Nearly a year after a committee began work on how to revitalize Levee Park, there’s no concrete plan in place.
But one is close — and those involved say they’re looking forward to creating a sustainable future for a neglected park that saw several bright moments this year — from a popular new restaurant to live music performances.
Mayor Mark Peterson, for one, is ready to have some solid ideas on the table.
Peterson ran his 2012 campaign in part on the dream of bringing the park back into the public spotlight, and in February 2013 formed the Levee Park Committee to explore options.
“I hope I see from (the committee) a plan that they all embrace and share with the community so they can get excited about it,” Peterson said.
The committee has put in substantial work throughout the year, though the
work suffered from a number of delays, including consultants dealing with unexpected personal issues. So Peterson said he’s not worried about waiting another month. He’s satisfied with how far the committee has come, he said.
“I’m realistic,” he said. “It’s a journey, not a race. It’s going to happen.”
In order to speed up the process, the committee and the hired
consultants from the University of Minnesota have decided to release the final plans and then seek comments about them. The initial plan was to hold a public input meeting in October, but the meeting was canceled due to some of the delays.
Committee member Frank Pomeroy said the committee has found other
ways to get input, including from those who attended a number of community events, including the Live at the Levee music and arts series that drew hundreds of people.
‘Make it attractive. Make it active’
Committee members don’t have a clear idea of what new park designs might look like — they’re waiting on the consultants to produce final renderings — but they know what they want the park to accomplish.
They want it to connect to downtown, to be seen from blocks away, to be a destination for residents and tourists, both those on foot and those docking boats on the Mississippi River.
As former Winona city manager and committee member Eric Sorensen said: “Make it attractive. Make it active.”
The city has taken steps in that direction already, with officials and volunteers planting flowers and creating a pavilion
on the spot where the Wilkie replica steamboat sat before it was torn down in 2008. It hopes to build on that success with landscaping and other features.
There are challenges to that vision that can’t be solved.
There’s the location, tucked behind downtown buildings. There’s the concrete levee, which while doing an essential job protecting the city from flooding doesn’t offer much by way of river views.
And others that can’t be easily solved, such as the tall fence that protects the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Spokesman Mark Davis suggested there may be wiggle room for change, but he maintained in an interview what the railroad’s view has long been: Any changes need to keep people from wandering away from designated crossings and not include development on railroad property.
The railroad, however, has shown it supports the efforts, donating about $1,500 to events held at the park.
And others have found creative ways to solve issues such as location with a new restaurant and hosting high-profile events that have drawn hundreds to the park.
Complementing efforts
The Boat House opened in May on the levee, offering a full lunch and dinner menu, as well as occasional live music.
And a separate group of artists and community leaders came up with plans to spotlight the park with the Live At The Levee series, which debuted in October, offering a day of free live music and activities. The organizers didn’t wait for winter to end to hold the next one, hosting the second event in a large heated tent in December. An estimated 2,000 people or more attended the two events, organizers said.
One organizer, Will Kitchen, has a bit of perspective on launching arts events — he’s been involved with the creation of Theatre du Mississippi, the Great River Shakespeare Festival and the Frozen River Film Festival. He said he’s never seen excitement for an event grow so quickly as it did for Live at the Levee.
Committee members all said the events have been a complement to the new vision for the park.
“We really wanted to do this to support the Levee committee,” Kitchen said.
“Thank God they did,” Pomeroy said.
It’s proved, Peterson said, that there’s ample interest in the community in spending time at the levee. Now, he said, it’s up to the committee to come up with a long-term, financially sustainable plan.
Pomeroy agreed.
“Good things are coming from this,” he said. “No doubt about it.”
Speak Your Mind