Crews Set Up First Pieces Of Playground Equipment A Tulsa’s Gathering Place

Crews at A Gathering Place are making good progress; they just installed the park's first pieces of playground equipment.

The project will be 100 acres of public green space when all is said and done.

In about a year's time, what’s now a construction fence will be an entrance into A Gathering Place.

Special Coverage: A Gathering Place for Tulsa

The massive park is starting to take shape; and executive director, Jeff Stava, is already thinking about how much fun kids are going to have playing in the new park.

"It's just about the excitement of now being able to envision the kids' excitement and Tulsans' excitement about and pride for this project," he said.

Crews put up the first pieces of playground equipment this week - seven tree forts and a few slides in what will be called Skywalk Forest.

The pieces came from Germany, but not from the same company Anchor Scott Thompson visited in April.

Remember the handcrafted wooden play structures Scott saw at the Richter Company wood shop in Frasdorf, Germany? They *will be part of A Gathering Place, but they're so large, they require a little more preparation.

4/28/2016 Related Story: German Engineers Take Pride In Massive Structures For Tulsa's Gathering Place

"The tallest one's 62 feet and they're actually digging the foundations for it right now," Stava said.

Buildings like the lodge and boathouse are progressing, too, and everything is on schedule so far.

But, Stava said the project is about so much more than just having a nice place to play; it's about propelling Tulsa into the future.

"Will kind of act as a tipping point for business, for more investment, for attracting and retaining really good, top-notch, quality talent in our community," he said.

Phase One of A Gathering Place should be completed late next year.