"If the project proceeds at that level, it would fund essentially only the low-water dam," Jenks City Councilor Adam Abel told the Tulsa Flyer in September. He then listed what would not be part of the initial project. "The proposed river parks on both sides, pedestrian connections, and other public amenities included in the larger vision would not be part of the initial project."
Abel was describing the cheapest of three scaled-back versions that engineers have presented for the South Tulsa/Jenks low-water dam. He told the Flyer that this cheapest version is the one currently being pursued, and that it still faces a funding gap of at least $40 million. For anyone in Jenks who pictured a lake with parks along both banks and a walk across the river, the big question has changed. It used to be whether the dam gets built. Now it is which pieces of the riverfront get added back, and when.
What the 2016 Jenks ballot actually described
Jenks voters approved their share on April 5, 2016, through Ordinance No. 1392. It levied a 0.55% city sales tax for 15 years, starting January 1, 2017. According to the ballot language reproduced by BatesLine, $16,670,000 of it was set aside "for funding of the proposed Jenks-Tulsa Arkansas River low water dam project," covering construction, operation and maintenance of "the proposed low water dam and related facilities." The same proposition named other capital categories for the rest of the tax, including park improvements, sidewalks and trails, roads, and stormwater and sewer upgrades.
Tulsa voters approved up to $64.2 million in the same Vision Tulsa election. The City of Tulsa's Vision project list shows how that money was originally split. The largest line, $54.714 million, went to the dam and pedestrian bridge. Smaller lines covered East Bank Park with its boat dock and abutment work at $3.5 million, Vensel Creek Park and boat dock at $2.5 million, and an East Bank trail link from the dam to Vensel Creek at $1.5 million.
So from the start, the parts most people would use day to day were small budget lines next to one very large structure. That's why they are the easiest parts to cut now.
The money, as it stands this fall
News On 6 laid out the gap on October 1. The figures come from the City of Tulsa's April 15, 2026 Vision Tulsa update.
| Funding piece | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tulsa, 2016 Vision vote | $64,214,000 |
| Jenks, 2016 Vision vote | $16,670,000 |
| Total voter-approved construction funding | $80,884,000 |
| Current estimate at 10% design | $180 million |
| Difference | about $99.1 million |
The $180 million is an early number. It was presented to stakeholders on March 2 and is described as "Base bid + amenities + 15%." It also leaves out an operational endowment. The Tulsa Flyer reported that the endowment is estimated at about $20 million more. Tulsa's September project update lists $55,175,041.91 in currently available City funding, allocated through fiscal year 2028.
Other money has been promised since 2016, and the Flyer tracked where each pledge stands. In December 2022, the City of Jenks, INCOG and the Muscogee Nation signed a memorandum of understanding. It committed $18.7 million from Jenks, about $8.2 million from the Muscogee Nation through the Southern Villa tax increment financing district, and $6 million from INCOG through a federal grant. Abel said Jenks has since pledged its whole surplus from the remaining Vision 2016 funds, about $10 million. Abel put the city's total commitment at $27 million, a figure that matches the $16.7 million from the 2016 vote plus that surplus. The Nation's share is less settled. Press secretary Jason Salsman told the Flyer that the latest development agreement presented to tribal leaders did not include the $8.2 million, so that contribution would have to be renegotiated.
Why the amenities are where the cuts land
Each scaled-back option is built the same way. The dam stays, and the features around it become optional. Tulsa District 2 Councilor Anthony Archie told News On 6 that the design work with Jacobs and City staff is about sorting needs from wants: "what are some of those things that you want, but you can go without."
The City's own paperwork already shows that approach. According to Tulsa's September update, Jacobs and LandPlan ran a quick design effort to produce renderings without amenities to support the search for more money, and those renderings have been given to the City of Jenks. In July, the funding stakeholders met and formed a subcommittee with representatives from Tulsa, Jenks and the Muscogee Nation to look for additional public funds and private donors.
Some of the work is concrete and specific to the west bank. The City has made offers on two west-bank properties. One offer has been accepted, and the other seller has countered. Design started May 5, 2025. The workshops so far have chosen Obermeyer gates and a construction manager at risk delivery method, and one session was devoted to the pedestrian bridge.
For a sense of what the full version once meant, the 2015 schematic design report gives the most detailed public picture. It predates the current Jacobs design and should be read only as an early concept. It showed a pedestrian bridge with seating, fishing spots and overlooks, public overlooks and parking on each bank, and an east-bank launch at Vensel Creek that could support kayak and other non-motorized rentals. Those are the kinds of features now listed as "other public amenities."
The pieces moving regardless
Not every riverfront project depends on the dam's funding. Several trail and park pieces near Jenks are on their own budgets and schedules:
- East Bank trail, 101st Street to Cousins Park. This one has $4 million in Vision funding. One segment, 103rd to 110th, won $1 million in federal funds, and Garver's design submittal for it is being routed for review. Funding agreements for 110th to 116th and 116th to 121st are signed, with LandPlan chosen to design those segments. The City notes that these segments are being coordinated with the dam project.
- Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness. All soft-surface trail construction is complete. The west and east parking lots opened in January 2026, and the Rock Yard lot opened in July 2026.
- 71st Street Connector trail. This trail is on hold while AT&T relocates a sensitive communications line. There was no new construction schedule as of September 2026.
The west bank has a longer-range plan too. A 2022 federal RAISE grant application described two west-bank trail links. The first runs from Turkey Mountain at 71st to Riverwalk Crossing near 96th. The second runs from the trail's end near 96th to the planned dam and bridge in Jenks. That second link ends at the bridge, which is one of the features the cheapest option drops. So a dam built without amenities would still affect how the Jenks bank connects to everything else.
What happens next
Tulsa's September update set a mid-October target. "To keep on schedule, NTP for 30% design would occur mid-October 2026. City leadership is evaluating next steps." NTP stands for notice to proceed, the go-ahead for the next phase of design. When News On 6 reported on October 1, the Tulsa City Council had not yet taken up the project as a formal agenda item. Archie said one was coming: "At some point, we're going to come to the mayor and to the rest of the councilors about the future of this project."
Jenks Mayor Cory Box told the station that no one should be surprised by the cost in today's dollars. He called the project "one of the most significant projects Tulsa County has seen since the Gathering Place," and said he hopes for a way forward "while beautifying both sides of the Arkansas River." Abel told the Tulsa Flyer the hope is that some of the removed elements can be added back over time as funding allows. He also noted that Tulsa has publicly reported about $100 million in surplus Vision revenue but, to his knowledge, has not committed enough of it to close the dam's gap.
Meanwhile, the Jenks side of the river already has places people use. At Riverwalk Crossing, 300 Riverwalk Terrace, Mvskoke Waters Gallery opened in December 2025. Riverwalk describes it as the Tulsa metro's first tribally owned art gallery. The Jenks Chamber's free Trick-or-Treat on the Riverwalk is Thursday, October 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. Next door, the Oklahoma Aquarium holds HallowMarine evenings on October 23, 24, 30 and 31, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. These are the destinations the bridge and trail links were meant to connect to the rest of the river.
If you're trying to work out what the dam and the trails around it could mean for your street or your part of Jenks, I'm glad to walk through it with you. Plans like this one change slowly, and I follow them closely. Let's Connect with Mary Lou Doudican.
