Menu
Committee unveils riverfront plan
By Michael Glover
Herald-Tribune
Fort Scott, Kan. -- Two people in a paddleboat drift down the Marmaton River. Children on bikes ride along a trail near the shoreline of the river. Tourists explore plants inside a botanical garden.
Those scenes aren't existent in Fort Scott, today. But they could be one day, thanks to a committee dedicated to making the Marmaton River an asset to the community.
"I believe by having recreational activities where people can get out and walk and enjoy nature is a real plus to the quality of your life," said Dean Mann, a co-leader for the committee. "That's what this creates, a place where they can get out and see nature and exercise by walking and share in family-type of activities. It's geared toward creating a higher quality of life."
Tuesday, Mann unveiled a conceptual plan the group developed that outlines a rough draft of what the park includes. Mann warned that the plan is subject to change as the committee continues working to develop the project.
"We wanted to put something out, so people could see what possibilities exist there," Mann said. "We're dreaming at this point, but you've got to start somewhere."
Mann first hatched the idea at a community visioning retreat in February. It's one of five long-term goals developed by Fort Scott leaders at the retreat, which was part of a communitywide revitalization project dubbed "Fort Scott Community Visioning."
"It's really the result of seeing what other communities have done with their river assets," Mann said, "and realizing when you see ours, it's at best an eyesore. It's really not an attractive area. It detracts from our historic downtown and the quality of this community. Seeing other communities do something like this, I just felt this would a real enhancement to our community."
The committee looked at other communities like Pueblo, Colo., Jenks, Okla., and San Antonio, Texas, that have developed riverfront projects similar to the one desired in Fort Scott.
"I'm not saying we're going to that degree. What we're trying to do is start in making this an asset and this is the start." Mann said.
A chunk of the park will be located in an area Fort Scott residents call "Belltown." That region currently is filled with trash and rundown structures.
Components of the proposed park include a lake, picnic and fishing areas, miles of trail, a pedestrian bridge, a botanical garden, a campground, and wildlife viewing areas.
The committee proposed putting a 2-3 acre lake in Belltown with a trail surrounding it, although the size of the lake hasn't been determined yet, Mann said.
A mutli-use trail leads to a pedestrian bridge connecting one section to the other. The trail, Mann said, can be used for hiking, biking or horseback riding.
Included in the plan is to have the trail follow the Marmaton River under U.S. Highway 69 and into a botanical garden that, if built, will become only the third such garden in Kansas, Mann said.
"It (the garden) would be an attraction," Mann said. "It would draw people to Fort Scott."
The entire park will be about 30 to 40 acres. The city owned a fraction of those acres, so the committee had to contact four landowners who own the majority of the land. Three of the four landowners have orally agreed to donate the land to the city for the project. The remaining owner so far has not agreed to donate land.
If the landowners back out of their oral commitment to donate the land, the committee would have to raise funds to buy the land at, hopefully, the appraised value, Mann said.
The Union Pacific Railraoad owns numerous acres in the southwest part of the project area. The company has agreed to lease-purchase a portion of the land north of its railroad tracks to the Marmaton River.
Mann said the committee's goal is to acquire all the ground before construction commences.
Much work has been done, but much more lies ahead, with an anticipated two to three years of prep-work before construction begins.
The group next year will be working on the plan with state and local government agencies like the Marmaton Watershed District, Kansas Wildlife and Parks, Federal Emergency Management Agency and others. A group of students studying urban planning from University of Kansas will be meeting with the group in February to discuss the environmental impact of the park. The study is part of their coursework. Also, students from Fort Scott Community College will be working with committee.
Mayor Gary Billionis and Commissioner Barbara Wood said at Tuesday's commission meeting that they had scoffed at the idea when Mann first presented it at the retreat.
"I have to admit, I couldn't believe we could do something like this," Fort Scott Mayor Gary Billionis said at Tuesday's city commission meeting. "To see it on paper means that you have done a great deal of work. I think it would be wonderful."
Wood added that "to think in my lifetime that that river might be cleaned up to look like that. I can't believe it."
A factor that could derail the project would be if the community isn't behind it. Mann said, however, the community is "very much behind this. It has to have the support of the citizens." Also, city and county governments have to embrace the park, he said.
In order to achieve a constant flow to the river, an aspect that the Marmaton has lacked for many years, a low water bridge will be built near the bridge that crosses U.S. Highway 69, Mann said. The dam would hold water from both Mill Creek and the Marmaton River.
The area is susceptible to flooding since the entire area is in a flood plain. However, he said the park will be built with that in mind, so that if it does flood, the impact wouldn't be as harsh. The trail most likely will be asphalt and the botanical garden will be constructed at a higher elevation, Mann said.