Parkersburg holds public forum on activity, recreation project
Parkersburg holds public forum on activity, recreation project
Photos by Evan Bevins Parkersburg resident Christie Rhodes, right, speaks to Wood County Economic Development Executive Director Lindsey Piersol, left, as Wood County resident Dottie Bibbee and Wood County Historical Society President Bob Enoch listen during a public forum about a proposed activity and recreation center to be built by the City of Parkersburg. The forum was held at the City Park Pavilion, the proposed site of the facility.
A rendering of the activity and recreation center proposed to be built at City Park is displayed in the park’s pavilion during a public forum Tuesday. The design is conceptual, and the project and location have not been finalized, officials said.
Photo by Evan Bevins Pickering Associates architect Chris Mancuso, second from left, speaks with people at a public forum to discuss a proposed activity and recreation center Tuesday at the City Park Pavilion. The initial proposal is to build the larger center on the site of the pavilion.
Photo by Evan Bevins Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber, left, speaks during a public forum Tuesday in the City Park Pavilion on a proposed activity and recreation center as North Hills resident Cate Weber, seated, who brings her children to the park often, and Michael Enoch, a Parkersburg native who returned to the area after retiring as an arena manager, listen.
Photos by Evan Bevins Parkersburg resident Christie Rhodes, right, speaks to Wood County Economic Development Executive Director Lindsey Piersol, left, as Wood County resident Dottie Bibbee and Wood County Historical Society President Bob Enoch listen during a public forum about a proposed activity and recreation center to be built by the City of Parkersburg. The forum was held at the City Park Pavilion, the proposed site of the facility.
A rendering of the activity and recreation center proposed to be built at City Park is displayed in the park’s pavilion during a public forum Tuesday. The design is conceptual, and the project and location have not been finalized, officials said.
Photo by Evan Bevins Pickering Associates architect Chris Mancuso, second from left, speaks with people at a public forum to discuss a proposed activity and recreation center Tuesday at the City Park Pavilion. The initial proposal is to build the larger center on the site of the pavilion.
Photo by Evan Bevins Parkersburg Development Director Ryan Barber, left, speaks during a public forum Tuesday in the City Park Pavilion on a proposed activity and recreation center as North Hills resident Cate Weber, seated, who brings her children to the park often, and Michael Enoch, a Parkersburg native who returned to the area after retiring as an arena manager, listen.
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PARKERSBURG -- Residents of Parkersburg and the surrounding community weighed in on a proposed $13 million activity and recreation center Tuesday at the site where it could one day be built.
About 130 people gathered in the nearly 100-year-old, 10,500-square-foot City Park Pavilion to hear from and discuss with designated facilitators the design, programming, site location, economic development potential and safety issues related to the new facility.
The initial proposal is to build the 50,000-plus-square-foot center on the site of the pavilion and police substation in City Park.
But Ryan Taylor, president and CEO of architectural firm Pickering Associates, said nothing is set in stone yet.
"The goal is to give as many people a voice as possible," he said. "What you've seen in these renderings are just concepts."
People rotated among five tables, offering their ideas, feedback and questions on the proposal. Some felt strongly that the park is the wrong location and wanted to see the center built closer to downtown Parkersburg.
Wood County Economic Development Executive Director Lindsey Piersol facilitated discussion about the economic development potential of the project and said multiple people pointed out that downtown has better walking access to restaurants and retail.
Parkersburg resident Alisa Prince said she likes the idea but feels like it's too big for the park.
"It's over-built," she said. "To me, a park is for relaxation. … We're losing our park."
But Dottie Bibbee, who lives outside Parkersburg and regularly visits the park, thinks it's a good, accessible location.
"I like that people can walk to the park, can ride their bikes to the park," she said. "Yes, it's bigger, but I don't think it's going to take away from the rest of the park."
Other locations mentioned were Fort Boreman Hill and Southwood Park, though Taylor said the land at those locations was less level and would require more grading.
Police Chief Matthew Board said the main concern he heard from all five groups at the safety table was the impact on traffic flow.
While the center could potentially play host to events that draw thousands of people to the park, he doesn't expect that to be the case every weekend. Such events could produce traffic comparable to when the Fourth of July fireworks were launched from the park, Board said.
"I don't foresee there being anything that eclipses that," he said. "If that happens a few extra times a year, the Police Department would be here to facilitate that."
Board noted that a substation is included in the plans for the new building.
"From a public safety standpoint, this would be ideal because it's so centrally located," he said. "If you're making a $13 million investment, you'd want that asset to be protected."
City Development Director Ryan Barber talked with folks about programming. Some of the issues he said they brought up included how simultaneous events would be coordinated, seating capacity for concerts, space for specific activities like pickleball and noise concerns for the surrounding area.
"The thoughts and the comments (were) a facility like this could complement the events that are already going on," Barber said, referencing things like the annual Turkey Trot and Relay for Life.
Pickering architect Chris Mancuso said he received a lot of feedback at the design table about maintaining the aesthetic of the park.
"We can definitely pull in some of the materials that are on the existing buildings nearby," he said.
Pickering civil engineer Mark Welch talked with people about the location, with many focusing about parking and access.
Welch said the company could study the potential effect on parking in surrounding areas and look at ways to minimize the impact as designs progressed. He said others were concerned about greenspace and agreed that was an important consideration.
Taylor said the design team and city officials would process the feedback received and work on a plan to move forward. He noted the project has not been authorized yet.
As people discussed the various topics, Mayor Tom Joyce said no funding had been appropriated but Parkersburg City Council would have to do so if they wanted to move forward.
Potential sources include the remaining American Rescue Plan Act money, as well as the roughly $10 million previously allocated for maintenance and demolition of the Memorial Bridge before it was sold to a private company.
Joyce said he's also seen interest from private entities in contributing to the project and the city has applied for a Congressional earmark with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin's office.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.