OKC FRIDAY Vol. 58 No. 13 • One Section • 12 pages •August 2, 2024 $1 per copy
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 50 years
STATE OF THE CITY
Residents question crowds at Village splash pad
Determined Brothers Braden and Austin Ulmer play in the splash pad at Duffner Park in The Village. Their grandmother, Laura Ulmer said she has been bringing the boys to the splash pad since it opened and feels like it is a clean and safe place, but that people need to clean up after themselves.
By Eric Oesch Staff Writer A massive $1.44 million project to renovate Duffner Park in The Village is complete and now some residents are worried about the number of people visiting the facility. The year-long project provided upgrades to a popular splash pad area, extensive landscaping and sidewalks, new soccer, tennis and pickleball facilities, and installation of modern playground equipment. Duffner Park is one of the most frequented in The Village. City residents have gone before the city council and to social media to voice their concerns about the use of the park. Complaints have included daycare centers “overcrowding” the park’s new splash pad and reports of “dirty diapers” being left at the park’s pavilion area by
bus pulling up at the splash pad at the same time with only a handful of teenage guardians. There is a BIG difference between a mom-andpop daycare with ten kids and two adults and a huge daycare or camp that comes in with 40+ kids at a time. It takes a residential park and makes it unusable to residents.” City Manager Dave
By Rose Lane Editor
Slezickey said The Village takes this matter seriously after receiving complaints of “out of town” kids coming to the splash pad without supervision. “First, we validate complaints, and if they are valid, we search for solutions,” he said. “We are increasing the presence of city employees
In his 2024 State of the City address, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt described the city as “determined.” “There is not a city in America more missionfocused, more united, more dynamic and more relentlessDAVID HOLT ly focused on OKC Mayor improvement,” he said. “Sometimes incremental, sometimes dramatic, but always improving. All OKC does is win.” With a few details to work out, it is possible Oklahoma City is to be the site of canoe slalom and softball events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Now, I want to state that the Los Angeles City Council is still considering some aspects of this proposal and will be for some weeks to come,” Mayor Holt said. “We are deeply respectful of that process. But, while the process unfolds, we can certainly take a moment and appreciate that we are even having this conversation. “As you know, the reaction to this announcement in OKC has been euphoric. For anyone who lived here in the 1980s or 90s, this is another one of those moments where we have marveled at how far we’ve come.”
See VILLAGE, Page 3
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- Photo by Rose Lane
park attendees. One concerned resident posted, “I have a 5year-old granddaughter that I haven’t taken this year because it was so out of control last year. Way too many daycare and older kids that ruined (the experience) for younger ones.” Another post said, “I made a post several years ago about four school buses and a tour
Editor’s Note: This is a first part in a series covering Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt’s State of the City address.
Plans underway to celebrate 100th Anniversary of historic Harding school building By Eric Oesch Staff Writer Harding Fine Arts Academy Foundation is planning to commemorate 100 years of academic excellence in the building the academy calls home during a special celebration weekend.
The Harding Centennial Celebration Weekend is scheduled for Oct. 2-5. The celebration is to feature an all-class reunion, building tours, concert performances, the creation of an alumni anthology, the placement of time capsules and the unveiling of a centennial sculpture by Oklahoma City
artist Patrick Riley, created in collaboration with Harding students. When Harding Junior High School opened its doors in 1924, prohibition was in full swing and Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, had just passed away with Calvin Coolidge step-
OKC FRIDAY: Fabulous at 50
Covering our ever-changing OKC By Kari Watkins President & CEO OKC National Memorial and Museum Congratulations to FRIDAY as you celebrate your 50th anniversary. Thanks for continuing to bring us the latest news, pictures and success of Fridayland. Your generosity and kindness is always appreciated at the Memorial and Museum and to so many nonprofits and schools as you help us spread our mission. Growing up in a newspaper family, I appreciate the weekly information
you spread to your community and know the hard work that goes into keeping up with so much going on in Oklahoma City —our ever changing and growing city. You make covering so many schools and events look easy! What Leland and Vicki started and what Vicki, Rose and the team keep going now 50 years later has been something people look forward to seeing each Friday! Even as technology changes our lives, you set the bar high for weekly newspapers and all that you are able to get into each week’s newspaper.”
ping into the presidency. The population of Oklahoma City was approaching 175,000 residents. The historic school building has graduated thousands of students since opening. Today, many Fridaylanders hold allegiance to the former home of their Harding Eagles.
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week Clark Poe is a 13-week-old Springerdoodle belonging to the Poe family. Email Dog of the Week, Baby of the Week and Cat of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday.com.
The grandiose structure was constructed and designed by Solomon Andrew Layton, responsible for the construction of many iconic buildings in Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma State Capitol building, Skirvin Hotel and See HARDING, Page 7