04-28-2021 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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PROJECT TEAM ISGInc.com Page 9 Lake Isabel Park Hastings, MN Lake Isabel Park, a large neighborhood park nestled within a neighborhood and the backwaters of the Mississippi River, has not seen improvements in over 25 years. To best serve community members and visitors and fill recreation gaps within the City, ISG provided the City with a new master plan that ultimately created a vision for a welcoming, inclusive, and unique neighborhood park. PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS This planning process will guide future improvements and inform City budgeting considerations. Prior to the design of the plan, ISG worked with the City on a comprehensive public engagement process that included a multi-month project website soliciting public feedback, two in-person open houses at Lake Isabel Park, and a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Commission before presenting the preferred plan to City Council. The main enhancements to the park include a new playground, centrally-located picnic shelter with views of Lake Isabel, a relocated half- court basketball facility, lake overlooks, improved site access, improved lake access, and bump-outs along Second Street to calm neighborhood traffic. Levee Park Winona, MN After decades of fractured attempts and citizen demands to remodel Levee Park, which overlooks the Mississippi River, the City of Winona spurred these dreams into action by dedicating $2.2 million to the project in 2016. The redesigned Levee Park has increased foot traffic and better connects Winona locals and tourists to the natural beauty around them. Providing a functional and aesthetic space within budget for community members was a primary concern from the onset. ISG upheld this goal from start to finish by formulating a comprehensive understanding the City’s goals. Our initial research, review of existing planning documents, aerial photographs, and topographic maps, a site visit to the current park, and an in-person meeting with City staff, solidified an understanding of the project and determined wants and needs of the community that were used to develop three feasible options and cost estimates of that were presented to the entire City Council. PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS Multi-use interior space will provide visitors with in-ground water jets, winter ice skating, and performance seating. Throughout the park, wayfinding, lighting, and visitor accessibility were improved to enhance the visitor experience and make the Park easy to navigate for everyone. Bike paths were also added, and preexisting ones enhanced, to link visitors to larger regional and state trails. The park entrance was decorated with a horizontal gateway that spanned Main Street, welcoming visitors with warm limestone and intricate stained glass patterns.