By Andy Rieger
The Norman Transcript

Final design plans for Legacy Park, a five-acre-plus park inside the University North Park TIF district on 24th Avenue NW, were rolled out for City Council members Tuesday.

Planners hope the good bidding climate will bring the job in below the nearly $5 million estimate with leftover funds for added features. The park's design includes a large pond, wide sidewalks, water features, an amphitheater on the lake, trees, berms and decorative lighting.

Restaurant pad sites are planned adjacent to the park with a 20-foot promenade linking the entire area.

"This park is not going to be an anomaly. It's going to look like it all fits together with the development," said parks planner Scott Howard of Howard-Fairbairn Site Design Inc.

Other park amenities include restrooms, decidious and evergreen trees, a drip irrigation system, 12-foot pond and several sites for public artwork.

"There are lots of ways to enter the park and to use the park," Howard said. He estimated final drawings will be ready within two weeks. Once bids are let, the project will take about 12 to 15 months to complete.

Council member Rachel Butler asked about keeping the pond clean and free from debris. Howard said some aerators are planned to keep it moving.

"When you've got restaurants on each side, you don't want a swamp," he said.
Mayor Cindy Rosenthal asked for a line-item list of alternatives with price estimates so the council can choose which features they want should bids come in below estimates.

Council member Doug Cubberley reminded the park planners that money to landscape the adjoining detention pond should not come from TIF funds.

"That's not a park. That's a detention pond and that is the responsibility of the developer, not the city."

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