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