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Council backs $500,000 TIF allocation to support Clara Luper Civil Rights Center exhibits
Summary
Council approved a $500,000 allocation drawn from two increment districts to support storytelling and exhibition elements of the Clara Luper Civil Rights Center project; city funding is intended to ensure exhibition quality while the operator continues private fundraising.
The Oklahoma City Council on Aug. 1 approved a joint resolution allocating up to $500,000 from increment district public improvements budgets to support exhibition and storytelling elements of the Clara Luper Civil Rights Center. The allocation draws $350,000 from Increment District No. 9 and $150,000 from Increment District No. 15.
Christina Beatty, executive director of the Freedom Center (the project operator), told the council the phase-one building will be about 17,000 square feet with classrooms, administrative space and a multiuse event hall; construction costs were presented near $11.8 million for the base bid with total MAPS-related budget lines higher when systems and endowments are included. Beatty said the half-million allocation is focused on curatorial and exhibit costs (display cases, AV/projection and archival protection) to ensure the building functions as a public storytelling space.
Beatty said the Freedom Center has raised private funds to restore the historic building and is negotiating access to an operations and maintenance endowment; the city’s contribution is intended to secure exhibition quality in the base project rather than be used for ongoing operations. She described fundraising efforts with local foundations and national grant prospects.
A resident (Michael Washington) challenged process and sought personal recognition for prior preservation advocacy during public comment; council approved the TIF allocation 7–1. City and project staff said the allocation supports the MAPS-funded building and acknowledges continued private fundraising for operations and future expansions.
