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