#OKC Civic Life for Monday, Oct. 22, 2018

Boathouse Foundation receives $750,000

The Boathouse Foundation has received the second installment of a $2 million cash infusion from the city of Oklahoma City. The foundation has an contract with the city to operate the $46.2 million MAPS 3 whitewater rafting and kayaking park on the Oklahoma River. Under terms of an agreement with the foundation, the city paid $750,000 after the foundation restructured its board and board received a newly developed strategic plan. The park has been open three seasons.

Of note: The city council approved the deal in July, to reimburse the foundation for startup costs at the city-owned park. The first of three payments was for nearly $760,000. Another $490,400 is due after the foundation hires a chief operating officer.

Vote set on whitewater park improvements

The city council is expected to vote Tuesday on spending $7.9 million in MAPS 3 sales tax revenue for improvements at the MAPS 3 whitewater rafting and kayaking park. The city council deferred action on the proposal at its Oct. 9 meeting. Projects include:

• Finishing the 8,000-square-foot second floor of the whitewater park's main building for an executive leadership institute and new Olympic sports tenant.

• Installing a high-capacity zip line, a revenue booster compared to the current zip line, which tends to back up, causing long waits for a ride.

• Electrical upgrades to save $100,000 in power bills for the park's pumps. A new filtration system would capture dust particles that cloud the water.

Are roads getting better?

Could roads around Oklahoma City be getting better? Compared to other big cities, that may be the case, based on a report by the Washington, D.C., nonprofit transportation research organization TRIP. The report found Oklahoma City-area major roads and highways are 20th worst among urban areas with 500,000 or more residents. Two years ago, TRIP said major roads in Oklahoma City were eighth-worst. The latest analysis uses 2016 data submitted to the Federal Highway Administration. Learn more at http://www.tripnet.org.

Of note: In 2016, TRIP said Oklahoma City motorists paid more than motorists in any other big city in repair bills, depreciation and fuel costs attributed to poorly maintained roads and highways. This year's report ranks Oklahoma City sixth in that category, with an annual average cost of $897.

Home-share app collects taxes

Home-share service Airbnb.com says it generated about $126,000 in the first year of an agreement with the city of Oklahoma City to collect hotel-motel taxes. The figure amounts to 0.8 percent of the gross hotel-motel tax revenues of $15.2 million in fiscal 2018. The hotel-motel tax rate is 5.5 percent.

Of note: Airbnb says the typical host earns $4,700 a year sharing their home.

Short takes: Sex shops, absentee voting, union settlements

• The city council approved a $10 fine for riding the streetcar without a valid fare card. Court costs and state-mandated fees can increase the total to $123.

• The city council approved 2.2 percent pay raises for most city employees. The council is scheduled to meet in executive session Tuesday to discuss ongoing negotiations with police and fire unions.

• The city council is expected to vote Tuesday on a measure to relax zoning regulations on sex shops.

• Voters who want to cast an absentee ballot were urged to apply early. See www.elections.ok.gov, stop by the Oklahoma Country Election Board, 4201 N Lincoln Blvd., or call 713-1515. The Ward 7 city council race will be decided Nov. 6.

• E Overholser Drive is closed this week for work on a water pipeline, north of the Overholser Pavilion parking lot. The work is part of the city's water treatment plant interconnection project.

Tweet of the week

"National Severe Storms Laboratory unveils weather radar research prototype"

— @NewsOK, read coverage at NewsOK.com on advances in early-warning systems when severe weather develops.

Present/absent

Mayor David Holt and all eight city council members attended the Oct. 9 meeting.

Calendar

The Oklahoma City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 200 N Walker.

• The 12th Good Neighbor Awards banquet is Nov. 9 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel. Call the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma at 528-6322 or email at amanda@nacok.org for tickets.

William Crum, staff writer, wcrum@oklahoman.com Twitter: @williamcrum