Tulsa Public Facilities Authority To Discuss Lawsuit Over Helmerich Park

The Tulsa Public Facilities Authority meets Friday afternoon to discuss, in private, a lawsuit over the sale of park land at 71^st and Riverside for a private development.

The sale of part of Helmerich Park has been controversial and prompted a lawsuit from a citizen alleging it was an illegal transfer of land the TPFA didn’t have authority to sell.

The city responded to the lawsuit in part by claiming Helmerich Park was never officially a park, despite years of parks department support of the property and designation of the site as parkland in numerous city documents and planning groups.

12/3/2015: Related Story: Fight Over Development Of Parkland Near Arkansas River Continues

The Authority agenda calls for public comment at the meeting, which was scheduled Wednesday, and deviates from the normal meeting schedule for the TPFA.  Former Tulsa Mayor Terry Young has criticized the board for canceling regular meetings and then scheduling special meetings at alternate times to discuss the Helmerich Park deal.  Young points out the unpredictable schedule makes it difficult for citizens to follow the board’s activities.

The TPFA agenda calls for the trustees to discuss the lawsuit in private with their attorney.  There is no agenda item otherwise for specific action on the land sale, but the authority has ability to take any action it finds necessary in the same meeting.

View the meeting agenda.

The TPFA meets Friday at 2 pm at City Hill in Room 10-205.  The meeting will not be televised on the city government channel TGOV.