Oklahoma City’s MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) program received two coveted environmental awards during the National Brownfields Conference held in New Orleans this week.  The awards were the Phoenix Award and Renewal Award.   Oklahoma City received the Phoenix Award from the Phoenix Awards Institute for remediation and redevelopment excellence as a result of MAPS, which was credited by judges for transforming blighted and contaminated areas of downtown into thriving business districts.   “Downtown Oklahoma City’s remarkable revival as a result of MAPS is one of the best success stories in the country,” said Planning Director Russell Claus.  “Cities around the country are attempting to reproduce our visionary model.”   According to a study released recently by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and economic consultant Larkin Warner, the total value of new investment projects related to MAPS from the mid-1990s through 2008 totaled about $3.1 billion.   With the start of construction on the new Devon Tower, that number is now closer to $4 billion, and that is only the impact on the   downtown area.  It does not measure numerous other positive flow-on impacts in the broader community.    The Phoenix Awards are presented to outstanding revitalization projects in each of 10 Environmental Protection Agency regions.  The winning projects were selected by a panel of environmental professionals and business and government leaders based on magnitude of the project, innovative techniques, solutions to regulatory or social issues and impact on the community.   MAPS also received “Brownfield Renewal” magazine’s first Renewal Award for economic impact.    “In a time of economic upheaval and downtrending, the City of Oklahoma City\\\'s Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS) provides a stellar example of what can be done to revitalize cities and bring back new growth and life to what was formerly a struggling major metropolitan area,” said Therese Carpenter, an environmental scientist and one of the eight Renewal Award judges.    Carpenter’s assessment was borne out by a string of recent announcements about the resilience of the Oklahoma City economy relative to the rest of the country.   The original MAPS initiative was a five-and-a-half year-long penny sales tax approved by City voters in December 1993.  Funds collected built the Bricktown Ballpark, Ford Center, Ronald J. Norick Downtown library and Bricktown canal.  It also renovated the Cox Convention Center, State Fairgrounds, Civic Center Music Hall and North Canadian River.  More than $309 million was collected during the 66 months the penny sales tax was in effect.