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Mann presents results of Riverfront feasibility study to Ridgway Borough |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
Roy Mann, Principal and Study Author of The Rivers Studio, LLC, met with members of the Ridgway Borough Council to present results of the feasibility study for the Ridgway RIverfront Conservation and Development Project.
By Brent Addleman
Record Editor
Roy Mann, Principal and Study Author of The Rivers Studio, LLC, presented the feasibility study on the Ridgway Riverfront Conservation and Development Project to Ridgway Borough Council members last night.
The hour-long presentation was the culmination of months of study on ways to improve areas surrounding the Clarion River in Ridgway Borough and bring in tourism and increase the town's economy.
Borough council members were on hand to hear what Mann has developed, but no decision has been made as to whether the plans will be accepted and the project will move forward.
"We've been guided to look at those possibilities that are environmentally sustainable," Mann said in his opening statements. "They won't hurt the environment or recreation of the trails, and can still bring good to all. In fact, what you have here in Ridgway is a turnaround from earlier years to this new reality that with the Clarion-Little Toby Rail Trail opening, which would increase kayaking and fishing and visiting and using the facility along with facilities at Allegheny National Forest."
The plans focus on several points, ranging from creating more access for fishing and canoe entry points on the river, riparian forest restoration, building floodwalls, a visitors center and devising an area for outdoor classrooms and a passive playing field.
Key components of the plan are the economic advancement of the community.
Mann's study focuses on building four new trails and building a RIverbank Park. Also in the plans were ideas of bringing more attention to the popular Clarion-Little Toby Creek Rail Trail by creating a Main Street gateway, and also the economic impact the project would have on the community.
Mann pointed out specific recreational events that could be housed in lands around the river. A spacious field could serve as picnic grounds or house concerts in the summer. During winter months, the area could be flooded to provide a skating rink. The areas north and south of Main Street, especially the lower area of Gillis Avenue, could serve as locales for restaurants and other businesses.
"Ridgway is really in a unique position among a good many of the communities in the PA Wilds and northcentral Pennsylvania to take advantage of this new surge of interest of both in terms of the public and their visits and using the trails and using the agencies that have supported the development of the Clarion-Little Toby Rail Trail. They have supported some other things. Now, they are really ready to go ahead with Ridgway," Mann said. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 September 2008 )
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