December 06, 2004
Response from Scott Smith
Elaine,
I agree that we need to put the park back together again. The loss of
evergreens in the rear of the park can be corrected and improved upon.
The reason for the postponement of the reconstruction is to make sure
that we do it right. In the past, the rear of the park was not
usable.
There was not enough seating in the park. It is my hope that the
Parks commission will spend some time and come up with a simple plan for putting the park back together. We need to know how many benches and how to configure them. We need to know the types of trees to plant, etc. We need to investigate ways to improve the rear of the park and provide seating and natural screening.
I know that you are aware of the overall plan and that there will be
more trees when we are finished with this project. The removal of
the bathrooms and cleaning up of this area will make it a nicer park when we are through. Now we just need a simple plan to put it back together.
It is my hope that we can get creative and plant some unique trees and
perennials that will make the park more enjoyable for all. Wouldn't
it be nice to attract birds, butterflies, etc. I would personally
volunteer to put in some labor to make this park beautiful again.
I appreciate your input. I personally do not feel obligated to the
DDA. When I vote, I am truly looking for the best outcome for our city as a whole. If you want to tap my brain some more just shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. I hope that you work with Dorothy to get a plan to us in the next month so we can get this done in the early spring.
Take care,
Scott Smith Ward I
After I asked Scott if I could share his response, he responded this way:
Elaine,
Yes, feel free to share my response with Dorothy and anyone else. Did
Dorothy tell you that I have been working behind the scenes with one of the school board members to get the area known as Baer Park donated to the city to turn convert to a true park. Previously, the plan was to sell the entire property to the developer-thereby making the property private. We are encouraging the school board to write a contingency that the park property must be donated to the city (to be placed in the park system). This would be a substantial park in the downtown area!!
The school board meets tomorrow night. If you think this should become a park then you may want to contact school board members or go to the meeting. I think it would be a shame to lose this one to private development.
Just trying to keep it green!!
Take care,
Scott Smith Ward I
Posted by Elaine at December 6, 2004 06:57 AM