By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The City of Delavan will host an open house to gain public input about the proposed renovation of Tower Park in downtown Delavan this week.
The event will be held on Monday, Oct. 28 in the Common Council Chambers from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Batterman and Angus Young will be reviewing the concept plan for Tower Park and asking for feedback from the public.
The city hosted one open house on Aug. 26. The Common Council approved the first step toward renovating the park by awarding Batterman/Angus Young the contract to design and engineer the proposed improvements on July 16. The city adopted a comprehensive parks improvement plan in late 2017 for Tower and Phoenix Parks and Congdon Gardens.
The plan for Tower Park includes a possible reconstruction of Park Place with brick pavers and making the street one-way to accommodate adding some greenspace to the park. The reconstruction of part of Main Street with a new water main is also part of the plan.
Inside the park itself, a new gazebo or covered storage area and a shade structure attached to the water tower could be constructed along with a new wider relocated walkway. Some kind of water feature could also be added.
The existing elephant and giraffe statues could be relocated and an upgraded electrical system could be added to better accommodate park events.
Park Place would be reconstructed and turned into a one-way street in the current plans. Curb and gutter would be added. The road surface could be replaced with a brick surface or a concrete surface that has a brick imprint on it.
The bulk of the discussion on Aug. 26 was about the proposed water feature on one end of the park that may or may not be a splash pad, the reconstruction of the sidewalk through the park, the reconstruction of Park Place, the gazebo that is included in the current plans, the lack of restroom facilities in the plan, and the cost of the project.
