Gathering Place (Tulsa park)

The George F. Kaiser Family Foundation, supported by several corporations and local philanthropies provided the construction funds, then deeded the facility to the River Parks Authority, which will provide public oversight for the park. The Kaiser Family Foundation also created a $100 million endowment to support maintenance of the park for the next 99 years.

Gathering Place supports multiple Sport Court attractions on the property. Individuals seeking out a fun game of basketball, volleyball, street soccer, or street hockey will find venues for them here. Parking is conveniently located court-side where there is space for both organized and casual players, as well as fans and spectators. The sports courts are all also equipped with night-lights to allow play to continue after dark.[9]

Gathering Place officials have implemented a policy banning individuals from carrying or using firearms in the park. According to George Kaiser, this is a legal policy because the facility is considered privately owned. However, Second Amendment advocates say that it is a public facility because its partnership with public agencies make it public.[lower-alpha 1] On opening day, Tulsa Police officers, acting as security, turned away a private citizen who was carrying a firearm. On the next day, the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association held a rally at Gathering Place, where the leader told the gathering that, '“(They) are going to come into compliance with state law one way or the other. We ask them to do it so we don’t have to force them to.”[11]

In October, Tulsa's Litigation Division Division manager, Gerry Bender, told the press that Tulsa Police will not arrest people in the park who violate the park's no gun policy because the city fears that arrests would be legally challenged. He also added, "“We maintain the legal authority to enforce all ordinances and State laws applicable to private spaces open to the public.”[10]

The unusually heavy rains along the Arkansas River caused flooding, especially after it forced major releases from Keystone Dam. This raised the water level downstream above flood stage in many areas and threatened to damage the new Gathering Place, which had opened in the preceding fall, and had to close for a week, until the flood had begun to subside. Gathering Place authorities began to assess the damage and plan repairs.[15]

The east bank of the river experienced relatively light damage, with water covering two of the five sports courts south of 31st street. After hosing off mud and debris, inspectors found no significant damage to the playing surfaces. However, the flood caused some washouts along the East Bank Trail. At 58th Street and Riverside Drive, it washed away a light stanchion. Matt Meyer, Executive Director of the Tulsa River Parks Authority, told the press that the washout showed a need to install cable-concrete type bank reinforcement. He noted that a similar project the city had done two years earlier had cost about $1,000 per linear foot.[15]

• Official website
• Voices of Oklahoma interview. First person interview conducted on December 19, 2020, with Jeff Stava about the planning, preparation, and opening of Gathering Place.