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M.e.t. Board Agrees on Lease for Downtown Recycling Center

The Metropolitan Environmental Trust will open a recycling center in downtown Tulsa, which will replace one they closed this year at Admiral Place and Louisville Avenue.  

Executive Director Michael Patton said the downtown center will help businesses, apartment complexes and condo residents recycle, even though they don't have the blue recycling carts.

"We really think that downtown will be a great location for recycling," said Patton. "We anticipate getting a lot of small businesses and all the new residents — and people come into downtown. It's a great market for us."

The M.e.t. board of trustees agreed Thursday to a two-year lease for 19,000 square feet on the southeast corner of 11th Street and Cincinnati Avenue.

The total cost of the lease is $16,800, payable in $700 monthly installments. It's effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Under the terms of the lease, the M.e.t. must repair existing damage to a paved area approximately 20 feet by 40 feet in size. The M.e.t. may build a fence on the property but must remove it when the lease ends and repair any damage caused by removing it.

The M.e.t. negotiated two two-year renewal options with 5 percent increases at each.

Besides replacing the Admiral recycling center and giving downtown residents an easier way to recycle, Patton hopes the downtown location will give commuters a convenient way to recycle harder-to-dispose items.

"Batteries are a perfect example," Patton said. "A lot of people have batteries in December and January, related to their Christmas shopping, and having a center that's convenient for them, where they can get that done, I think is going to be a great opportunity."

In addition to the property, The M.e.t. is leasing four billboards, two each at the southeast corner of 11th Street and Cincinnati Avenue, and at the northeast corner of 12th Street and Detroit Avenue. Patton said they will be used to inform people the new recycling center is there, and, in the future, possibly to recognize recycling partners.

The billboard rent is fully covered by the M.e.t.'s marketing budget.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.