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Riverfront Authority approves holiday parade sponsorship, renews leases and hears dam rehabilitation update
Summary
At its Aug. 26 meeting, the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority approved a $40,000 sponsorship for the Holiday River Parade, renewed a long-running hay lease, accepted financial reports and heard a multi-year plan for dam repairs and river maintenance; parks staff also reported early public use after Walker Wetland improvements.
The Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority on Aug. 26 approved a memorandum of understanding to sponsor the Holiday River Parade for $40,000 and voted to renew a long-running lease for hay cultivation on riverfront property, while also accepting a series of financial and maintenance reports and hearing a multi-year plan for dam repairs.
The parade sponsorship—proposed to be handled through a memorandum of understanding with the River Sport Foundation running Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026—was presented to the authority by a committee that recommended the same $40,000 amount paid last year. Don, a member of the authority's development/water-use committee, said the committee met Aug. 13 and voted to recommend the sponsorship proposal from Mike Knop. The authority voted to approve the MOU during the meeting.
The board also approved a renewal of a lease with Steve Allen for hay cultivation on authority-owned property near Sooner Road (listed in the agenda materials as 20 Third and 30 Sixth Street). Trustees voted to accept the schedule of cash receipts and disbursements for the period ending June 30, 2025, and to approve the claims docket and several consent items, including an oil-and-gas revenue report and a real property records update.
Staff reported on river infrastructure and maintenance. Authority staff briefed trustees that rehabilitation work on the third dam is planned following engineers' recommendations, with construction anticipated to begin in mid-November and proceed to completion. As part of a five-year maintenance program, staff said cylindrical components will be replaced and rehabilitated on roughly one dam per year over the next three years.
In the Eastern Basin, staff said the MAPS 4 pedestrian bridge and the First American Museum Riverboat Landing are nearing completion. The authority reported recent dredging west of the May Dam; spoil piles were staged on the south bank and will be removed after decanting. Staff also told trustees that river crews removed almost 300 cubic yards of debris from the river basin during July.
Melinda McMillan, Parks and Recreation director, reported on Walker Wetland improvements and said the area is already seeing increased public access. “People are I can watch people down there fishing whenever I drive past there, most days to check on it,” McMillan said, adding that police patrols have increased access and supervision in the area.
All votes taken during the meeting were announced by the chair as passed; no roll-call tallies or movers/seconders were recorded in the public transcript. The authority adjourned after accepting the reports and actions listed on the consent and regular agenda.
