City of Muskogee, OK

PROJECT PURPOSE

We plan to relocate Muskogee?s USS Batfish submarine from its current leased location at 3500 Batfish Road, to a new and improved location at 5201 Three Forks Road. The existing property, owned by the Port Authority, is being repurposed after suffering excessive damages during the flood of 2019 and the Batfish lease will not be renewed. Without a proper home, Muskogee risks losing this tourist attraction and the history it represents. Moving the WWII era submarine would consist of flooding the current location to float the submarine, utilizing barges to reposition it onto the Arkansas River, then sailing it 3.2 miles downriver to the new location at Three Forks Harbor. Once at its new location, The USS Batfish will be maneuvered out of the water and positioned 20 feet above the water level to avoid flooding. A new museum will also be constructed to house the existing artifacts currently being housed inside The War Memorial Park building. The outdoor military displays will also need to be relocated to the new destination including the Hero Walk which consists of the brick walk and statues. This new location is highly visible, easily accessible and expected to increase traffic to the destination.

EVIDENCE

Port officials have notified the Trustees that the War Memorial Park lease is will not be renewed and they would like to work with the trust to relocate the park and Batfish to a more accommodating location. Flood renovation construction at the current location and tightened Homeland Security requirements are no longer conducive to having a tourist attraction located within an industrial park.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Muskogee is the county seat and largest city with 36,878 residents (2020 Census). It is a regional hub city with residents from six surrounding counties traveling to Muskogee daily for employment, services, and entertainment. The improvements requested in our water treatment plant project are essential as it is the only source of water for 55,000 residents in seven rural water districts, four towns, including the historic black community of Taft, and two state prisons, in addition to the City of Muskogee. Vulnerable populations include 17.1% of residents over age 65 and 24.4% of residents under age 18.Further, 21.1% are in poverty including29.4% of children under 18. Muskogee County has a high percentage of minority residents with 59.9% of its residents White; 10.9% Black; 19.7% American Indian; 8.8% two or more races; and 6.6% Hispanic. Minority populations in general have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic due to decreased access to health services. The opportunity to assess and improve this raw water line will better serve current residents who are now adversely affected by our inability to address these issues due to financial limitations. Moreover, the remediation of identified problems will further promote economic development and provide stability to our community.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Performance will be measured by the completion of this construction project as well as collecting daily attendance totals, increased ticket sales, gift shop sales, events, and visitor traffic. The USS Batfish will continue to bring in revenue to the community and state by generating sales taxes and jobs plus indirect visitor and tourism spending including overnight hotel stays. Between 2017 and 2018 The War Memorial Park generated an average of $150,000 annually. Due to its new location and grand reopening, we expect these numbers to increase dramatically along with much higher visitor numbers to our region. Direct spending would reach at least $200,000 per year plus indirect spending being much higher.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma