take a more active role in the education of their children. After successfully passing a background check and training, volunteers are strategically placed throughout the school to get the most exposure to
students while assisting teachers. Streets said the beneits are felt schoolwide. “Logistically, kids are able to work on skills either one-on-one with an adult or within a small group, and that’s always helpful because we can target speciic things that child needs work on. But also, they get the message that school is important because they see mom or dad taking the time to help out at school. “And not just with them, but with other kids, too.” One successful efort has been the Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program, where dads or other male relatives volunteer for one day during the school year. Streets said the program is a winwin for the school because it not only provides an extra set of eyes and ears for teachers, but also lends to the school’s culture of academic excellence. “I feel very blessed that we’ve got some great teachers and parents here. The school community is very supportive and really values education,
and it makes my job much easier,” Streets said. According to a 2013 Uniform Crime Report, Bixby has one of the lowest crime rates in the state for cities with a population of over 20,000. Bixby Police Chief Ike Shirley credits a strong relationship between the police department and residents for the positive statistics. “We have been very fortunate because not only have our oicers done an excellent job, but because our community works with us and provides us with a lot of good information and that helps to make our jobs easier sometimes.” Since assuming the position of police chief in 2007, Shirley has promoted community awareness through various programs that use residents to assist law enforcement and help support the department’s vision of citizen policing. The Citizens Police Academy and Community Emergency Response Team are both free training programs ofered through the department that equip residents with the knowledge and hands-on experience to aid local law enforcement by reporting crimes or assisting in an emergency situation. “We’ve had seven or eight academies and one thing that has been able to do for us is to educate our community. They are better able to understand what is going on within the community and we are better able to serve them in return.” The department is well on its way to reaching its goal of having over 100 people graduated from the CERT program by the end of its iscal year in June. “Thanks to our community, we have been able to solve crimes and make arrests of that nature due to the fact that our citizens have been good about contacting us to report crime,” Shirley said. “As Bixby grows, it is even more important to build that relationship so that we can continue to keep our crime down and maintain the high quality of life.”
About Bixby Population (as of July 1, 2013): 23,228, 19th-largest in Oklahoma
Median income (2009-2013): $71,788
Median home price (20092013): $185,500 Contact information: City Hall, 918-366-4430, bixby. com Fast facts: Bixby is home to two large festivals — BBQ’n Blues Festival in May and Green Corn Festival in June. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bixby, the BBQ’n Blues Festival attracts barbecue teams from all over the country who come to compete in a cook-of judged by the Kansas City Barbeque Society. The public also gets to participate by purchasing taster kits to vote for the winner of the coveted People’s Choice award. The Green Corn Festival is a celebration of Bixby’s early days as the state’s leading agricultural hub. Carnival games, a parade and a talent show are just a few of the activities during the weekend-long celebration that touts “oldfashioned family fun.” Shopping: Regal Plaza at 105th Street and Memorial Drive ofers a variety of dining and retail options. The plaza has 17 specialty shops that include women’s apparel, home furnishings and accent gifts. There are seven restaurants, including Savastano’s Pizzeria, which has been voted as having one of the best Chicagostyle pizzas in the Tulsa area.
CATOOSA Technology program benefits schools • Daily access to laptops gives Catoosa students an interactive approach to learning.
