Widespread sidewalk repairs one of many upgrades in line for Civic Center Park

By Cameron Montemayor

As City Hall’s window replacement project inches closer to the finish line, city leaders have squared away another key next phase for widespread improvements planned for Civic Center Park.

City Council recently authorized a purchase order with Auxier Construction Company in the amount of $466,384 for the Civic Center Park Sidewalk and Landing Improvement Project using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“It’s a broad scope. We are working on the flat concrete throughout the park and around the perimeter of the park. Any of that that needs to be replaced,” said Chuck Kempf, director of Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities.

The entire landing and two main north and south sidewalks will be replaced due to declining conditions of the concrete. Certain areas are deteriorating significantly.

“That’s nothing I would classify as unsafe. But it doesn’t look good. And there are some challenges, you know, if people are rolling carts … when there’s a festival or a rally or whatever it may be,” Kempf said.

Longtime St. Joseph resident Juanita Pritchett frequents the park but largely avoids the sidewalks due to issues it causes when traveling in her electric mobility scooter.

Pritchett called the planned concrete repairs overdue.

“It’s about time,” she said.

An exact timeline for sidewalk improvements will be determined at a later date. The project also includes drain inlet repairs along with curb replacement. The landing concrete will be approximately eight inches thick to support heavier equipment if needed.

Along with natural wear and tear over the decades since the park first opened, Civic Center Park has grown to accommodate a number of high-profile events that bring significant foot traffic and pressure on the sidewalk system.

“It’s space that is in demand. And so I think it’s something that we do need to make sure we’re taking care of. We need to make sure that its looks nice, feels nice and is safe,” Kempf said. “A lot of times parades start here. We have the marathon grounds here.”

While no bills have been approved or scheduled for a first reading yet, city leaders appear likely to move forward with the next phase of the park project to remove the large white stone wall on the west side of the park, called a balustrade, and replace the stairwell with a new one.

A separate option — one that city leaders discussed in previous work sessions — to replace the west park balustrade with an entirely new structure came with a much higher price tag.

“We did get cost estimates and that’s about $2.5 million to replace that balustrade. That’s a pretty good chunk of money to deal with that, especially right now. We don’t even have that amount to address that at this point in time,” Kempf said.

As part of the balustrade project, the hillside will have be re-sloped to create a more nature slope from the park to the sidewalk. Old and unhealthy trees will be removed in some places on the west side of the park, with new adult trees to be planted in certain locations. A separate balustrade connected with city hall itself is expected to see notable renovations as well.

“The balustrade in the park is primarily sandstone, which is much more difficult to work with and much more difficult to renovate just because of the material. The balustrade at City Hall is limestone, which is a material that can be repaired and renovated easier,” Kempf said.

New lighting will also be installed throughout the park and at City Hall to mimic the classic-period lighting found throughout much of Downtown, St. Joseph.