celery pond

“The Naperville Riverwalk: The First 25 Years” was shown at LMC last Thursday, the first of several showings that are being scheduled. It was an inspiration to those who saw it.

(The documentary is offered in conjunction with the design for the Celery Pond Arboretum and Preserve, a proposal that was submitted to the City last week by CPA Inc. in coordination with the Cool Cities plan as a possiblity for developing the Dunkley public lands while keeping them in public hands.)

The DVD runs 52 minutes. It shows how the people of Naperville chose to save their public lands. The documentary interviews key people who were involved in the project and shows before-after historical shots with still photos.

The interactive community project turned 1 acre of public lands into a wonderful linear park, called “Riverwalk,” for their 1981 Sesquecentennial event. Because of the success of this walk, it has been lengthened to 4 miles of riverside walkway, done over a sequential development of 25 years. The documentary chronicles the community project, which has been funded through private and public contributions.

Think about what Dunkley area could look like before and after an Arboretum and Preserve might be installed.

Next public showing at LMC will be scheduled after June 11th’s presentation of the proposals to the City for the Dunkley area. Rather than a lunchtime showing, an evening event will be scheduled. If you’re interested in showing a shorter version to your special organization, please contact us at keepthewetland@lycos.com

The plan for the Celery Pond Arboretum & Preserve is located on the city website at www.south-haven.com

All 7 proposals are now posted on that site. The differences are curious to review.

The Celery Pond Advocates and the Cool Cities have proposals that work in coordination with each other.

The group of Cool Cities organizations includes the SH Center for the Arts, Lake Michigan College, the Chamber of Commerce. They are working in sync with the efforts of Celery Pond Advocates who want to combine ecotourism with the cultural community.

The proposed Black River Cultural Center was included in the CPA Arboretum design. (See below)

These groups seek to keep the public lands in public hands.

And, working in the spirit of conservation and recycling, they seek to utilize two existing city structures along with opening up the area and turning it into a fertile green space of preservation and beauty.

The commercial developers proposals seek to buy the lands and fully develop them with varying densities of condos, a hotel, etc. Little air space or ground space appears to occupy their designs.

Consider how all the density building could affect the functioning of the floodplains lands. Consider what that volume of overpopulation in the area would feel like and look like. Are the promises of tax dollars really a reason to sell off the lands for such proposals?

Comments about the plans would best be given in a written letter to the editor of the South Haven Tribune.

We encourage you to express your opinions about the public lands re. should they be kept in public hands as the non-profit groups are suggesting? or should they be sold off?

There are only 2 weeks before the plans are formally presented to the City Council on June 11th, Monday, starting at 6pm. Put the date on your calendars to attend. It’s important.

Each proposal will be given a window of time for a 20 minute presentation and 15 minute question and answer period by the Council. The public will be invited to witness this process but will not be able to ask questions until a public hearing is scheduled.

To contact the Celery Pond Advocates, you can email us directly at: keepthewetland@lycos.com

Go to www.south-haven.com and check out the new proposals for the Dunkley Street Redevelopment. Celery Pond Advocates, Inc. is listed as number one proposal, with plan given on page 15 of the city pages of the scanned written proposal. You can see it immediately by going into the “plan” section.

We have tried to get the picture on this site, but are having technical difficulties at present. Whimsy on Phoenix Street will have copies for view.

There’s much to study in the proposals submitted so you can imagine that the Council will be busy before they hear the public presentations, scheduled for June 11th, starting at 6pm at City Hall. Each applicant will be given a 20 minute period for presentation, with a 15 minute question and answer period by the Council following.

