If anyone is still free this next Monday and Tuesday evenings, there are two great meetings coming up that shouldn’t be missed! <a href=”http://www.sustainabletulsa.org”>Greening the 918</a> will be conducting a meeting on eating locally, and <a href=”http://planitulsa.org/”>PlaniTulsa</a> is beginning their series of small area workshops. Come and learn about what’s being planned for our community and share your thoughts.   Please send this information on to anyone else you think may be interested.
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Local Foods & Sustainable Agriculture
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Central Community Center (Boat House), 1028 E. 6th St., Tulsa
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The trend toward eating local foods is on the rise nationally. Find out what Tulsa’s plan is for supporting local foods and sustainable agriculture. Panel members will include: Jeff Reasor, President of Reasor’s Foods; Libby Auld, owner of Eloté Café and Catering; Doug Walton, Community Foods Coordinator of The Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Seneca Scott, Representative; Mike Apple, Farmer and part owner of Three Springs Farm; and Chris Newsome, Community Food Organizer with Newsome Community Farms and North Tulsa Eats.

More about Greening the (918) Seminars
Greening the (918) is an interactive series of seminars designed to inspire organizations and individuals to take action and to lead the city to be one of the greenest cities in the nation.  Each seminar will have a panel of experts and be moderated and graphically facilitated by Sean Griffin. The community will discuss what action steps Tulsa must take to overcome the challenges of becoming one of the greenest cities in the nation. Networking and refreshments will follow each seminar.

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Three PLANiTULSA Small Area Workshops are just around the corner! These workshops will give you a chance to zoom into a smaller focus area and make detailed recommendations for desired land use, transportation and development opportunities.

Come show us your vision for your community! All are welcome, even if you don’t live within the study area; we value your input and expertise.

What: Small Area Planning Workshops for the Forest Orchard/Hillcrest area; the Northland area; and Southwest Tulsa.

When: January 26 and January 28

Where:
Forest Orchard/Hillcrest
Near 11th and Utica
Monday, January 26, 2009
Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.; Workshop begins at 6:00 p.m.
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
1244 South Utica, Tulsa

Northland Area
Vicinity of 36th Street North and Cincinnati
Monday, January 26, 2009
Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.; Workshop begins at 6:00 p.m.
Hawthorne Elementary School
1105 E 33rd St N, Tulsa

Southwest Tulsa
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.; Workshop begins at 6:00 p.m.
Daniel Webster High School
1919 W 40th Street, Tulsa

Every week, Mayor Kathy Taylor sends out an email newsletter called Tulsa ENews. While scouring the ENews archives, Margee Aycock found a write up (and a tiny, albeit lovely, photo) of The Tulsa Spirit Monument dedication ceremony in the October 27th edition! As Margee said in her email… we rock!

To sign up for Tulsa E-News, submit your contact information here.

Those of you who read last Friday’s issue of Tulsa World may have noticed the article, “Designing a Love for the Past in Brady Heights“, by our neighbor, Tim Williams. If not, it’s definitely worth digging in your recycling bin. Tim’s piece is a great introduction to the recent history of Brady Heights and the important role historic preservation plays in its continuing revitalization.

The article also addresses the reasons behind the association’s decision to become historically zoned. “The purpose of that action is saving the architectural and societal aspects of our history, not to create static museums of the past — simple dioramas — but to keep them alive and functioning with respect for the design and details of the original structure.”

Many of us who have moved to Brady Heights from other parts of Tulsa have a difficult time explaining our rational to outsiders. When Tim writes that his mom “cried for two days” after he moved into his “shell of a home” in 1982, it’s definitely a story most of us can relate too on some level– I think we’re all probably accustomed to wide-eyed and disbelieving reactions. Tim has articulated his attraction to Brady Heights so well, all we need to do now when confronted by naysayers is hand them this article and smile. It’s a real testament to the revitalization of our community that Tim’s mother now lives in the same neighborhood that brought her to tears less than thirty years ago.

Designing a Love for the Past in Brady Heights was published in the October 17th, 2008 issue of the Tulsa World.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is currently holding its annual conference in Downtown Tulsa, October 21-25. Visit PreservationNation.org for more information. For more information on historic preservation within Tulsa, visit The Tulsa Preservation Commission.

There was a time that the Tulsa Spirit Monument seemed to have been forgotten. Brady Heights had received funds for the monument through the city’s Vision 2025 initiative, but no one came forward to bid on the project. And then Terry McGee, of Mcgee Enterprises, stepped up and saved the monument from a fate in bureaucratic limbo!

Terry is a local businessman and community leader who has long worked towards improving and strengthening the North Tulsa community. He and his construction team worked diligently to insure that the job was completed before this month’s National Preservation Conference. We were all amazed to see the monument built so quickly, it seemed to have appeared overnight!

The Brady Heights Neighborhood Association is so thankful to Terry Mcgee and Mcgee Enterprises for his huge role in the realization of the Tulsa Spirit project! The pride he and his team take in their work, and in their community, is evident to anyone who sees our beautiful monument.

After what seemed like ages and ages of planning and waiting, The Tulsa Spirit Monument at North Denver and Fairview is almost completed! Those of you who use the Denver entrance to our neighborhood have seen the obelisk take shape over the last couple weeks, and yesterday the mosaic panels were installed in their permanent home.

The monument is the first installment in Brady Heights’ planned Art Parkway project, and was designed by our neighbor, Margee Aycock, and Tulsa mosaic artist Caryn Brown. Local children helped to create the mosaics, including students from Emerson Elementary and Madonna House.

Since Chris and I came to Brady Heights within the last year, we had not been part of the neighborhood wide effort to make this monument a reality. I had seen the artist renderings of the mosaics but had not seen the actual completed pieces until driving on Denver this morning. The pieces are beautiful in person! Not only is it a wonderful addition to our neighborhood, the monument is a testament to our neighborhood’s living history. We’re not just a historic district – we’re a living, colorful and thriving community!

Visit The Tulsa Spirit Monument page on bradyheights.org to find out more about this special project. Also, stay tuned for information on the monument’s dedication ceremony, planned for late October.