A few miles north of the St. Cloud Country Club lies an underdeveloped recreational park. The park, better known as Riverside Park, stretches parallel to the Mississippi river and includes outdoor activities such as swimming, tennis, volleyball, horseshoes and disc golf. Even with these numerous amenities, the park radiates dullness and visitors are left with the feeling you only receive when visiting an undistinguished landmark.
I decided to attend a city council meeting to see what future developments were being planned for the park. The meeting was held in a city office building in the heart of downtown St. Cloud. Upon entering the glassed double doors, I noticed an inscription in Latin on the marble floor which may have translated to “please wipe your feet,” but I assumed it to be a statement of unity or some sort. I was overwhelmed with the numerous politicians and office workers that were scampering amongst each other in suite and tie. If your mentality wasn’t already locked in at "business ready," it was now.
When entering the meeting room, a speaker was introducing the purpose of the meeting. The park and recreational advisory board was holding the meeting to reveal a new council agenda item entitled Riverside Regional Park Greenhouse Project. The project goal was to, “support the development, construction and maintenance of regional and community-wide recreational sites,” the speaker stated and that our necessary action was to approve or reject individual phases of the plan.
Being this my first city council meeting, I decided to sit back and learn the etiquette to avoid making myself look like a fool. One of the speakers from the board mentioned a plan to install security fencing around the park. The room seemed quite optimistic about the fencing to improve the overall park quality. Sarcastically I wanted to add “now we can keep those horseshoe thieves out,” but I held to my commitment of just observing.
It seemed as if the primary concern was to jump start the makeover of Riverside Park and complete the overall project in individual phases. The members in the room were throwing ideas around faster than I could write down. It is clear that this city is in desperate need of a revamped park structure.
Whether the project will succeed in turning Riverside Park into a city hot spot will only be decided with time. The effect of the Greenhouse Project will likely be felt in phases. As each phase gets accepted for funding, the park will gain a new and improved look. With the national and state economies faltering, one must wonder how much funding recreational parks are really going to receive.
For more information regarding St. Cloud city council meetings and agendas visit the official website.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
A Bridge Too Long
The street sign has read “DETOUR AHEAD” for nearly 2 years now.
Every since the tragic collapse of the Minneapolis I-35W bridge, bridges around the state have been reconsidered for structural stability. In St. Cloud, the highway 23 bridge that stretches over the Mississippi River has been closed for nearly 2 years and is starting to upset some local residents.
Matt Persons, a member of the St. Cloud community, recalls the initial closing of the bridge. “At first they told us November [2009], but it doesn’t seem to be likely [finished] by then.”
The zigzag pattern that the detour creates—twisting throughout the heart of downtown—poses challenges for businesses on East Saint Germain Street; the unofficial Main Street. Crowded roadways piled with bumper-to-bumper semi trucks can be frustrating; especially during rush hour.
Mayor Dave Kleis must have felt the hostility surrounding the bridge. His solution? Create a contest that lets the locals name the bridge. “We’ll get the public to come up with the names, they’ll also narrow it down to the top two in a vote, and the City Council will pick the final one,” Kleis stated. Contest rules can be viewed at the City of St. Cloud website.
Michael, a high school student and resident of St. Cloud, stated that he “might just have to vote.” With the City Council vote finalizing the name, that leaves his vote for “A bridge [that takes] too long,” out of the question.
Every since the tragic collapse of the Minneapolis I-35W bridge, bridges around the state have been reconsidered for structural stability. In St. Cloud, the highway 23 bridge that stretches over the Mississippi River has been closed for nearly 2 years and is starting to upset some local residents.
Matt Persons, a member of the St. Cloud community, recalls the initial closing of the bridge. “At first they told us November [2009], but it doesn’t seem to be likely [finished] by then.”
The zigzag pattern that the detour creates—twisting throughout the heart of downtown—poses challenges for businesses on East Saint Germain Street; the unofficial Main Street. Crowded roadways piled with bumper-to-bumper semi trucks can be frustrating; especially during rush hour.
Mayor Dave Kleis must have felt the hostility surrounding the bridge. His solution? Create a contest that lets the locals name the bridge. “We’ll get the public to come up with the names, they’ll also narrow it down to the top two in a vote, and the City Council will pick the final one,” Kleis stated. Contest rules can be viewed at the City of St. Cloud website.
Michael, a high school student and resident of St. Cloud, stated that he “might just have to vote.” With the City Council vote finalizing the name, that leaves his vote for “A bridge [that takes] too long,” out of the question.
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