GRAND FORKS – The welcoming entrance to the Greenway and downtown Grand Forks is set to get some cosmetic updates.
In the 25 years since the Flood of '97 and the subsequent flood protection system was put in place, Greenway Specialist Kim Greendahl said there hasn’t really been any cosmetic work around the welcoming entrance, other than taking out plants along the wet side of the floodwall.
Greendahl said staff have started to imagine what the area should look like.
“Times have changed in the last 25 years,” Greendahl said. “We really see that area as a gateway to downtown and to our community. We wanted to have a little bit more presence there and [are] looking at ideas on how we do that.”
Greendahl reiterated that only cosmetic updates will be done, such as to the flower gardens and the ornamental fence currently in place, and that the floodwall itself won’t be touched. At present, Greendahl said, the designs being created for the welcoming entrance to the Greenway are only for Grand Forks and do not include East Grand Forks.
The overall idea for the area considers how to connect the Greenway to downtown and also what else should be added around the entrance.
“I think you’re going to see a lot more [on] how we tie the Greenway to downtown and how we add some more features that really make that area a destination,” Greendahl said.
The consultant working on the designs is RDG Planning and Design. Additionally, a steering committee is made up of staff from the Greenway, the Engineering Department (to ensure the designs won’t impede on the flood protection system), the Downtown Development Association, the Town Square Farmers Market and the Planning and Zoning Department, which worked on the Downtown Action Plan a few years ago. City council member Tricia Lunski also is involved.
A public input meeting was held to let residents share ideas on what they would like to see around the entrance. Once ideas start to be presented for consideration, Greendahl said she is expecting more turnout from the public.
Greendahl anticipates the consultant will come back with design ideas by the end of the month. Work on implementing the updates is set to begin next year.
Funding for the consultant's work and cleanup around the entrance will be covered by the Greenway budget.
“I’m incredibly excited,” Greendahl said. “I really wanted to see it from someone else’s eyes. And then after visiting with the consultant, seeing all the other projects that they’ve worked on, they brought some ideas forward ... and I love just thinking ‘wow this could really be an incredible area for people.’”