WE ARE SITTING DOWN WITH OKC MAYOR DAVID HOLT GETTING AN UPDATE ON EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THE CITY. AND TODAY WE’RE FOLLOWING UP WITH HIM FOLLOWING HIS STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS YESTERDAY. HE JOINS US LIVE NOW. MAYOR HOLT, GOOD MORNING AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. OKAY, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE BIG ITEM. YESTERDAY. YOU TALKED ABOUT THE PROPOSAL OF A NEW ARENA. EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT. SO LET’S KIND OF CATCH UP AND TALK TO US ABOUT WHY IT’S BEING PROPOSED, WHY YOU THINK WE NEED IT HERE IN OKC. SURE. SO, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR FIRST BROACHED THIS TOPIC, KIND OF THE TIMING WAS DRIVEN BY THE FACT THAT THE THUNDER’S LEASE WAS EXPIRING. BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, OUR ARENA ON ANY NUMBER OF LEVELS IS JUST NOT AS COMPETITIVE AS IT ONCE WAS. AND SO YESTERDAY WAS A WAS A MOMENT TO KIND OF PUSH THAT CONVERSATION EVEN FARTHER FORWARD. THERE IS A GREATER SENSE OF URGENCY. WE’RE ACTUALLY NOW OUTSIDE OF A LONG TERM LEASE WITH THE THUNDER THAT EXPIRED IN MAY, BUT ALSO LAID OUT THE CONTEXT THAT WE’VE DONE THIS BASICALLY FOR 100 YEARS. YOU KNOW, EVERY 30 YEARS OUR COMMUNITY HAS RECOGNIZED THAT THE ARENA IS SORT OF THE CENTERPIECE OF OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE’VE REINVESTED IN IT. AND SO I THINK IT WAS 35 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST ARENA, WE BUILT, WE VOTED TO BUILD ANOTHER 131 YEARS AFTER THE SECOND ARENA, WE VOTED TO BUILD ANOTHER ONE. AND IT’S BEEN 30 YEARS NOW AS WE SIT HERE TODAY SINCE WE VOTED TO BUILD A NEW ARENA. SO ALL OF THAT WOULD DRIVE THIS REGARD LESS. BUT WHAT THIS LAST ARENA HAS MEANT TO US AND GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MAJOR LEAGUE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS THAT HAS CHANGED OUR CITY FOREVER. AND IF I COULD FIND ONE STATISTIC FROM YESTERDAY TO DOCUMENT THAT WE WERE THE 31ST LARGEST CITY WHEN WE GOT THE THUNDER AND NOW WE’RE THE 20TH, THAT BRAND, THAT IDENTITY, THAT ELEVATION INTO THE TOP, INTO THE TOP TIER OF AMERICAN CITIES HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING ABOUT LIFE IN OKLAHOMA CITY. AND WE DON’T WANT TO LOSE THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE’RE ONLY IN A SHORT TERM LEASE JUST TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. OUR ARENA IS THE SMALLEST IN THE NBA BY SQUARE FOOTAGE. IT’S THE SECOND CHEAPEST. IT HAS A LOT OF DEFICIENCIES. IT’S TIME TO UPGRADE. IT’S TIME TO HAVE A MODERN NBA ARENA. AND AS I SAID YESTERDAY, WE CAN DO THIS WITHOUT A TAX INCREASE. THE TEAM WILL CONTRIBUTE. WE WILL GET A LONG TERM LEASE IN EXCHANGE. AND THERE IS A SENSE OF URGENCY. SO WE NEED TO DO THAT. THIS YEAR AND WE’LL HAVE A PROPOSAL BY THE END OF SUMMER. OKAY? YEAH. WE DON’T WANT TO LOSE THE THUNDER. WE LOVE THEM. WE GOT TO KEEP THEM HERE. OKAY. LET’S TALK ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS. I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN SO MUCH GOING ON OVER THE PAST YEAR, KIND OF HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE BIGGER ONES THAT HAVE RECENTLY HAPPENED, IMPORTANT ONES THAT WE NEED TO HIGHLIGHT. GOSH. WELL, I DID THIS YESTERDAY, YOU KNOW, SO IT IS A LITTLE FRESH. BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ONE REALLY EXCITING THING THAT HAPPENED JUST IN THE LAST WEEK IS THE OPENING OF THE WILLA JOHNSON REC