Jan. 24—More than 100,000 visits are made to the Stillwater Community Center every year — a hub where much of life happens for Stillwater residents.

Those visits include people coming for blood drives, public safety training, weddings, dance lessons, community bands, community singers, business meetings and soon, the start of the Stillwater Rock Academy.

But the community center has not always been accommodating to people with mobility challenges — until now.

After two years of private fundraising efforts and construction, City leaders and members of the SCC Foundation celebrated a new accessibility addition in a formal ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday.

“We are grateful for many generous donors and selfless volunteers who have given to make this much-needed accessibility project possible,” said Stillwater City Manager Kimberly Meek. “Our community center now has a safer and more easily accessible entrance for members of our community.”

Jim Beckstrom, Stillwater Community Center Foundation chair, has worn multiple hats during the project.

“This has been a gathering place for Stillwater since the late 1800s, and likely for humans for thousands of years before,” Beckstrom said. “We are thankful for this place, and the service it has provided for these many, many generations.”

The ramp, inter-connector and stair system near the southeast parking lot provides a welcoming access to residents who are mobility challenged, and creates an efficient inter-connector between the main SCC Complex and the dining and event hall.

“For the first time in history, there is ramp access from the main parking lot for the main complex,” Beckstrom said. “And, a wheelchair bound guest can traverse from the main complex to and from the dining and event hall without going around the block.”

Beckstrom said that previously — ironically — people that have the biggest challenges getting around, “had to go out and brave the elements to get from one place to another,” a 200-yard trek outside in all kinds of weather.

“That’s now history,” Beckstrom said.

Stillwater City Councilor Tim Hardin said he has dealt with two knee replacements, and for those who have a more permanent disability, he couldn’t imagine what navigating could be like.

“Stairs are a challenge, large stairs are very much a challenge, slick ramps are challenge, also,” Hardin said. “…’Wayfinding’ is an issue, and so this is going to be a great thing.”

The project took longer, Hardin said, because of problems with infrastructure.

“Anytime you start digging into a 100-year-old building, there’s always surprises that you really don’t want to find,” Hardin said. “And they had to do it right, and they did it right.”

In 2019, Beckstrom, who was director of interdisciplinary design at OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at the time, played an integral role in leading a class in the design of the project.

That year, the SCC Foundation and the City of Stillwater sponsored an Oklahoma State University student engineering and architectural studies exploring and defining ways to improve access to the center, including the yet-to-be re-developed second floor.

The final design was very similar to what the project design ended up being, Beckstrom said.

He said the ramp and stair project was considered central to the next phase of enhanced functionality for the building.

“It was a multi-faceted project, and we were actually looking at how to access the second floor,” Beckstrom told the News Press. “So this project … was actually phase 1.”

The Foundation also raised funds for three power doors — one into the dining and event hall and two others on the ends of the main lobby.

Additionally, there’s a modified parking lot with space for a full-size bus to drop off riders.

“They can come in (the) driveway and drop off here,” Beckstrom said. “…They’re actually getting out of the bus on the correct side and not walking into traffic. Plus it’s wide enough so people can continue to come in and park (while the bus unloads).”

The Foundation contracted Gose and Associates for the engineering and architectural design, and then began its biggest fundraising campaign since its inception in 2001, raising about $250,000 of new funding and contributing approximately another $70,000 of its existing funds for the project.

The City managed the bidding process and the construction.

Beckstrom said Foundation Vice-Chair Gerrit Cuperus was instrumental in the design and construction phase of the project. Natalea Watkins supported the project and provided critical guidance, from the perspective of one of the SCC’s many wheelchair-bound guests.

The accessibility project will allow more functionality of Block 34, improving pedestrian access, along with significant improvements to Duncan Street, Beckstrom said.

“They’re going to convert (Duncan Street) from a river to actually a pedestrian walkway,” Beckstrom said.

The Block 34 project has walkways and bollards to “link these two City treasures,” Beckstrom said.

The walkways and bollards will accommodate more than 5,000 people, with two outdoor stages and two indoor stages, a large pavilion and numerous meeting rooms and lobbies.

When Block 34 is completed, the Foundation plans to coordinate 14 live music performances on the future Kicker Sound Stage, and weekly live music at the Saturday Farmer’s Market — a 10-year deal that the Foundation made with the City and Kicker.

The new accessibility ramp and stairway also supports other programs at SCC, including Classic Cinema, its monthly free movie offering; Troubadour Thursday, a monthly free singer-songwriter program; and the Dancing Turtle multi-arts extravaganza.

“The Foundation is not sitting on its laurels,” Beckstrom said. “… The Stillwater Community Center Foundation will be conducting a refresh of our strategic plan and we’re excited about what comes next.”