By Josh Newton
CNHI
—
TAHLEQUAH — In April 2009, city voters approved a half-cent city sales tax proposal that was expected to generate around $8 million.
Of that, a fixed allocation of $350,000 has been dedicated to downtown projects, including development of pedestrian and green-space enhancements, said Tahlequah Mayor Ken Purdy.
“This was included as part of the community discussion that has been going on since late 2008,” said Purdy, who described each individual project as a pedestrian island.
“Before the election, there were numerous public meetings where this project was addressed,” he said.
Jack Mullen and his wife, Andrea, own Sam and Ella’s Chicken Palace at the corner of Muskogee Avenue and Spring Street. Mullen said he’d heard nothing of the project before receiving a letter that outlines construction plans.
The letter, dated Aug. 6, invites merchants to contact Purdy or Assistant City Administrator Kevin Smith with questions or concerns, but Mullen said his calls went unreturned until Monday, Aug. 23.
Mullen said when Purdy did return the call, the mayor didn’t give him an opportunity to voice his concerns.
“I think the mayor has done a good job,” Mullen said Monday, referring to other downtown enhancements, such as Norris Park.
But, Mullen said while Norris enhances the area, the new project will damage his business.
Rupe Building Co. of Tulsa will begin the project soon, said Purdy, and should conclude major construction efforts by Nov. 23, before the main holiday shopping season. About eight blocks will be affected in the downtown area, where around two dozen parking spaces will be eliminated and replaced with shrubs, trees and benches.
“For every parking space you take away, you might as well take away one table in my restaurant,” Mullen said. “It seems like they would be adding parking instead of removing it.”
Mullen, who has operated his pizza restaurant for about a decade, insists he isn’t trying to hold up progress downtown.
“Anything we can do to spruce up is wonderful,” Mullen said. “But that’s not the issue. I have 35 employees and not enough parking as it is.”
He said many of his customers are elderly and already have a difficult time finding a convenient place to park. With fewer spaces, he believes many customers will stop traveling to the area.
Architectural renderings show two of the islands are to be built on the west side of Muskogee Avenue, between Morgan and Spring, which is where Sam and Ella’s is located. One of the projects will be right in front of the restaurant.
Mullen also worries the trees could bring in more birds that could leave behind a mess of bird droppings. He said that has happened in other cities where similar downtown enhancements were made. He also fears a tree will block the Sam and Ella’s neon sign, which required help from a lawyer for approval.
Purdy said the idea behind the downtown revamping came from nationally recognized image expert Roger Brooks, who conducted a large study and suggested such a project would draw in more people, and ultimately, more money for downtown businesses.
“(Brooks) came in with a fresh set of eyes, was able to look at our downtown, and make recommendations that can appeal to tourism, which we know is an important part of the economy,” Purdy said.
He regrets some people are upset, but said most downtown business owners have expressed support for the enhancements. A few others, he admits, are cautious about the change.
During preceding community discussions, there was no specific proposal for what those downtown projects would ultimately look like, Purdy said.
Slated to begin in the coming weeks, the project will stretch along Muskogee Avenue from Chickasaw Street to Goingsnake Street. It will begin on the north end and work south, Purdy said, with no lane closures expected.
In all, 22 construction sites will be scattered along the stretch, on both sides of the street. Most will replace one parking space, while a couple of other islands will be larger, taking the place of two parking spaces.
Purdy said the downtown corridor has more than 225 parking spaces, or about 30 per block, which will mean about a 10 percent loss of spaces. But he also said in his years as mayor, the city has added more than 70 parking spaces to provide direct access to downtown, though they aren’t on Muskogee Avenue.
“We feel like it’s going to have a direct economic benefit to the city,” Purdy said. “I am deeply committed to improvements in the downtown area. It’s meaningful and important to us that the improvements have value and ultimately reflect a benefit to the heart of Tahlequah.”
Purdy said as construction begins, the city and contractor will do their best to be sensitive to the needs of merchants. Crews will work on one island at a time and “confine their workspace to the smallest footprint possible.”
Josh Newton writes for the Tahlequah Daily Press.