About Catoosa Population (as of July 1, 2013): 7,159, 56th largest in Oklahoma
Median income (2009-2013): $53,896 Median home price (2009-2013): $107,300 Contact information: 918-266-0800, cityofcatoosa.org Fast facts: The name of the city is derived
BY LENZY KREHBIEL-BURTON World Correspondent
CATOOSA — Tap, tap, tap. Click, click, click. Tap, tap, tap. At Catoosa High School and Wells Middle School, the sound of students typing away is common in almost every classroom. Launched in August 2010, Catoosa Public Schools’ One-to-One program provides a WiFi-enabled Apple MacBook and charger to each of the more than 1,000 secondary school students in the district. This year’s senior class, who was part of the Oneto-One program’s initial roll-out as eighth-graders, will be Catoosa Public Schools’ irst graduating class to have used laptops continuously in the classroom. Initially funded through a $716,000 Title II grant from the Department of Education, Catoosa voters have approved multiple school bonds over the last several years to help keep the program going, including a $21.6 million package in November 2013 — the largest in the district’s history. Sixth-grade students are only allowed to use their computers at school and are expected to turn them in at the end of each day to charge the battery. Starting in seventh grade, Catoosa students are allowed to take their laptops home, but must return them at the end of each academic year. Middle-school parents and students, as well as those who move into the district after
Eighth-grade student Haylie McHenry, 14, gets help from history teacher Dan Spitler as the class does work tailored to individual learning rates at Catoosa’s R.J. Wells Middle School in Catoosa. Middle-school students are allowed to take their laptops home. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
sixth grade, are required to participate in an orientation course and sign a laptop use agreement with the district at the beginning of the school year. The district has software in place to help teachers monitor what their students do on their laptops during class, plus Facebook and other social networking sites are blocked by the district’s network. But at least one administrator said attempts to access distracting material during the school day has not been a big issue for her students. “I think our kids really appreciate that they have laptops,” Wells Middle School Principal Della Parrish said. “They think it’s pretty cool. We have a lot of kids who don’t have access to a computer anywhere else, so having one they can take back and forth helps even the playing ield.” The laptops are fully integrated into the dis-
trict’s secondary school curriculum and are regularly used not only for in-class assignments, but for homework as well. Most assignments do not require Wi-Fi access, but the middle school has faculty stay late three days each week to allow Internet access and on-site homework help as needed for students who would not be able to complete a project otherwise. “Kids have gotten really good at using alternative ways of doing assignments,” Parrish said. “For example, most of our history classes ofer more than one way to complete an assignment over a chapter. They do a presentation using iMovie or Pages, or they could write a report, pull together relevant pictures to show on a topic, or they could take an old-fashioned test if that’s what they’d prefer to do.” Eighth-grader Mike Lenaburg is among the students taking advantage of the alternative as-
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from the Cherokee language, phonetically pronounced “Ga-du-si” or “Ga-tu-si.” Various interpretations of the word exist, including: “between two hills,” “on the hill,” “into the hills” and possibly signifying a prominent hill or place thereon. The town was established following the opening of a post oice in 1883. Well-known resident: Nineteenth-century outlaw Bluford “Blue” Duck, the inspiration for a character of the same name in Larry McMurtry’s novel “Lonesome Dove,” briely lived in Catoosa and is buried in the Dick Duck cemetery near 193rd East Avenue and Pine Street. Shopping: Construction is ongoing at the Catoosa Hills shopping center, located of I-44 and 193rd East Avenue.
signment option, using Keynote to put together an interactive presentation on the MexicanAmerican War for his American history class. “It’s very entertaining, and it’s much easier than having to manually write everything out,” Lenaburg said. “I have access to more resources (with my laptop) and am able embed hyperlinks in my assignments.” For faculty, the laptops have also provided a way to better engage the students during classes. In Larry Schultz’s seventh-grade geography class, the laptops are a key component of regular interactive quizzes that give the students a chance to compete against each other by showing their scores in real time. “It’s unbelievable how engaged some of the kids will get,” he said. “They like having a little competition and seeing how they’re doing compared to their friends and classmates.”
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JENKS Schools are catalyst for city growth • Since 2000, Jenks has nearly doubled its population.
Ginger Thedford (standing) works with her students during her math class at Jenks High School.
