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