Donjeck Inc. completed the Finance Strategy analysis and recommendations and Jon Commers presented Initial Findings, May 1 and 2.

Download R1 Finance Strategy Initial Findings >>

This animated future “day in the park” helps you imagine the very special connection to the Mississippi River that Scherer and Hall’s Island will provide: Recreation and amenities together with new habitat, all with the city skyline in view.  Thank you, Tom Leader Studio!

Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Commissioners heard, Wednesday, May 1, a summary of progress from the RiverFirst Design Team and the RiverFirst Initiative, who have completed schematic design for five RiverFirst Priority Projects and are mostly-there on the Funding Strategy, respectively.

Community members are invited to learn about the progress and next steps on Thursday, May 2, at two events – an 11AM Open House and a 6PM Community Meeting. Both events are at MPRB Headquarters.

> Download 2013-05 R1 Executive Summary

Or view it right here:

“Sometimes I think of our design process as stripping away the thin industrial layer that covers the site to reveal the river as it actually is,” said KVA’s Sheila Kennedy. “So words like ‘new’ and ‘restore’ don’t really capture the idea that the hard bounded pool-like river we see today is in fact a constructed reality.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Tom Leader is the lead landscape designer of the RiverFirst design team; Fisher is a member of the RiverFirst Steering Committee and Dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. To learn more about them and their work, visit http://tomleader.com and http://design.umn.edu. To hear Clip 1 of this conversation, visit http://vimeo.com/riverfirst/r1insightsdesignclip1. To hear Clip 2, visit http://vimeo.com/album/2294318/video/63572145. 

RiverFirst Insights: A conversation between Tom Leader and Tom Fisher (Clip 3) from RiverFirst on Vimeo.

PUBLIC HAS TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT SCHERER PARK/HALL’S ISLAND, NEW RIVERFRONT TRAILS AND OTHER AMENITIES

Thursday, May 2, 2013
11 AM – 12:00 PM Community Open House
6 – 8:00 PM Public Meeting: Presentations begin at 6:10 PM
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
2117 West River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55411
Map & Directions

Minneapolis, Minn. – As Minneapolis increasingly recognizes the value of natural assets like the Mississippi River to the urban environment, parks that combine recreation with ecological function and stewardship become more important. As part of RiverFirst, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is completing schematic design and feasibility for six Mississippi Riverfront parks and parks access projects that exemplify important facets of multi-use, sustainable parks of the future.

On Thursday, May 2, community members have an opportunity to learn more about these RiverFirst Priority Projects at an Open House from 11 AM – 12:00 PM or a Community Meeting from 6-8:00 PM. Both events are being held in the Board Room at Minneapolis Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis Park Board’s RiverFirst Priority Projects include a new East Bank Trail connecting Boom Island Park with Sheridan Memorial Park, Scherer park, 26^th Avenue North Pier, Plymouth Bridge enhancements, and the Lowry Bridge Connector. These projects are each located on or near the Minneapolis Upper Riverfront and will begin help to complete a circuit of amenities that interconnect with each other, as well as existing city and regional trails. Guidelines for park-supportive development at the Scherer site will also be presented, along with a Floating Wetlands feasibility study.

The Minneapolis Park Board is a RiverFirst Initiative Managing Partner, together with the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. Each organization is leading one or more RiverFirst Priority Projects while working together to identify public/private approaches to funding and secure partnerships to implement the expansive RiverFirst Vision.

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS
Presenters at both meeting will include representatives from the RiverFirst Design Team of TLS/KVA – Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture – as well as Minneapolis Park Board planning staff.

At the 11:00 AM Open House, the public can view presentation boards and ask questions and provide input to the Park Board and the Design Team. During the 6:00 PM community meeting, the public will hear a presentation of final schematic design for the six projects and have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in a discussion with the Design Team and Park Board Planning staff.

Also that evening, the community will hear key preliminary findings from the forthcoming RiverFirst Finance Strategy. The Finance Strategy will feature a comprehensive analysis of the broad funding landscape and detail recommendations for public and private fundraising for RiverFirst Priority Projects.

All meeting materials will be available after May 2 on the Minneapolis Park Board’s website, where project details and updates are posted. For information about the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s RiverFirst work, visit their site.

ABOUT RIVERFIRST
RiverFirst is a multi-agency, multi-year effort to bring sustainable destination parks and trails to both sides of Minneapolis Upper Riverfront, along 5.5 miles from the Stone Arch Bridge to the city’s northern limits. The RiverFirst area is included in both the Central Riverfront Regional Park and Above the Falls Regional Park. RiverFirst Projects will create new Mississippi River experiences for residents and visitors, as well as form critical connections to, across and along the Mississippi River urban corridor. The RiverFirst Initiative is an interagency partnership of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Parks Foundation – together with community and agency participants and the public – to realize the RiverFirst Vision and support the implementation of RiverFirst Projects. RiverFirst began with theMinneapolis Riverfront Design Competition in 2010; the first Priority Projects are anticipated to open in 2016. Learn more at http://RiverFirst.com.

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> Download 2013-04 R1 Community May Meetings Release (pdf)

> Event Details

Tom Leader is the lead landscape designer of the RiverFirst design team TLS/KVA; Tom Fisher is a member of the RiverFirst Steering Committee and Dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota. To learn more about them and their work, visit tomleader.com and design.umn.edu. To hear Clip1 of this conversation, visit vimeo.com/riverfirst/r1insightsdesignclip1.

RiverFirst Insights: A conversation between Tom Leader and Tom Fisher (Clip 2) from RiverFirst on Vimeo.

Listen in as Leader and Fisher discuss the relationship between landscape and cities, industries and parks. Stay tuned for the rest of the conversation, coming to the blog soon.

RiverFirst Insights is a series of interviews and conversations about the RiverFirst project and related issues. The conversations will be held between individuals with exceptional insight or expertise related to RiverFirst, spanning vast topics including design, economic development, case studies and River First issues.

RiverFirst Insights: A conversation between Tom Leader and Tom Fisher (Clip 1) from RiverFirst on Vimeo.