Last Updated on May 28, 2021, 1:22 PM | Published: May 28, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Thursday the Riversport Foundation cut ribbons on two different projects on their expansive campus along the Oklahoma River southeast of downtown.
Riversport supports the many water-related activities along the river including Olympic rowing training, rowing competitions, whitewater raft training and many youth-oriented programs.
Leadership Center
One project, funded by the MAPS 3 sales tax is the completion of the second floor of the Whitewater Center building on the far east end of the campus.
The second floor is now built out into the Leadership Center. It has several state-of-the-art meeting spaces, one of which can be used as one large meeting space or divided into as many as four different meeting rooms.
Riversport staff told Free Press Thursday that the space will be used for various leadership trainings and other activities.
The project cost $2.9 million and yielded 8,200 square feet of meeting space plus the upgrading of food service facilities.
Ski OKC
The second ribbon cutting of the day was on the indoor ski slope simulator which was demonstrated by Rob Van Schie with Alpine Engineering, the company that manufacturers the equipment.
Van Schie and two youth practiced skiing on the machine in front of Mayor David Holt and the crowd that came for the ribbon-cutting.
The Ski OKC simulator is an articulating continuous artificial ski slope that features low-friction artificial ski grass. The machine continuously sprays a fine mist onto the huge belt that simulates similar qualities of a ski slope.
The angle of the slope can be changed while in use to change from a blue slope to a black slope within seconds.
The Ski OKC center was funded by a grant from the Inasmuch Foundation in Oklahoma City.
“Our grant supports Riversport Foundations’s Thrive Outside initiative to remove barriers,” said Bob Ross, Chairman and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation. “I hope other organizations and even individuals will join the Thrive effort by purchasing Riversport passes ore sponsoring groups of kids. Thrive Outside is all about the collective impact we can have in creating a healthier community by increasing access to recreational and wellness activities.”
MAPS 3
MAPS 3 is a capital improvements program in Oklahoma City that uses a one-cent, limited-term sales tax to pay for debt-free projects that improve our quality of life.
The construction phase of MAPS 3 is well under way, with the final project expected to be finished in 2022.
The City Council oversees MAPS 3 with the help of a Citizens Advisory Board composed of members the Mayor appoints and the Council confirms.
A subcommittee chaired by an advisory board member guides each project from start to finish. The board and subcommittee members are Oklahoma City residents who are civic-minded stakeholders in the MAPS 3 projects.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
