Designers begin construction plans for Elmer Thomas Park amenities

Full implementation of new amenities for Elmer Thomas Park would completely change the look of the park’s east side.

City Council members recently approved a contract amendment with the design firm C.H. Guernsey, after accepting conceptual designs for the latest round of upgrades planned for Lawton’s largest park. They start with a new amphitheater with covered stage area near Lake Helen and a boardwalk along the lake’s southern shoreline, but architect J.D. Clark also presented ideas that ranged from an adventure walk to a boathouse housing a kayak rental facility.

Council action gives C.H. Guernsey permission to explore those ideas by creating construction designs. The proposal increases what had been a $48,700 contract for conceptual designs to $2.155 million for complete design services, which also include helping with the bidding and permits, and construction administration. Council approval means design work can begin, with a goal of creating the documents that would allow the projects to be let for bids, said Deputy City Manager Dewayne Burk.

Clark said the goal is to have the amphitheater operational and other amenities in place by June 2027, meaning they would be open for the 2027 Freedom Festival. He said that would allow the new amenities to join others already in place (the park’s popular splash park and expanded Playground in the Park) and one expected to be operational by mid-summer (an aquatics center), along with renovations already planned or under way at McMahon Auditorium and Museum of the Great Plains.

Burk said while city staff’s first instinct was to do the project in phases, they realized that doing the entire project at one time would lessen inflationary costs. Funding would come from PROPEl 2040, the city’s new Capital Improvements Program.

Clark said simple plans outlined a year ago have “spiraled into this really great plan,” one that would significantly upgrade the area around Lake Helen. Part of the plan focuses on the lake itself: it will be dredged. The lake’s footprint would remain the same, he said, explaining while the lake will be deeper, it won’t be any larger.

That lake would highlight some of the amenities being planned, work City Engineer Mike Jones said would “set that area apart.” Clark said the goal is to add amenities without distracting from existing ones; for example, the plan leaves room near the aquatics center for future expansion.

A centerpiece will be a new amphitheater with a covered shell that would protect the stage and adjacent area. It will be located adjacent to the splash pad, with parking design to serve both venues, with space to seat up to 6,000 people. The new facility also would include a food court, to include a plaza for food trucks.

The second major component is a boardwalk along the lake’s south shore, although plans also include something city staff has wanted for years: extending the existing sidewalk to provide a walking path around the entire lake.

Other components of the plan fit into those two major pieces, Clark said.

For example, conceptual designs show a small interactive sculpture area on the lake’s northwest side, where Lawton could play tribute to two notable historic figures: President Teddy Roosevelt (who created the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge) and Comanche Chief Quanah Parker (who supported multiple initiatives, including restoration of bison to the refuge).

An adventure trail on the north side of the lake would take advantage of what already is a marshy area, providing a good habitat for new vegetation, Clark said. That area would feature covered seating areas, where walkers could sit and watch nature. Notable views also would be possible from a 75-foot-tall observation tower on the lake’s edge, with views of the city to the south and the Wichita Mountains to the north.

Clark said there will be an emphasis on small, landscaped areas where parents can sit and watch as their children play. Other proposals include a pedestrian bridge with a small boathouse that could be used as a kayak rental facility. Small fishing docks (outcroppings) are planned, as is a waterfall on the north side of the lake that would take its water from water used and discarded by a nearby splash pad.