Mayor Mick Cornett will cast the first fishing line to celebrate the opening of Kitchen Lake Park during a 1:30 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 10.
Ward 4 City Councilman Pete White, Parks and Recreation director Doug Kupper and dignitaries from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will join in the ceremony. Kitchen Lake Park is located at 5501 SE 119th Street, next to Sooner Road.
Improvements to a 10 ½-acre parcel of the 160-acre park include a new entry drive and parking lot, wheelchair-accessible concrete sidewalks and a gangway leading to a floating fishing dock. Two picnic areas with tables and benches provide panoramic views of the lake and surrounding area. City crews resurfaced SE 119th Street along Sooner Place Road to provide better access to the area.
“This is a significant first step in developing a new regional park in southeast Oklahoma City,” Councilman White said. “Anglers have enjoyed fishing in Kitchen Lake for close to half a century, and this new park space shows citizens the potential for future development.”
The lake holds largemouth bass, crappie and three types of sunfish. As part of the “Close to Home” program, fisheries biologists will monitor the lake to determine when fish stockings are needed. In December 2013, Oklahoma City Council voted to designate the 33-acre Lake as a “Close to Home” fishing water in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The Parks and Recreation Department purchased the park property from the Water Utilities Trust in October 2012. The Utilities Trust owns the remaining 150 acres. Long-term plans call for additional improvements to the park, but no specific projects have been set.
The cost for the improvements was $854,000, with $719,000 funded by the 2007 General Obligation Bond. For more information, visit the City’s website at www.okc.gov/parks, or call 297-2211.
Media Contact: Jennifer McClintock
297-3903 / 464-9288 (cell)
