“First and foremost we wanted ….

“First and foremost we wanted it to stay home for the farmer’s market,” Gasek said. He noted that other goals were to highlight the river as a key component of whatever was developed along with the placement of public restrooms in the area to serve downtown events. He said the goal was to make the space a springboard to the entire downtown.

Initially the group was working with an outside architect to develop the plans. “He had a lot of great ideas,” Gasek said.

However, as the group moves toward implementation, they stepped back from the architect’s suggestions to make the area more representative of Medford. “We felt those designs were going in a more urban direction,” Gasek said.

Some initial projects that the group plans to continue this year are the addition of a concession stand to encourage groups to hold brat fries in the downtown, installing fire pits along the river to serve as gathering points, and the placement of portable toilets in the area. Gasek said they want to determine the best spot for the bathrooms before construction of permanent ones begins. Other future goals include creating an entertainment zone with a stage and place for live performances. In the future, he said, they are looking at the possibility of adding a splash pad to the north end of the park.

Gasek described the park as an ongoing work in progress with the committee looking to see what works and what doesn’t.

“We want this park to be as successful as possible,” Gasek said.

Committee member Jackie Jentzsch said while the focus is on the parking lot at this time, the plan is for this to be a spur to redevelopment in the entire downtown with ideas for the Main Street mini park and the access points connecting the Main Street with other parts of downtown. She noted that overflow parking for events in the space would be on Main Street, bringing people to the area and seeing businesses there.

“I think it will be an awesome project,” said Jeff Miller of Black River Art Gallery. He said he thought the downtown businesses would get behind it and help make it work.

While the overall tone was positive toward the project, those in attendance raised questions about parking, timeline and cost. Others questioned how this would impact the need for additional housing in the community.

“Is there a plan for a parking lot?” asked Jaco van der Berg. He noted that when he goes to the popular pizza nights at Marilyn’s the entire parking lot is full of cars.

Gasek said the development of the park would eliminate the parking lot. However, it was noted there is ample street parking in the downtown as well as a large lot to the south of the Medford Area Public School District office located a block away. Gasek said it can create an “air of importance” to have to walk to a destination. He also compared the walk from the parking areas to the long walks people already have when they go to big box stores or even the supermarket.

City coordinator Joe Harris said having event parking throughout the downtown would give people the opportunity to see the shops and businesses there. He said that they may not stop that time, but would know the next time they are in the area.

Dale Baumann asked about using the Post Office parking area. That parking area is privately owned by a company based in Cedarhurst, New York.

Mayor Mike Wellner said that he sees it as a positive to have a parking problem because it means that people are coming to the downtown. “Hopefully we run out of parking,” he said.

As far as paying for the project, Harris reported that a local industry had pledged $55,000 to help with the project and that they would be seeking funding in the upcoming city capital budget.

The timeline for the project is to have some items in place this year to see how they are received and used before proceeding to develop formal plans and have permanent work done next spring, with the goal of having things in place a year from now.

Committee members hope the park development will serve as a spur to additional private development in the downtown area. Harris said the city has already been approached by individuals interested in doing projects.

Harris suggested there would be a need for mixed use in the area with some apartments as well as additional business spaces.

Alderman Mike Bub supported that idea, noting that having more people in the downtown will attract more businesses there. He said housing is the city’s major concern and needs to be addressed to prevent more jobs from leaving the community. While there are existing apartments downtown, he said he would like to see different types of apartments to attract a different type of clientele.

The meeting ended with a sense of optimism for the future of the downtown as Sue Emmerich of the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce noted the decline in vacant storefronts in the downtown and the growth in businesses.

“Downtown is the place to be for sure,” she said, noting the momentum of local businesses needs to keep going.

“Downtown is not dying, it is thriving,” Gasek said.