Claremore, Oklahoma – February 1, 2024 – The Claremore Main Street Board is addressing the concerns voiced by the community regarding the parklets situated in Downtown Claremore. As stewards of the downtown area, we understand the importance of maintaining a vibrant and welcoming environment for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.

Over the past few weeks, there has been an influx of feedback from various stakeholders regarding the placement and impact of the parklets. The concerns raised encompass a range of issues, including accessibility, traffic flow, and overall aesthetic appeal. The board wants to assure the public that these concerns have not gone unnoticed, and we are committed to finding a resolution that balances the interests of all parties involved.

At present, the Claremore Main Street Board is engaged in ongoing discussions at the board level to explore potential solutions to address the concerns raised. We recognize that any changes made should take into account the diverse needs of our community and ensure that Downtown Claremore, and the Lilac District, remain accessible and inviting to all.

The Claremore Main Street Board of Directors would like to announce the addition of a new Executive Director.

Allison Dietzfeld is a life long resident of Claremore. She has a true passion for her community and is inspired by what the future of Claremore can and will be. Her background provides experience in event management, tourism, marketing and community relations.

Allison prides herself on being involved and making a difference. She currently sits on the leadership team for the Claremore Collective, acts as the Co-Fair Manager for the Rogers County Fair and has been a part of countless event committees over the years. She was awarded the 2021 Leading Lady of the Year Award for Community Supporter.

Along with her husband Jon, Allison is raising her daughter to see and appreciate everything Claremore has to offer. It’s not uncommon to see them as a family volunteering and supporting community activities.

We are looking forward to the leadership Allison will bring to the Main Street organization. Please help us give her a warm welcome!

BY CHELSEA WEEKS
News Editor Claremore Daily Progress
Oct 12, 2021

Two parklets have been installed in downtown Claremore in front of Taps on the Tracks and Crooked Roots.

“These parklets allow the public to interact with the public space in a different way than just a regular parking space,” Claremore City Planner Kyle Clifton said. “I think it will benefit the downtown merchants as a whole because it keeps people downtown. It gives people a place to sit, it gives people a place to gather.”

Claremore Main Street board unanimously approved the construction of the parklets during the September board meeting.

Andrew Jones, Co-Owner of Taps on the Tracks, grew up in Claremore and always found there was a faction that looks favorable on progress and a faction that doesn’t want anything to change.

“I feel like this is something that is easily reversible if it doesn’t work or isn’t popular,” he said. “I, for one, am glad to see Claremore trying new things.”

Jones said Main Street approached him to see if they’d be willing to give up two parking spots for the parklets.

“After looking at the designs, I said yes,” he said. “I think it’ll be awesome.”

After living in Seattle, Boulder and Los Angeles, Jones said these are common in those markets and will create a more pedestrian vibe in Claremore that will add to the quaintness of the town.

That sentiment was echoed by co-owner of Crooked Roots, Bailey Robinson.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “It will bring so much more to downtown.”

Robinson said she volunteered her two parking spots up for the parklet.

“It’ll give the vibe that downtown is a place to come, stay and hang out,” she said.

CMS Executive Director Jacob Garrison said having the parkets outside Taps on the Tracks and Crooked Roots will provide two different sets of data since they are two different types of business: retail and food and beverage.

“For us, we didn’t want to put them in the front of two similar businesses,” he said. “We wanted to be able to have that data and feedback on two different areas.”

The discussion of creating parklets began in January.

“We’re very excited,” Garrison said. “For us, it’s been a long time coming.”

Clifton said the parklet is a temporary solution to the comprehensive plan, which has a vision to create an expanded, urban designed, complex zone, like sidewalk cafes.

“The problem is, with our current configuration we don’t have enough width on the actual sidewalk itself,” he said.

Due to the lack of room, the parklet was brought up as an alternative to provide that alternative seating sought after in the comprehensive plan.

From there, tests were conducted during the St. Paddy’s Day Party event and the Taste of Claremore event, and a think tank was hosted by the Claremore Collective.

Garrison said they are trying to find what will work for Claremore.

Originally, the parklets were designed to take three parking spots in front of Back in the Day Antiques and three in front of the Homeward Bound building. After receiving feedback, the project evolved to take two parking spots in front on Crooked Roots and two spots in front of Taps on the Tracks, Clifton said.

“We tried to take into account all the feedback we received form the merchants,” he said. “They were concerned about the number of parking spaces, they were concerned about the location itself… So we tried to take all that into account.”