Today at 2pm the 7 bids from potential developers came into the City and were opened at the Public Works Building by Paul VandenBosch. They were opened in this order:

1. Cool Cities: The Black River Cultural Center
2. The South Haven Parks Commission: Recommendation from their February meeting to keep the public lands in public hands.
3. Barney Pero, J&B Landing, submitted the marina/channel cut plan.
4. Lake Michigan Resort, the Goforth Group: A Conceptual site plan including the wastewater treatment plant.
5. Phoenix Redevelopment, plan including the wastewater treatment plant.
6. Stage Development Co., plan not including the wastewater treatment plant.
7. Celery Pond Advocates Inc.: Celery Pond Arboretum and Preserve, a conceptual plan to keep the public lands in public hands, coordinating with the Cool Cities Cultural Center plan.

These proposals should be on the City website by the end of the day or within a 48 hour period.

Please check the site as our beautiful plan for the Arboretum and Preserve is the dream we’ve been talking about for months. The public/Council meeting for presentation of these proposals will be a public meeting tentatively scheduled for June 11th.

Hope to see you tomorrow for the Naperville story on Riverwalk, telling how an interactive community particpated in building a linear park. It’s connected to the idea of the proposed Arboretum. See you at Lake Michigan College around 11:45am…bring your lunch and share this community event.

For those of you who are following the Dunkley Street Re-development Proposal schedules, you know that the deadline is this coming Wednesday at 2pm. The City put out a call for developers to submit proposals for the public lands, to consider them for development with subsequent sale of lands.

The non-profits are joining together to submit a proposal of equal merit, to keep the public lands in public hands. The Cool Cities group will be outlining their Black River Cultural Center idea and the Celery Pond Advocates will be submitting their plan of a park design. Each group is supporting the other’s plan and the park actually integrates the whole.

Paul VandenBosch said that once received, the proposals will be scanned and put on the City’s web site for public view by Thursday and Friday of this week. You’ll be able to read all the details of our plan at that time, and of course, the blog will be giving information for readers to easily access.

As there’s lots of work involved in doing this presentation, we’ll meet again after the 23rd. Hope to see you all on Thursday, May 24th at Lake Michigan College for the DVD presentation of the Naperville Riverwalk story. (11:45am-1:15pm).

South Haven has developed its municipal plans for development based on TIF monies. TIF or tax increment financing gives a City the ability to take loans on expected monies, ie. loans on expected real estate taxes that will be captured with anticipated development.

Is there a success story about a town that doesn’t use TIF monies? YES.

Much to my surprise, when doing a field trip last month to Naperville, IL to see their downtown linear park called Riverwalk, I interviewed Richard Hitchcock. Rick has been chairman of the Riverwalk Commissioners since 2002; he also worked as a paid landscape architectect/consultant on the Riverwalk project since the early 1980s. He told me a remarkable story as we walked through the park.

Naperville was a city of about 40,000 in 1980. Its downtown was not in good shape as a large shopping mall had opened outside of town, taking much of the business.

The city was about to reach its 1981 Sesquicentennial date, and the people wanted to create a lasting tribute for the event with art, dancing, parades, etc., despite the downtown’s condition. The local merchants needed a boost of enthusiasm and a vision.

There was one acre of public lands along the DuPage River, next to the downtown area, that was written into the Master Plan as a potential park in the 1970s but nothing had been done with it and no one even thought about it.

A lumberman who had built most of the houses in town came forward with a vision, suggesting that a river park be designed for the event. But, without TIF monies, however could this happen, you might ask today? He started the ball rolling by offering to build two covered bridges.

Then the city and residents got excited about the idea, and everyone got involved. Offering time, services and monies, the people worked together to create a one acre riverside park. It became an instant success and gradually revitalized the whole downtown.

Clearly, no condo monies, either anticipated or collected, supported the Naperville’s Riverwalk which grew from two-and-a-half blocks in 1981 into a lovely rambling of over 4 miles today.

Celery Pond Advocates invite you to view a documentary on “The Naperville Riverwalk: The First 25 Years” produced by NCTV. We will be showing this remarkable story at Lake Michigan College on Thursday, May 24th, from 11:45am - 1:15pm.

Bring your lunch. Share in the Naperville community experience. Watch how their participation in making a city park made a miracle happen which is a constant joy and has left a legacy of community spirit along with the functional and beautiful public use of public lands.

