Monkey Around. George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) is moving forward with its plans to build a new gathering space in the Riverside area of Tulsa.

The new park will be built on the Blair property located between 26th and 29th and Riverside Drive, as well as the Sundance and Legacy apartment properties south of 31st and Riverside, all of which are owned by GKFF. A final name has not yet been determined for the new gathering place.

As part of the planning process, GKFF will conduct two public meetings. They will be held Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 7 at the Tulsa Community College Center for Creativity. The sessions begin at 6pm and will offer an open-house style experience for Tulsans to engage with members of the project team about the potential for the site to deliver a unique experience to the community.

After the first public input meetings are held, GKFF will conduct a second round of input meetings with the community in late spring. At that time, concept drawings will be presented, reflecting ideas gathered from the public as well as thoughts from GKFF and its landscape architect firm. Final public input will be gathered to help create the final project plan, which is anticipated to be unveiled in the fall, depending on the progress of the planning and public input process.

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, a Brooklyn, New York, based landscape architecture firm, has been selected to design the project.

The project cost is estimated to be approximately $100 to $150 million. The foundation expects to break ground in early 2014.