Will Oklahoma City's Iconic Gold Dome Become A Music Venue?
The Gold Dome in Oklahoma City may soon be preserved as a live music venue.
Tulsa music venue operator and promoter Mike Brown has his eye on the iconic structure at NW 23rd and Classen.
Brown is seeking $3 million in public assistance through a TIF district.
The plan will go before the Classen TIF review committee Monday, with further reviews by city officials in January.
The developer plans to make interior upgrades, roof repairs and cleanup the exterior.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports the estimated cost for the project is $10 million, with $7 million coming from Brown’s company.
Built in 1958, the Gold Dome has faced demolition threats in the past, but protests from preservationists have saved the structure from the wrecking ball.
Cost Estimates For Extending Passenger Train Service Into Kansas
Transportation officials are exploring what it would take to run passenger trains between Oklahoma City and Newton, Kansas.
The Heartland Flyer currently makes a daily roundtrip between OKC and Fort Worth. If the line is extended to Newton, passengers could connect with cross-country train routes.
Kansas officials said the passenger rail connection would require around $300 million to get it operational, according to a report from nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Voice.
That’s for trains going a leisurely 55 miles per hour. For a route that could accommodate quicker trains, the infrastructure costs would nearly double.
Amtrak estimates this route extension would generate around $65 million in revenue annually.
Kansas and Oklahoma received half a million federal dollars to plan this route, and funding opportunities for passenger rail projects have grown under the Biden administration.
But, it’s unclear how the incoming Trump administration will prioritize passenger rail.
Governor Stitt Exploring “Unplugging” Oklahoma From Southwest Power Pool Grid
The governor shared concerns over the regional transmission organization during an interview with Oklahoma City TV News 9 this month.
Oklahoma shares power with 13 other states in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which extends through parts of the central U.S.
But that could change should Stitt find reason to exit the organization.
In a television interview, the governor said he wanted to maintain the state’s sovereignty over its permitting rights and eminent domain.
“I just don't want to have to play ‘mother may I’ to the Southwest Power Pool, which is a group of 17 states, before I add energy to my own grid,” he told political analyst Scott Mitchell.
As of 2024, SPP has 14 member states.
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company and the Public Service Company of Oklahoma were founding members of the group in 1941.
The transmission organization provides power to 18 million electric consumers in the middle of America.
Asked if Oklahoma’s grid would operate similarly to the independent Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Stitt said “not really.”
The governor said he would be open to sharing power with Texas, Kansas or Arkansas.
In a statement to StateImpact on Friday, SPP’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lanny Nickell said the organization has recently been in contact with the governor to “strengthen our mutual understanding of the ways SPP can continue to fulfill its mission of keeping the lights on affordably and reliably in the state of Oklahoma.”
“We’ll continue to work with Governor Stitt, as we do with all legislators and regulators across our service territory, to ensure the benefits of SPP membership continue to far outweigh the costs,” Nickell said.
State Lawmaker Set To Become City of Tulsa’s Tribal Liaison
For the first time, Tulsa will have a director of tribal policy and partnerships.
Current Rep. Amanda Swope (D-Tulsa) will take on the role for newly elected Mayor Monroe Nichols.
A member of the Muscogee Nation with Osage ancestry, Swope formerly worked for the Muscogee Creek Nation as director of Tribal Juvenile Justice and was the first Native American to serve as chair for the Tulsa County Democratic Party.
Swope’s new role will support the City of Tulsa’s relationship with the tribes whose borders intersect in the city. Those tribes include the Muscogee, Osage and Cherokee Nations.
“Public service runs in my family, and I’m honored to be asked by Mayor Nichols to serve Tulsa in this new way,” Swope said in a press release. “Together, we will work to strengthen the relationships we have with our tribal nations, co-govern in a way that works for all of our citizens, and lead with respect for those who came before us and continue to have a profound impact on our way of life.”
Swope is slated to start in January. Her departure will trigger a special election to fill her seat in District 71.
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