It's not too late to comment on the winning plan for the proposed park on the Providence River. See The Providential Gardener post about the meetings for public comment, which have links to the maps, drawings, and plan details. Whether or not you live in Providence, this proposed park is so near the Waterfire location that many Rhode Islanders will be using this space, so at least check out what is planned and send your comments by June 15 to the Parks Department at Waterfront Park Design Public Comment, Dalrymple Boathouse, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI 02903.
On June 6, I heard Nina Brown of Brown, Richardson & Rowe, the plan designers, describe the plans for the park, which will be built on land both east and west of the Providence River that is currently under I-195. Construction will begin after the old highway is torn down, in 2011. At least 25 people were there (I didn't count), and the plan seemed to please most of the attendees. Concerns expressed included access to the park from the west side of the city.
Nina Brown is eager to hear from Rhode Islanders about the current plan and welcomes input. She highlighted the sustainable planning throughout, the importance of good walking relationships to the surrounding streets, and the Ember Summer House, which the landscape architecture firm feels picks up the historical architecture style of the city. I cannot find a sketch of this Summer House on the internet today, and I think people should see it and remark about it ~ I'm working on getting an electronic copy on the web so you can see it. The Ember Summer House is very ornate at the moment, but all of these plans are at an early stage and with good feedback from the public it will be stunning.
Some other features described in the meeting are what sounds like a fabulous set of unique, custom playground equipment for the park on the east side of the river, and the integration of the park into the state's bike paths. It's not part of the park's construction ~ it will be a separate project ~ but people are also thinking about a pedestrian bridge over the river, which could rest on I-195's footings.
So email the design committee with your comments by June 15th. Ignore the October 15 deadline on this page ~ they are still welcoming feedback.
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