Operating Funds Needed To Keep Scissortail Park Open

MAPS money was used to build the park, but it will be up to the community to keep it going. There are already plans in place to keep the park a top-notch facility

Thursday, September 12th 2019, 8:35 pm

By: News 9

MAPS money was used to build the park, but it will be up to the community to keep it going. There are already plans in place to keep the park a top-notch facility.

"You know with anything, you have to have a great team of people," said Maureen Heffernan, the executive director and CEO at the Myriad Gardens Foundation.

Heffernan oversees the Myriad Gardens and the new park.

"At Myriad Gardens, we started eight years ago with the city basically paying 100 percent of all of the expenses," said Heffernan.

But over time, Heffernan said they focused on plans to ease the city's financial responsibility.

"Now, we earn 60 percent of that through fundraising and programming," she said. "That is our aspiration for Scissortail Park that over time, through earned revenues, which are rentals, programs, sponsorships and donations, that we will decrease the city's share of the money they have to pay to operate the park."

With a budget of about $4.5 million, the goal is for everyone to help the park remain a pivotal part of Oklahoma City.

"Everybody's pennies built this park with the MAPS tax so that helped build it but now we need people help us continue support it so we can really make the operations first rate for everyone to enjoy," said Heffernan.

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