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