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Mayor Dewey Bartlett said his mind is set on waiting until after park construction and Riverside Drive widening to reconsider a sidewalk project, despite opposition from the crowd at a Monday night meeting.

The controversy began when residents learned that Bartlett had decided to eliminate the sidewalk, designed under citywide plans to connect downtown to A Gathering Place for Tulsa on Riverside Drive.

Bartlett made his decision, which he said was largely to protect pedestrians, after a private meeting with neighborhood residents, including a man with whom he owns an office building.

The sidewalk was to have run from just north of A Gathering Place to Veterans Park at 21st Street.

After Monday night’s meeting, Bartlett said he sees no reason to reconsider his decision until after the major construction is complete.

“We’ll see how everything evolves,” Bartlett said.

He said factors that can’t be foreseen until after construction concludes are how fast people drive on the road and how people will actually gain access to the new park.

In his argument for no sidewalk, Bartlett pointed to nine points of existing access for Tulsa residents.