BY BRITT GREENWOOD World Correspondent
JENKS — The city of Jenks is recognized as one of the most desirable places to live in Oklahoma, according to Jenks City Planner Robert Bell. With a charming downtown, family entertainment and low crime rate, it is no surprise the population has boomed in the last 15 years. Even so, Jenks Public Schools holds up a community standard met by few others. When it comes to population change, Bell said, “I think the education quality of Jenks Public Schools is deinitely one reason that the city of Jenks has become a highly desirable place to live.” In 2000, the U.S. Census listed 9,511 people living in Jenks. By 2010, the population was posted as 16,924. The numbers have only grown with 1,059 new houses being constructed since the last census. After mentioning the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (the nation’s highest presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence) JPS received in 2005, Bell said he couldn’t begin to describe the high athletic and academic accomplishments the school produces. “What that means is if your
MICHAEL WYKE/ Tulsa World
student attends Jenks Public Schools, they are receiving the highest level of quality education that will prepare them for the future,” he said. Jenks Superintendent Stacey Butterield has a modest approach between new Jenks residents and the school district. “We recognize the beneits of all of us — the city of Jenks, the chamber and the school district working together. People are moving to the community not just for the school system but for the smaller community feel. We look at it as a partnership between all of us,” she said. For 2015, Butterield said there are three focuses district-wide: addressing growth, using technology and student health and wellness. The growing student population has presented challenges, and the community voted Feb. 10 to pass a $120 million bond issue to accom-
modate the surplus of enrollees, with the addition of a new elementary school to be completed in 2016, additional classrooms at other schools, renovations, technology and more. Butterield said the students are now incorporating personal technology devices like tablets in learning through their One to One Instruction Initiative. Grades 9-12 have already implemented the program, and the district is working toward inding the best strategic approach and devices for the younger grades. Why a focus on health and wellness? “We recognize and know what the research says about health and wellness and the inluence that has on student achievement,” Butterield said. This includes the school nutrition, physical education and integrating action-based learning into the classroom.
Montana transplant Molly Murphy-Adams started her daughter at Jenks in the fourth grade ive years ago. Her husband’s children were already Jenks “lifers,” and they never considered another school district. “We love that the kids have the choice to pursue a huge variety of interests. The older kids were in sports. The youngest is in music and drama. Both types of extracurriculars are supported by the schools in terms of facilities and staf. It is also a safe school, and the high school is set in the small town of Jenks, which gives it a more relaxed feel,” she said. Although Murphy-Adams doesn’t plan on living in Jenks forever, she said it is great for raising kids. Meeting the needs of the growing population, Jenks offers much promise in the RiverWalk Crossing development with a $22 million investment
About Jenks Population (as of July 1, 2013): 18,670, 27th largest in Oklahoma.
Median income (2009-2013): $84,491
Median home price (20092013): $179,600 Contact information: City Hall, 211 N. Elm St., 918299-5883 Fast fact: Jenks was ranked No. 43 in the August 2007 issue of Money Magazine’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S.” The magazine focused on cities with a population of 50,000 or less that ofered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a sense of community. Landmark: Opened in 2003, the Oklahoma Aquarium attracts nearly half a million tourists a year. Well-known residents: Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry graduated from Jenks High School in 2001, and the Trojans have contributed players to at least 17 diferent NFL teams.
into a high-tech golf facility, family friendly games, new restaurants and more to revitalize the once-popular destination. Another family attraction is the Oklahoma Aquarium. If you are a resident of Jenks, you can receive half of the membership fee. Also, 2015 is a celebratory year at the aquarium
as the long-awaited funding for the sea turtle exhibit has arrived due to an allocation of Vision 2025 dollars. But before the aquarium and the Riverwalk, Jenks’ downtown Main Street has been an antique hunter’s haven. That is changing. Though plenty of antique peddling continues, downtown Jenks is shaping into an ever-improving spot for boutique shopping, cofee, art pursuing, dining and bars. In the last few years, a storefront vacancy has been a rare sight. Josh Driskall, Jenks Chamber of Commerce president, said, “Downtown Jenks continues to thrive as our existing merchants expand their businesses and maintain the charm of that area.” Residents will also see more downtown development at the Village on Main. The area “will continue to rise from the ground as new construction is expected this year to accompany existing structures, including the First Oklahoma Bank headquarters,” Driskall said.
OWASSO
Owasso looking to improve recreation • The work on Rejoice Christian Schools will double enrollment.
Construction continues on the new $50 million Rejoice Christian Schools building in Owasso. The campus, at 106th Street North and U.S. 169, will feature a high school, middle school and combined preschool and elementary building.
