City Leaders Looking to the Canal's Future

After 10 years in the making, city leaders are now looking to the future of the Bricktown Canal.

Thursday, July 2nd 2009, 7:35 pm

By: News 9


By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After 10 years in the making, city leaders are now looking to the future of the Bricktown Canal.

Amid celebrations today for the 10th anniversary of the canal, plans were in the works to continue the canal's success by expanding it. City leaders want to expand north, just east of the ballpark and further west.

"The soonest we would see any type of canal expansion would be as further development happens," said Jim Cowen, Bricktown Association director.

Cowen said he would like to see the expansion as part of a new one cent sales tax, better known as MAPS 3, which already includes a new convention center and a new downtown city park.

"If we're going to build this state of the art convention center, it only makes sense that it is connected to Bricktown," he said.

But while city leaders want to extend the canal, many citizens don't appear to share the same excitement.

A survey by the mayor's office was conducted to see what people would want included in a possible MAPS 3. Out of nearly 3,000 ideas, expanding the canal ranked welll below things like infrastructure needs and new sidewalks.

But despite the survey results, supporters of the canal extension continue to look forward.

"There are a lot of possibilities and we think it's important to think what if," Cowen said.

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said extending the canal could be on a MAPS 3 ballot.

During Thursday's anniversary celebrations, Jim Brewer and Neil Horton were the first names honored as part of the first-ever Bricktown Walk of Fame.

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