The Norman Transcript

Columns

Discussion

January 27, 2013

Reaves Park getting new softball building

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — City Council members this week approved nearly $6 million in bundled TIF taxes to pay for Legacy Park in the University North Park development. But they also approved a contract for another park project, one closer to my heart and home.

The council approved a $156,000 contract with Aztec Construction Co. to replace the middle field softball restrooms and scorekeepers stand at Reaves Park.

Contractors will tear down the old building that dates only to 1981 and replace it with the new one. The west field building has already been replaced.

Softball enthusiasts are counting the days until the spring season opens. The building may not be done by opening day but most of the players won’t be ready either.

n n n

My participatory journalism has taken on many forms in my Transcript life. Once, the county bar association asked me to play the part of Baltimore journalist H.L. Mencken in its recreation of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trials. (Maybe my clothes are a bit dated). I interrupted Judge Tom Lucas’ proceedings to say my newspaper would post the $500 bail for John Scopes.

Then, Jennifer Baker recruited me to community theater in the Sooner Theatre’s production of “Lucky Stiff.” The musical comedy involves dragging a corpse around the country. You guessed it, my role was the stiff.

Now, my talents were summoned to perform with the Norman Philharmonic Orchestra. The “cuckoo” whistle part was not written for me but it certainly has lead to many jokes around the community.

n n n

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved the early stages of a rowing facility on the South Campus. It’ll be built on Chautauqua, just south of the school’s rugby field.

The location is less than a mile from the Canadian River. It reminds me of that idea that someone — it may have come in a dream — floated a few years back when Riverwind Casino was under construction.

Why not invest in a series of low-water dams and turn the Canadian River as it circles Cleveland County into something similar to the Oklahoma River as it passes through Oklahoma City. The river today is much like it was when settlers came to the area: It’s too thick to drink and too thin to plow.

The stretch from Newcastle to Noble could be a beautiful oasis home to rowing teams, their boathouses, parks and riverside restaurants. It’s just a thought but the possibilities are exciting.

Just in case someone picks this up and runs with it, maybe OU should hold up on the design.

Andy Rieger

editor@normantranscript.com

366-3543

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Columns
  • Misinformation clouds global warming

    Next spring I will again have to update my lecture on global warming. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is now rising above the 400 ppm level for the first time in perhaps 5 million years — a scenario humans have never experienced. In my Geology ...

    May 23, 2013

  • Crazy Kim and the Tippy Twos

    Kim Jong Un certainly seems crazy. But sound mind isn’t a requirement for predictable action. Tyrants often mask steady goals with wild behavior. One need only think of world pests like Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein to realize entire ...

    May 21, 2013

  • U.S. must address shootings

    Editor, The Transcript: This is sent in reply to the letter from Earl Herfurth regarding Second Amendment rights. Certainly, the Second Amendment is an important part of America’s history, but the argument set forth in support of gun ...

    May 20, 2013

  • Gas stations used to command loyalty

    More than 50 years ago, Ed Ruscha set off on a road trip from California to Oklahoma City and back. The young artist was driving to see his mother, who still lived in Oklahoma....

    May 19, 2013

  • Mothers today aren’t like early mothers

    Early mothers were known for their ability and willingness to sew for family as well as friends and neighbors. When clothes needed mending or someone needed a dress or a jacket, many mothers could always come through. “You have to stand ...

    May 16, 2013

  • A few ‘tells’ predict who will blow their money

    During Kentucky Derby week, gambling was at the forefront of my life. Along with non-stop activities in my home state of Kentucky, I spoke at a dinner for the Society of Settlement Professionals in Las Vegas. A film crew flew in from Rome ...

    May 14, 2013

  • Remembering George Nigh

    George Nigh was sworn into office four times and served longer as Oklahoma’s chief executive officer than any other person in the state’s history....

    May 12, 2013

  • Cleveland County needs district judges

    Politics makes strange bedfellows. Rep. Bobby Cleveland and I have had our disagreements, and likely neither wishes to share a bed with the other. Perhaps we’ve forgiven but not forgotten, but on the issue of an additional district ...

    May 9, 2013

  • New budget is fiscally responsible

    Over the course of the legislative session, the crafting of the state budget is the biggest task we face each spring....

    May 7, 2013

  • Testing limits, cadets

    When the Norman police sergeant insisted on taking me home after a night of binge drinking this week, my first thought was what would the neighbors think when the patrol car creeped into my driveway and my exit was from the back seat? ...

    May 5, 2013