Carnival rides and kayak dock on Fort Wayne Riverfront? Residents weigh in

By Tony Sandleben | WANE

 The Riverfront Development Project in Downtown Fort Wayne is starting to plan its next phases and Thursday night, organizers asked for the public's input.

Hundreds of people went  to the Grand Wayne Center downtown to offer their ideas for what they want to see in the next phases of the development.

"You know the river has for so long been a problem that we've all had to deal with," Lee Kelso, a resident of Fort Wayne since 1978, said. "So it's great to see all this energy. This room is filled with people who really care about having the river be something that is no longer a problem and something that we're all happy to have and be around and use."

Riverfront Development officials gave people  the opportunity to give specific ideas of what they want to see in the area.

"Some of the folks in our neighborhood which is the Foster Park area that borders the river, we're very interested in a kayak dock there right now the banks are so steep that you really can't get the kayaks down to the water, and it'd be great to drop the kayak in the water and head downtown for all the activities that are happening there."

"We need more entertainment, like carnival rides and movie theaters and arcade games," said Tony Lardydell, another Fort Wayne resident. "That can help bring young generations to Fort Wayne."

"I would like to see us develop a Fort Wayne photo walk where we actually create things," Kevin Mullett, a life-long Fort Wayne resident said. "Walkable and that leads people on a path,'Oh I want to go see this next thing. I want to go see this next thing,' and then have that be a shareable moment with the beauty that is our city in the backdrop and our rivers and so forth."

Promenade Park, considered to be phase 1 of the Riverfront Development project is scheduled to open June 21st.

Related Articles:

Residents helping to plan future phases of riverfront development from News-Sentinel

Session shows riverfront enthusiasm from The Journal Gazette