MONROE — The city approved another step toward the creation of a possible park in the downtown area during a Monroe Common Council meeting April 15 when aldermen authorized Parks & Forestry Supervisor Josh Trame to submit a grant application to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Not just any park, but a pocket park. A small park created on a vacant lot, generally amongst more urban structures and on irregular parcels of land, a pocket park helps meet the needs of a surrounding area by providing accessibility and a space for breaks, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.
One of the organizers, resident Donna Glynn, spoke to council members during their meeting April 1. She said there have never been easily accessible public restrooms on the Square and that a pocket park, in addition to beautifying a vacant piece of land, could meet that need. With bathrooms readily available, people visiting from other communities would stay downtown longer, benefitting business owners.
Trame and Jordan Nordby, executive director of Main Street Monroe, presented the idea during the meeting and echoed Glynn’s sentiment. They introduced the idea of applying for a Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program grant. Funding would require 50% matching funds from the city.
In a memo to council members, Mayor Louis Armstrong and City Administrator Phil Rath, Trame noted “the current proposed property location is appraised at $60,000.”
Though Nordby had previously indicated organizers were unsure of where the pocket park would be placed and said they were considering more than one location, meeting minutes of the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners on March 20 note that “he mentioned a parcel of land vacant since the 1980s.” The parcel, 4,356 square feet, sits empty on the southeast corner of the downtown Square at 1028 17th Avenue.
Main Street Monroe has an agreement with an anonymous donor who will match the grant amount. The agreement is dependent upon the acquisition of the stewardship grant funding by the city which will then be granted to Main Street Monroe. If the grant is received, $30,000 of the donation can be designated toward the purchase of the land and $30,000 could be used toward construction and long-term maintenance of the 0.094 acres of land.
Nordby has said Main Street intends to raise funds through donations for development of the park as well.
As part of the process, Trame said the city also plans to update its Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, which was last addressed in 2005 and generally requires an update every 10 years. An updated CORP is needed for the grant application, but the DNR has allowed the city to apply regardless, Trame said at the April 15 council meeting. An extension was granted for the plan to allow Monroe to apply by the May 1 deadline.
Organizers will find out if the city received the grant in the fall. If granted, the city will have two years to complete the grant reimbursement request and acquire the parcel of land.