North Tulsa Leaders Meet To Protest Rec Center Demolition

Community leaders and the Tulsa NAACP met Sunday at B.C. Franklin Park to protest the demolition of three North Tulsa recreation centers.

Tulsa Parks has announced plans to demolish those centers and several others they say are too expensive to repair.

North Tulsa leaders are calling for inspections by an independent auditor and engineer to assess the cost of bringing the buildings to code. They also plan to discuss the 3rd Penny Sales Tax in connection to the centers.

1/30/2012 Related Story: Community Meets Over Plans To Bulldoze Closed North Tulsa Rec Buildings

City Councilor Jack Henderson led a recent community meeting at Rudisill Library to discuss the planned bulldozing, calling the rec centers pillars of the community that can help keep kids out of trouble.

He feels North Tulsa is losing opportunities.

"The budget for the Parks Department has been cut every year. As they cut them, they targeted North Tulsa," Henderson said.

The group says money to repair the parks was allocated ten years ago with the addition of the third penny sales tax.  They say if the city does not repair the parks, they will mobilize to prevent the sales tax from being extended.