Clifton and Garrison conducted a week-long parking study in September. Data was collected every two hours from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“We had 15 different data points that we could collect and see what the usage was before the parklets and utilize the data,” Garrison said.

This was the second parking study conducted – the first one was done in October of 2018 – and the results were the same, Clifton said.

“The findings, in summary – contrary to popular belief – just like what we found in the first parking study, we don’t have a parking problem in downtown,” he said.

Garrison said the average parking utilization was at 49 percent.

Garrison said the goal of the study was to see what areas were being used, what areas were underutilized and what areas were under-marked as public parking.

With the data, Garrison said they will be able to educate the public on where public parking is located down town.

On top of parking concerns, some merchants were also concerned about a lack of communication with the project and the maintenance of the parklets.

Doe’s Eat Place Owner Betty Watowich said Main Street and the city are looking for ways to revitalize downtown and this is another idea.

Watowich said she has elderly patrons who struggle to walk and don’t come in because they already can’t find a parking spot.

“I don’t know how bad it’ll effect us,” she said. “I think it’s more of how other people will view it. I don’t care in the least if we do it. If it helps – hurray.”

Watowich said she was told in August that the parklets were only going to be in the 300 block.

“To me, it suddenly changed,” she said.

Watowich said they are going to try and embrace it.

“We’ll see what happens,” she said. “I’m for whatever helps. I only wish we had been talked to about it earlier.”

Story by Chelsea Weeks, News Editor Claremore Progress
Photo by Emma Spear

Claremore Main Street hosted an appreciation banquet Thursday.

“2020 brought many challenges to this community and it brought many challenges to Claremore Main Street as well,” said Board of Directors President Kyle Clifton. “However, despite the adversity this community was faced with, Main Street continued to push forward with it’s mission to preserve, restore and revitalize downtown Claremore. As well as provide critical support to local businesses and local merchants.”

Executive Director Jacob Garrison said he would not be able to name all the volunteers who showed up and dedicated their time to help downtown.

Claremore Main Street came up with a new award: the Lilac Award. Garrison said this award goes to someone who has been a part of the journey for many years.

Carolyn Peterson was the recipient of the Lilac Award.

“There’s not a folder of photos in the Main Street computer that does not have one of her faces on it,” Garrison said.

The 2021 Board Member of the Year recipient was Bob Waters.

Here are the names of the 2020 awards and recipients:

• Community Partner of the Year — Claremore Signs.

• Community Volunteer of the Year — Bob Hawkins.

• Volunteer of the Year — Jimye Sharp.

• Downtown Business of the Year — LoliPop a sweet boutique.

• Downtown Merchant of the Year — Kathy Glover.

Because COVID prevented Claremore Main Street members from having a banquet in 2020, they announced the 2019-20 Board Member of the Year, Nancy Fitts, at Thursday’s banquet.

Garrison said it was humbling to look back at everything done in the past two years and everyone involved.

During Garrison’s first year — 2019— he started by looking for ways to enhance the visual aspect of downtown Claremore.

The first thing he did as executive director was change the benches and trash cans. He then added downtown banners on the light poles.

Several businesses began investing in downtown in 2020, including Taps on the Tracks, Smoke and Tonic and Wildflour Baking Co.

“I can’t think of anything I appreciate more, outside our volunteers, than people who come in and invest in our downtown,” he said. “Because if we were to just continue doing what we’re doing, and we didn’t have those people putting their dollars in, we’d just be spinning in the mud.”

They began working on the Muskogee Corner — a project Garrison said was the longest project so far during his career as the director. He said the project has received compliments statewide.

The mural on the Spectrum Paint building was completed, the downtown map was donated, Claremore Main Street was rebranded with a new logo, the windows on Ann’s Cleaners were remodeled and events such as Food Truck Thursdays started.

“It’s been a fast ride of momentum that we want to keep going,” he said.

That momentum has continued within the first half of 2021.

Claremore Main Street moved into its new offices and has organized at least one event every month.

Claremore Main Street is working on creating a Parklet Program.

“We wanted that to increase some of the sitting areas in our downtown,” he said.

Garrison said a parklet encompasses a parking space and creates a seating area. The goal with the program is to get more people engaged downtown.

“Our success can not be measured from one perspective, or part of the main street process,” Clifton said. “It takes the sum of all the parts working together to achieve the vision.”