CENTER IN NORTHEAST OKC NEAR MLK AND NORTHEAST 10TH. THIS IS AN ALMOST $20 MILLION PROJECT. IT’S OUR FIRST REC CENTER TO OPEN IN THE LAST 40 YEARS. YOU KNOW, ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE’S INVESTMENTS IN OUR CITY, OUR VOTERS COMMITMENT TO INVESTING IN OURSELVES THIS PAST IN 2017, JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THAT, I CUT THE RIBBON ON THE NEW REFURBISHMENT OF THE CIVIC CENTER MUSIC HALL. ANOTHER 2017 PROJECT. YOU KNOW, LAST MONTH WE ENJOYED THE WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES, PLAYED IN A REVITALIZED STADIUM THAT WAS ANOTHER VOTE THAT HAPPENED IN 2017 ON WE’RE ABOUT TO CUT THE RIBBON ON EXPEDITION AFRICA AT THE ZOO, A $25 MILLION PROJECT REALLY MADE POSSIBLE BY A VOTE TO SUPPORT THE ZOO BACK 30 YEARS AGO. SO TIME AND TIME AGAIN, THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA CITY HAVE INVESTED IN OURSELVES. AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE’VE PAID WE’VE REAPED THE REWARDS AND WE HAVE WE HAVE SEEN SOME AMAZING PROGRESS AS A RESULT. AND YES, AS YOU SAID, QUALITY OF LIFE IS IMPROVING SEEMINGLY EVERY WEEK. YEAH. AND SPEAKING OF SOME MORE QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS HERE, YESTERDAY YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE BETTER STREET, SAFER CITY AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE’VE DONE HERE ON FIXING OUR STREETS. REMIND US AGAIN, GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THOSE PROJECTS, WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AHEAD TO HERE IN THE FUTURE. YEAH, WELL, ALSO IN 2017, THE VOTERS APPROVED ALMOST $800 MILLION FOR STREET REPAIRS. LOOK, WE’RE THE WE’RE ONE OF THE FIVE LARGEST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES BY LAND MASS. WE’RE 620MI. YOU CAN FIT LIKE, YOU KNOW, TEN. BOSTON’S INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF OKLAHOMA CITY. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF CORE INFRASTRUCTURE TO KEEP UP WITH. THAT’S WHY BETTER STREETS, SAFER CITY, THAT $800 COMMITMENT TO STREETS WAS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND WE ARE DEFINITELY MOVING THE QUALITY OF OUR STREETS AND WE MEASURE THIS. I MEAN, IT’S SCIENTIFIC. YOU KNOW, WE’VE WE HAVE WE HAVE ELEVATED THE QUALITY OF OUR STREETS IN A MORE DRAMATIC FASHION THANKS TO THIS INITIATIVE THAN I THINK WE’VE EVER SEEN BEFORE. AND AS I SAID YESTERDAY, WE HAVE 430 PROJECTS THAT ARE EITHER COMPLETED IN PROCESS OR PLANNED AS A RESULT OF THAT INITIATIVE. SO IT’S STILL ONGOING. THAT IS A LOT. OKC CONTINUES TO GROW. YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT OUR POPULATION GROWTH. IT’S JUST THRIVING. ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT IS THE NEW OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER THAT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? IS OKLAHOMA CITY READY FOR SOMETHING THIS BIG TO BRING MORE PEOPLE IN AND THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ON THIS? WELL, WE’LL SEE. THAT IS SO FIRST OF ALL, I SAW SOME OF THE COVERAGE ON THAT AT TENDS TO ASSOCIATE ITSELF A LITTLE BIT WITH MUSTANG OR YUKON. IT IS ACTUALLY IN OKLAHOMA CITY. IT IS A IT’S ENTIRELY A PRIVATE SECTOR PROPOSAL. IT HAS NO CITY INVOLVEMENT THERE IS YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME PLANNING. IT’S NOT ZONED FOR THAT. SO IT’LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH A PROCESS AND AND WE’LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. SO BUT REALLY, THE CITY GOVERNMENT HAS NO ROLE IN THAT ENTIRELY PRIVATE SECTOR. BUT TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THE CITY AS A AS AS A WHOLE AND A METRO CAN, YOU KNOW, SUSTAIN AND WELCOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND NEW ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS, I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE’LL I THINK WE I THINK WE’RE CONTINUE TO BE UNDERSERVED ON ANY NUMBER OF FRONTS. BUT YOU’RE SEEING INVESTORS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY RECOGNIZE THAT AND YOU’RE SEEING NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS ALL THE TIME. BUT THAT SPECIFIC PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WE’LL SEE. THERE’S A PROCESS TO THAT. WE’LL CONTINUE LOOKING AT THAT ONE, LOOKING NOW INTO THE FUTURE, PROGRESS CAN ALWAYS CONTINUE TO BE MADE. AND AND WE’RE DOING REALLY GOOD WITH A LOT OF INVESTMENTS HERE IN THE CITY. AS I MENTIONED, WE JUST CONTINUE TO THRIVE. WE’RE BRINGING IN NEW BUSINESSES. THE CITY IS GROWING. WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK OF OKC? LOOK, UNEMPLOYMENT HAS NOW BEEN BELOW 4% FOR TWO YEARS. OUR SALES TAX RECEIPTS ARE STILL VERY STRONG, WHICH ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES AT THE LEVEL YOU EXPECT. BUT IT ALSO SHOWS THAT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IS STILL HAPPENING HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, AS AS WE’VE DISCUSSED, POPULATION GROWTH STILL SEEMS TO BE STRONG. THAT’S BRINGING NEW PEOPLE AND NEW DOLLARS INTO OUR CITY. AND I THINK WHAT’S REALLY MOST REMARKABLE IS NEVER IN OUR CITY’S HISTORY HAVE WE HAD SO MANY MULTI HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR DEVELOPMENTS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY OR PROPOSED, AND YOU’VE GOT CRANES KIND OF MOVING ALL OVER TOWN. SO, YOU KNOW, MY MY VIEW OF OKLAHOMA CITY IS ECONOMIC OUTLOOK IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE IS STILL VERY, VERY BULLISH. YOU KNOW, BUT WE’LL SEE. YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU GET BUFFETED BY NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL TRENDS AND RECESSIONS AND YOU HAVE TO YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO TIGHTEN YOUR BELT A LITTLE BIT. BUT RIGHT NOW, IT IS HARD TO BE ANYTHING BUT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT OKLAHOMA CITY’S ECONOMIC FUTURE. BUT I’D SAY IF YOU WANT TO SUSTAIN THAT SORT OF MOMENTUM, WE GOT TO WE GOT TO PASS THIS VOTE LATER THIS YEAR BECAUSE THAT THAT IDENTITY, THAT BEING A MAJOR LEAGUE CITY HAS BROUGHT US HAS BEEN CRITICAL TO THAT ECONOMIC GROWTH. OKAY. GOOD TO KNOW. SO WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF YOUR STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS YESTERDAY. KIND OF JUST RECAPPING FOR ANYONE WHO MAYBE MISSED SOME OF THE BIG TOPICS HERE, BUT BEFORE YOU GO, I HAVE A REALLY HARD QUESTION FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU’RE READY. BARB MANHEIMER, ARE YOU GETTING IN ON THE CRAZE? NO, I DON’T THINK SO. I GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO DEBATE INTERNALLY IN THE FAMILY WHETHER WE’RE SEEING ANY OF THESE MOVIES. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE’RE STILL A LITTLE BEHIND. WE STILL NEED TO GO SEE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. OKAY. JUST JUST WANTED TO CHECK IN, SEE WHICH ONE YOU WERE GETTING IN ON. ALL RIGHT. MAYOR HOLT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR