Comments and ideas we’ve heard so far from multiple engagement processes are summarized below.
Wayfinding for all ages
Inclusive park that integrates nature, urban infrastructure and historic significance
Traffic safety and speed control + signage
Acknowledge and celebrate historic communities, buildings, resources, “history of sustainability”
Cleanliness
Planning for 8 to 80 yrs
Trail materials to be more natural, like stone dust
Enhance community unity through multi language signs
Slower car traffic
Native planting
Speed control measurements
Mural art to enhance community building
Sense of belonging
Safe and welcoming access routes to the park from adjacent neighborhoods
Picnic
Shade
Educational programming of immigrant history, Hickey Freeman clothing company, geological history, Olmsted Parks, and railroad history
Serve diverse population
Bike from adjacent destinations to High Falls
Signs should be multi-language
Traffic control
Pocket gardens
Early wins
Prioritize pedestrian and cyclist traffic
Butterfly garden
RTS access and need for buses to route to the site
Multi-modal transportation, bike access, trails, pedestrian access, cross-city programs
Reclaim industrialized areas to connect people with nature
Event center
Bathrooms
Capitalize on views, water quality and safety issues
ADA accessible pickup and dropoff areas
Accessibility and safety for seniors
Active trail with letterboxing or geocaching
Educational programs, nature exploration, recreational activities
Include playful elements and tie to the historical elements
Improve Infrastructure, like shade structure, for future activities
Aesthetics of Bridge
Cost to enter
Promote neighborhood ownership through planting maintenance
Artwork integration
Cultural hub of year-round events and programs
Connect kids and adults to natural environment
Drive infill businesses in disinvested areas
There needs to be investment in the community, the bordering neighborhoods are predominantly low-income and would benefit from park programs and learning opportunities
ADA
Community-driven initiative to maintain park’s green spaces
Solar-power implements
Community gardens
Accessibility and wayfinding that is inclusive of the large deaf and disabled population in Rochester
Safety at lower level
Revitalize RoC waterfront
Linking residents in farther areas to a local bus route, ensuring sidewalks lead somewhere, etc.
Engage with those who don’t have internet
Foster environmental stewardship
Connectivity (walkability and bike connection between High Falls and Inner Loop)
Engage younger generations
Clear debris from river
Passive recreation, like yoga
Sustainability and ecological stewardship
Native American trails
Year-round festivals and events
Separate bicycle and pedestrian paths
Concern over gentrification and displacement
Integration into downtown, to the Inner Loop Project, etc.
Campground in the city for the youths
Need off-street connector to High Falls
Avoid impact vehicular travel on St Paul (cars and large trucks), pedestrian access from across the bridge
Separate trail use for senior visitors
Blue lights
Amenities like fountains for visitors and pets
Connect communities breaking transportation barriers
Equal access to river in all seasons; ramps in winter can be problematic
Safety signs
Seating along trails
Gorge wall stair, elevator
Priority on learning opportunities including an ecology center
Programming all year round
Trail & benches
Appropriate plants for dry shaded areas
Universal design and inclusivity
“What would the gorge look like without human involvement?”
Collaboration and unity within communities
Ecology Center
Focus on being environmentally friendly, make use of alternate energy and think about waste management
Enhance Sister City Relationship
Urban wildness
Parking
Photography
Changing the public perception, introducing a policing presence sensitively
Interpretive signs
Study forest and bird communities
River Access
Separate cyclist/ pedestrian/ tourist from vehicular traffic
Loop trails with mile markers
Re-activate former museum visitor center
Beauty of nature
Industrial history contributing to Erie Canal development
Address displacement concerns, address community skepticism, give the neighboring communities a sense of ownership
Connect people to the water
Public transportation / trolley between city-wide destinations
Relaxing