Woodward’s carving a niche

Northwest Oklahoma 1 2011

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A $7 million and more than 29,000-square-foot conference center under construction in Woodward is designed to accommodate round-table, lecture, booth and training events, said Woodward City Manager Alan Riffle. (Illustration provided by Studio Architecture)
A $7 million and more than 29,000-square-foot conference center under construction in Woodward is designed to accommodate round-table, lecture, booth and training events, said Woodward City Manager Alan Riffle. (Illustration provided by Studio Architecture)

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March 5, 2011

Woodward’s carving a niche

City officials say coming conference center will have ‘tremendous impact’By Cass Rains Staff Writer WOODWARD — After more than a decade of identifying a need in Woodward for a conference center and meeting place, construction is under way on a state-of-the-art facility. “In the process of strategic planning we identified this need in 2000,” said Woodward City Manager Alan Riffle. The $7 million and more than 29,000-square-foot facility will accommodate about 650 people in a round-table event, 1,200 in lecture-type seating, 110 booth spaces and 75 people in the three training rooms, acting as a hub for multi-purpose conference and education facilitating. “We have need for large gathering spaces, for larger facilities than we already have,” Riffle said. “We don’t have a central facility of this type. Budding tourism and expansion of wind energy throughout northwest Oklahoma has created a need in Woodward for space to be used for conferences, conventions and training events, among other venues, Riffle said. “You don’t want to have things like these in county fair buildings and scattered gathering spaces we have here,” he said. “Our strategic planning identified those needs for that type of space multiple times throughout the year. “We’re confident we can attract a number of visitors here for conference and convention needs.” Riffle said building the conference center will have a positive impact upon the Woodward and the area economy. “It’s going to have impacts in the way of creating new services, convention services, catering services and a new hotel development,” Riffle said, noting the facility would also allow space for special events. “It has a tremendous impact.” Riffle said the Conference Center also will house the city’s Tourism Bureau. “Tourism in Oklahoma is an industry,” Riffle said, “and we certainly want to carve our niche into that.” Timberlake Construction of Oklahoma City is building the center, which was designed by Studio Architecture, also of Oklahoma City. With a 14-month completion date, Riffle said construction officials are expecting Woodward’s conference center to be completed sometime next spring, barring too many bad weather delays throughout the coming months.

By Cass Rains, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle The Enid News and Eagle Sat Mar 05, 2011, 07:47 PM CST

WOODWARD — After more than a decade of identifying a need in Woodward for a conference center and meeting place, construction is under way on a state-of-the-art facility.

“In the process of strategic planning we identified this need in 2000,” said Woodward City Manager Alan Riffle.

The $7 million and more than 29,000-square-foot facility will accommodate about 650 people in a round-table event, 1,200 in lecture-type seating, 110 booth spaces and 75 people in the three training rooms, acting as a hub for multi-purpose conference and education facilitating.

“We have need for large gathering spaces, for larger facilities than we already have,” Riffle said. “We don’t have a central facility of this type.

Budding tourism and expansion of wind energy throughout northwest Oklahoma has created a need in Woodward for space to be used for conferences, conventions and training events, among other venues, Riffle said.

“You don’t want to have things like these in county fair buildings and scattered gathering spaces we have here,” he said. “Our strategic planning identified those needs for that type of space multiple times throughout the year.

“We’re confident we can attract a number of visitors here for conference and convention needs.”

Riffle said building the conference center will have a positive impact upon the Woodward and the area economy.

“It’s going to have impacts in the way of creating new services, convention services, catering services and a new hotel development,” Riffle said, noting the facility would also allow space for special events. “It has a tremendous impact.”

Riffle said the Conference Center also will house the city’s Tourism Bureau.

“Tourism in Oklahoma is an industry,” Riffle said, “and we certainly want to carve our niche into that.”

Timberlake Construction of Oklahoma City is building the center, which was designed by Studio Architecture, also of Oklahoma City.

With a 14-month completion date, Riffle said construction officials are expecting Woodward’s conference center to be completed sometime next spring, barring too many bad weather delays throughout the coming months.

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Northwest Oklahoma 1 2011

Northwest Oklahoma Part 1 2011
One of the attributes of living in Enid and Northwest Oklahoma is the abundant pride residents have in its people, land and businesses. The 2011 News & Eagle Progress edition highlights these areas and pays tribute to all of those who make our region shine 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

March 5, 2011 1 Photo
Boom a boon
SandRidge owns 750,000 acres of land in the area, and 37 horizontal wells are in Alfalfa, Grant and Woods counties.

March 5, 2011 2 Photos
Now the play begins
After years of holding small fundraisers and banking money toward the day, the money to move forward recently has come snowballing in, and the plan is to install equipment this summer.

March 5, 2011 2 Photos
It’s about time for an update

“We have building issues such as heaters and (problems with) gymnasiums and dressing rooms, and we’re trying to get some ideas what that will cost. There are tiles coming up off the floor. The tile floor we’re talking about was put in in the 1950s.” — Bob Meyer, Cherokee Public Schools interim superintendent

March 5, 2011 2 Photos
Backyard treasure is economic gold
Dr. Patty Wilber, associate dean for economic development at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, said there were 30,000 crystal diggers in 2010 after the area opened in April. She said Tulsa district’s Greg Birkenfeld estimated each visitor spent, on average, $25 a day in Alfalfa County while at the digging site.

March 5, 2011 1 Photo
Study time at the lake
“With tight budgets coming up, I don’t know how (we) will fare.” — Ross Adkins, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

March 5, 2011 2 Photos
Woodward’s carving a niche
The $7 million and more than 29,000-square-foot facility will accommodate about 650 people in a round-table event, 1,200 in lecture-type seating, 110 booth spaces and 75 people in the three training rooms, acting as a hub for multi-purpose conference and education facilitating.

March 5, 2011 2 Photos
‘A great area to call home’
Woodward Chamber of Commerce President CJ Montgomery said the city’s retail sector is looking “great.”

March 5, 2011 4 Photos
Bottled-up desire finally bubbles up into business
The business allows people to have their water for free from an artesian well located off Oklahoma 11, just north of the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge.

March 5, 2011 3 Photos
University of culture

“Our cultural offerings probably affect several thousand people during the course of the year.” — Steve Valencia, associate vice president for university relations.

March 5, 2011 5 Photos
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