Elk City, OK – Red dirt is being moved to create an outdoor event center with green space.
Located on the east side of the downtown business district, just south of the Parker Drilling Rig and southeast of the Casa Grande Hotel, Elk City's new park will host public entertainment events.
According to City of Elk City Project Manager Cody Whittington, when completed, the event park will have pavilions, seating, and include food-truck access to feed the masses.
"A covered stage area will be placed in the northwest of the space for entertainment, including live music," Whittington said.
Bathrooms will be available in the southwest corner of the event park.
Whittington also said that attendees should stay cooler during warm weather on the park's grass than they do at events held on asphalt or concrete.
The event park will be bordered on the north by 3rd Street, on the east by Madison Avenue, on the south by the Tag Agency and Broadway, and on the west by the alley behind businesses in the 100 block of North Main Street.
The new park is being paid for with revenue generated from CAPPS funds, the one-cent sales tax that Elk City voters approved continuing in 2019 for community projects.
The event park was the brainchild of the CAPPS Committee—the community oversight committee for the use and expenditure of these funds for quality-of-life improvements.
CAPPS revenue also funded construction of the Arrowhead Center in Ackley Park West, which was completed in 2022; Thunderbird Bay, the new Ackley Park aquatic center, in 2023; and the new miniature golf course in 2025.
These are all pay-as-you-go projects, which means paying with funds on hand, with no debt taken on to complete them.
In addition to enhancing the quality of life, the City of Elk City also wants to continue investing in downtown to encourage economic development.
According to the most recent numbers provided by the State of Oklahoma, Elk City businesses generated $1,477,050.38 in June sales-tax revenue, outpacing even some suburban cities with over twice our population.
Of Oklahoma's nearly 600 municipalities, Elk City is in the state's top 5% in sales tax generation.
The City of Elk City hopes to continue this economic success.
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