BY RHETT MORGAN World Staf Writer
OWASSO — With good schools, an active YMCA and a pair of hospitals, the city has the foundation for an adequate quality of life. But Owasso is looking to do better, said Larry Langford, the city’s director of recreation and leisure. Studies consistently point to three things that would make Owasso more relaxing: a trail system, dog park and community pool, Langford said. “We want to try to connect our parks, trying to go from 116th Street (Owasso Sports Park), to the southernmost part of the city, which will connect with Mohawk Park,” he said. “We want to be able to have our community connected, not only with itself, but with other parks in other regions.” In conjunction with the Sports Park, the municipality wants to improve the parking and ballield lighting to better recruit youth tournaments. To upgrade safety and reduce the police expenses from the city’s many 5K races, it also is proposing building a permanent 5K course at the park. Another priority is a dog park, Langford said. The city is eyeing donated trust land east of McCarty Park on about an 8-acre tract. “It would not only create a beautiful sanctuary for a dog park with the vegetation and thick trees, but it would also make that park more active during of seasons,” Langford said. A total of $100,000 has been set aside for the park, but Langford plans to ask for more during the next budget phase.
Photos by MICHAEL WYKE/ Tulsa World
About Owasso Population (as of July 1, 2013): 34,472
Median income (2009-2013):
Renderings at the construction site show the new $50 million Rejoice Christian Schools building in Owasso.
“I really want to make sure we have the funds to make it a ‘wow’ project,” he said. “We want to make it a destination.” Residents also would like an outdoor public pool. Built in the early 1970s, Owasso’s previous outdoor pool closed about
a decade ago with the arrival of the city’s new YMCA, whose indoor pool features a shallow activity area and two lanes for lap swimming. A new pool project probably would include a water park, slides and plenty of room for sunbathers, Langford said. “We’re trying to do the best that we can and meet the needs of the community without being irresponsible inancially,” he said. While Owasso clearly is pointed forward, it still has many amenities in place. The skate park remains a huge draw for the younger folks, and the “Gathering on Main,” a monthly street festival running from April through October, continues to gain momentum in its third year. “We believe it has helped re-establish downtown, the Main Street area,” Langford said. “It has brought it back to life.” Meanwhile, construction continues on the new campus for Rejoice Christian School. A $50 million gift from the Eddy Gibbs Family Trust allowed the school to build the new 50acre campus at 106th Street North
and U.S. 169. The new campus will allow Rejoice to double its current enrollment of about 750 students. Owasso also boasts a solid neighborhood network. In August 2008, residents voted to OK an increase in the hotel tax from 3 percent to 5 percent to fund the Owasso Strong Neighborhood Initiative (OSNI). Today, 35 homeowners associations, neighborhood associations, networks, ailiations or apartment complexes are registered with the OSNI, representing 7,098 households. The Neighborhood Grant Program, administered by the Owasso Community Foundation, provides matching funds for recognized neighborhood organizations in the City. Since 2010, 29 grants have been handed out for a total investment of $51,428.96. In addition, in March 2014, the city and the OSNI announced a partnership with Nextdoor, a private social network for neighborhoods to improve citywide and neighbor-toneighbor communications. Owasso was the irst city to adopt Nextdoor.
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$64,186
Median home price (2009-2013): $148,600
Contact information: City Hall, 918376-1500, cityofowasso.com Fast facts: Just east of Owasso in Rogers County is Stone Canyon, which, at more than 3,000 acres, is among the region’s largest developments. Owasso Public Schools’ baseball and band programs typically rank among the best in the nation. Well-known resident: Country music superstar Garth Brooks lives on a ranch east of the city. Shopping: The city ofers a variety of shopping and eating choices for a community its size, with people congregating at Smith Farm Marketplace, Owasso Market and Tyann Plaza. More than 4 million square feet of commercial development has been created in the past 10 years, including the $55 million Smith Farm Marketplace, which opened in the fall of 2005. About two-thirds of every dollar spent in the city comes from nonresidents.
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OUTLOOK 2015