Park makeover kicks off with art unveiling

Business Writer slackmeyer@oklahoman.com

Midtown residents, developers, business and civic leaders are set to gather Tuesday with Mayor Mick Cornett at Red Andrews Park in celebration of an upcoming $1 million makeover.

Construction is starting within the next few months on the park at NW 8 and Shartel Avenue, which is in the heart of the burgeoning collection of modernist homes built along the southwest corner of Midtown.

The makeover, designed by architect Brian Fitzsimmons, replaces a surface parking lot with green space, an amphitheater, walking paths and new landscaping. An interactive public art piece, meanwhile, is set to be unveiled at the groundbreaking, which will start at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

For years, the park has been home to the John L. Williams Municipal Gymnasium, which itself is already undergoing a $250,000 renovation. The next phase of work, expected to start this winter, is being funded with private donations, tax increment financing and city bond funds.

The project is a collaboration between the Parks and Recreation Department, Planning Department, Midtown Renaissance, St. Anthony Hospital, The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, Bob Moore Auto Group, Valir Health, Fitzsimmons Architects, SOSA Neighborhood Association, Oklahoma City Community Foundation and Downtown OKC, Inc.

The project has been a longtime aspiration for Fitzsimmons, an area resident, Mickey Clagg of Midtown Renaissance and St. Anthony Hospital under the leadership of Joe Hodges.

At a 2014 meeting the three dedicated themselves to finding a way to bring life to a park that was underused and yet in the middle of a resurging neighborhood.

“We are pleased to see the vision of Red Andrews Park become a reality for the Midtown Community,” Hodges said.

“Not only will the park enhancements be a boost to an area undergoing tremendous revitalization, we see this as a meaningful support of healthy lifestyles in our community.”

Clagg meanwhile noted the project is funded through a mix of private and public money that also demonstrates how tax increment financing can used for purely civic purposes.

“The outpouring of public and private support for Red Andrews Park exemplifies its importance for the Midtown neighborhood,” Clagg said.