North Manchester Hears Park Proposal
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jordan Fouts-
Renata Robinson, Manchester Main Street executive director, presented plans for a park on a triangle of land along Eel River at Main and Wayne streets. She described the landscaping and sculptures MMS envisions and showed rough sketches of the proposed park elements, but council members said her $6,500 estimate is probably a little low.
“When you said $6,500, I automatically wrote down $10,000,” Council President Chris Garber said after her presentation. An extra $3,500 or so would be needed to cover a lot of unknowns.
Ongoing upkeep of the park is another uncertainty. Robinson said MMS has no long-term plans yet, and council Vice President Laura Rager observed, “We don’t have an army of people willing to take it on.”[[In-content Ad]]Rager, council member James Smith and Town Manager Dan Hannaford volunteered, at Garber’s suggestion, to look at cost and upkeep once MMS’ plans are further along. The three may also work with the town’s own parks department.
Other visions for the water plant-side park include integration into a walking trail, a pedestrian bridge over the river, and educational signs on the sculptures telling the history of the river going back to its use by the Potawatomi tribe, Robinson said.
The council later approved MMS’ paving brick fundraiser, contingent on sidewalk renovations getting the go-ahead. The town may not know until May what funds it has for downtown sidewalk work, though Garber expressed confidence in the project.
Smaller and larger bricks engraved with business names and logos would be sold for between $125 and $300, with proceeds to fund later downtown projects, Robinson said.
Renata Robinson, Manchester Main Street executive director, presented plans for a park on a triangle of land along Eel River at Main and Wayne streets. She described the landscaping and sculptures MMS envisions and showed rough sketches of the proposed park elements, but council members said her $6,500 estimate is probably a little low.
“When you said $6,500, I automatically wrote down $10,000,” Council President Chris Garber said after her presentation. An extra $3,500 or so would be needed to cover a lot of unknowns.
Ongoing upkeep of the park is another uncertainty. Robinson said MMS has no long-term plans yet, and council Vice President Laura Rager observed, “We don’t have an army of people willing to take it on.”[[In-content Ad]]Rager, council member James Smith and Town Manager Dan Hannaford volunteered, at Garber’s suggestion, to look at cost and upkeep once MMS’ plans are further along. The three may also work with the town’s own parks department.
Other visions for the water plant-side park include integration into a walking trail, a pedestrian bridge over the river, and educational signs on the sculptures telling the history of the river going back to its use by the Potawatomi tribe, Robinson said.
The council later approved MMS’ paving brick fundraiser, contingent on sidewalk renovations getting the go-ahead. The town may not know until May what funds it has for downtown sidewalk work, though Garber expressed confidence in the project.
Smaller and larger bricks engraved with business names and logos would be sold for between $125 and $300, with proceeds to fund later downtown projects, Robinson said.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092