Wounded veteran getaway planned ; A public-private partnership will build a year-round cottage retreat at Skiatook Lake.

Tulsa World, 2012-11-28

By RHETT MORGAN

SKIATOOK - Architect Daryl Bray never had heard of the Folds of Honor Foundation.

But a couple of months ago, he leaped at the chance to further its cause.

Bray volunteered to design the group's "Honor Cottage," a year- round retreat for wounded veterans and their families at CrossTimbers at Skiatook Lake.

Officials will break ground on the cottage at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The cottage is a joint venture among the Owasso-based Folds of Honor Foundation, CrossTimbers and the Army Corps of Engineers, said Ron Howell, the developer of CrossTimbers.

"What we accomplished I think is designing a relaxing, calming environment that is fully accessible," said Bray, chief operating officer of the SGA Design Group of Tulsa. "We needed to make sure the facility had the door clearances and the threshold requirements for veterans who might have physical limitations."

CrossTimbers is organizing fundraising for the Honor Cottage, which is scheduled to open on Memorial Day, and Hunter Construction of Tulsa is the contractor. Combining donated goods and services, the total investment is expected to be about $250,000, Howell said.

Folds of Honor will be responsible for finding guests. Founded by Maj. Dan Rooney, a former fighter pilot with the Oklahoma Air National Guard, the nonprofit organization is dedicated to helping spouses and dependents of dead or disabled veterans.

Folds of Honor has awarded at least 3,600 scholarships nationwide.

The Honor Cottage will be about 1,100 square feet and feature a living area, kitchen, main bedroom area, loft and outdoor deck, Bray said. Similar to an adjacent cottage that Bray owns, it also will take elements from the Folds of Honor headquarters at the Patriot Golf Club.

Folds of Honor official Ben Leslie and Rooney "wanted us to walk around and get an idea of the materials and architectural vocabulary that they used out there," Bray said. "They explained that the U.S. flag was a major design component of that building, so they wanted to carry that over to the Honor Cottage. That's why you see the flag at the very top of the roof.

Bray added that the goal was "a warm and soft environment, definitely peaceful, tranquil. That's part of the reason that we sited it where we did so that it's not directly adjacent to another unit and so they have some privacy and noise control."

CrossTimbers opened in May 2005 and is a public-private partnership among StateSource LLC, a firm led by Howell; the Skiatook Economic Development Authority; and the Corps of Engineers. Talks are under way to make the Honor Cottage a national model for other corps lakes, Howell said.

Rhett Morgan 918-581-8395

rhett.morgan@tulsaworld.com

Originally published by RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer.

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