Jenks Ready To Move Forward Without Drillers

Developers in Jenks also had their eyes focused on the Tulsa Drillers.  Team owner Chuck Lamson even signed a non-binding letter of intent to move the team south.  Now, it looks like the Drillers are staying in Tulsa while work on the Jenks project is moving forward.

More than 300 acres of Oklahoma's soil are being pushed around in Jenks.  All the work is to make room for The River District.  The city's latest river front development, modeled after the town center in Las Vegas.

"It will have restaurants.  It will have retail.  It will have offices," said Jenks Mayor Vic Vreeland.

When plans were announced last fall the original design included a baseball stadium.  Developer Lynn Mitchell had hoped to lure the Tulsa Drillers to the site.  Mitchell was out of town and unavailable for comment, but last August he had this to say about the project and his field of dreams.

 "As we try to incorporate shopping, dining, living, office, civic activities.  The Drillers just make a natural fit," said developer Lynn Mitchell.

The plan quickly caught the attention of City of Tulsa officials.  It was even a topic during Thursday night's city council meeting.

 "I don't want to see the ballpark go to Jenks," said Tulsa City Councilor Bill Christiansen.

Jenks Mayor Vic Vreeland is disappointed his city appears to be out of the running for the Drillers, but adds the plan was done at the hands of the developer and Jenks city leaders stayed out of the negotiations.

"Everybody got all excited because it was the Drillers, they wouldn't have gotten nearly as excited if it had been an Applebee's franchise or something. A lot of people that got excited really didn't know anything about baseball," said Jenks Mayor Vic Vreeland.

Vreeland says his focus has always been on the west bank of the Arkansas, building up Riverwalk Crossing and adding a new shoreline destination to Green Country.

"This development will be like nothing we've ever seen in this area," said Jenks Mayor Vic Vreeland.

Construction on The River District has been delayed significantly because of bad weather.  The original timeline had building frames visible by the end of this year, but the mayor says he's not sure where it stands now.