During the Spring 2023 semester, IQC worked with the town of Westville, OK, on an array of projects to revitalize the town and improve accessibility and connectivity. One of the main objectives of the project was to design a concept for converting a large, empty downtown lot into a new public park. The park concept evolved from the initial belief that it would be a simple pocket park into the current plan for it to become a grand, multi-purpose town square. Other concepts proposed included new streetscape designs for the downtown, safer pedestrian railroad crossings, rain gardens and bioswales to mitigate stormwater issues, and an overall plan focused on connectivity and city branding opportunities.
Now, four months after the IQC team shared their final report with Westville, the town has continued working hard to make big dreams into reality. In addition to the assistance from IQC, Westville has been awarded the TSET Healthy Incentives grant, the TSET Innovations in Built Environment Grant, and the ODOT Transportation Alternative Grant. They have also built match funding partnerships with Ozarks Electric Cooperative, The Tom and Edna Carson Foundation, The Cherokee Nation, and several local contractors and vendors. The TSET Built Environment Grant funding will be used to fund the town square project, with a matching donation by The Cherokee Nation funding the planned amphitheater/bandstand portion of the town square.
To learn more about the grants Westville received, click on the links below!
Westville has partnered with Kimley-Horn, an engineering and design firm, to facilitate the town square project. Kimley-Horn provided Westville with a detailed master plan and has completed a Phase 1 estimate for the project, with much of the design and programming elements being informed by the work completed by IQC. Construction documents for Phase 1 of the town square will be wrapping up by early next year. Kimley-Horn will also be the lead engineering firm on the streetscape projects to be funded by the ODOT Transportation Alternative Grant.
In addition to all this excitement, the Westville project recently received a Merit Award from the Oklahoma chapter of the ASLA in the Student Design category. This award recognizes the superior professional accomplishment of collaborative work by Landscape Architecture students with students from allied disciplines.
We have been busy trying to get all the ducks in a row for these projects and excitement remains high as we go into this next phase of construction. We continue to be thankful for the partnerships we have developed with TSET, OU, ODOT, and the funding partners. The town could not perform projects and improvements without these partnerships and we are thankful for the trust our partners have placed in us.
Town Square Master Plan
The Master Plan for the Westville Town Square, designed by Kimley-Horn
Westville Project Earns Merit Award
OU students Jake Lange, Natalie Young, and Rajith Kedarisetty receive a Merit Award from OKASLA President James Hazzard
Westville Celebrates Summer Slam on Town Square Site
Westville recently installed a power pole with food truck electrical hookups at the town square site. Food trucks at Westville’s Summer Slam Festival gave residents a taste of what is to come!