Please mark your calendars for 5/24 for LMC from 11:45am to 1:15pm

And don’t forget tomorrow’s general CPA meeting at the Library starting at noontime.

An Alternative Proposal for the Dunkley Area would keep the public lands in public hands.

Imagine this area as a wonderful community park, with an arboretum of trees, recreation areas for kids and adults, apple trees lining walkways with benches, bike trails, a fountain, and most excitingly, a Black River Cultural Arts Center on the river’s edge.

In an alternative proposal which would not sell public lands, the people would have ownership of their public lands on the Black River.

And most importantly, South Haven would have a new business, eco-tourism. This could put South Haven on the map of new destinations, a city in tune with the times, a success story of a community preserving its lands for environmental protection, giving a legacy to the future. Imagine.

Within the community park would be a nature center explaining the need of wetlands and floodplains, their relationship to the watershed and Great Lakes. This information would be enhanced with guided tours for kids and adults. Many more ideas on this subject will also be inspired.

The floodplain public lands would be kept as green space in the alternative proposal which is being worked on as an RFP by both the Celery Pond Advocates and the Cool Cities group. We’ve some exciting events planned, so keep yourself posted by checking into the blog regularly. RFP is due to the City on May 23rd for further review by Council in workshops.

Next general CPA meeting is at noontime, this Thursday, May 17th, at the Public Library. Please come.

Imagine.

To say that word alone, brings the familiar melody of John Lennon to our inner ears. We all grew up singing it, particularly if you’re over 40.

Lennon sang about changing the world, in our everyday life. He spoke ahead of his time, as most artists do, of a paradigm shift. He sang of a ‘brotherhood of man’ which, on this Mother’s Day, is probably the wish of every mother, and father, especially if you have sons who might be taken to a needless war.

What Lennon didn’t see was the need to join together to heal the damages we’ve done to create Global Warming, and environmental misuses. We can change the world every day. We don’t have to imagine it any more. We are being asked to do it; and may soon be forced to change our thinking.

A shift into responsible development would keep a wetland and floodplains operating in a capacity as they should do–no marina in the wetland waters and open, green space on the floodplains.

A shift in responsible development would also limit building heights and consumption of fuels created by huge homes and office buildings.

A shift in changing the world in our everyday life would seek to work together to let the people turn into caretakers of the land, waters, and themselves. Imagine yourself changing the world in your everyday life, see yourself doing something today, tomorrow and everyday.

The Earth Day activities were covered last month by the blog, on Earth Day Saturday, April 21st, when South Haven’s Monroe Park served as gathering place for the Earth day event. This was the first time the Michigan State University Extension office chose to hold the annual Earth Day event in our town!

Becky Burkert, Editor and General Manager of the South Haven Tribune was there to cover the story.

“It’s all about the kids,” said Beth Clawson, from the MSU Extension office in Van Buren County. “We marketed it to the elementary schools and they responded very well.”

Several hundred children, parents and other adults were there to show their interest.

The fact that the children were showing their enthusiasm and interest is a major success story every way you look at it. The theme of the event was to teach the youth about the need to recycle goods and protect the Earth’s natural resources. They eagerly went to the booths, including our Celery Pond Advocates table, showing a wisdom beyond their years.

If the children express this response at such an early age, don’t you think they’d love to protect the environment of the wetland, Celery Pond, in their hometown? The answer would be a “yes,” especially if they could visit it as a preserve and outdoor classroom.

We’re also positive that they would love to have green space with a playground near the River in a new community park on the publically-owned lands off Dunkley Avenue.

If we invited them to a Council workshop determining the RFPs which will soon be considered for the area, I wonder what they’d tell them? Judging from their open faces, smiles, and laughter for flowers, bugs, birds and animals, it isn’t a hard stretch of the imagination to know the answer!!

The Freedom of Information Act allows citizens to request a review of files that the government holds pertaining to public issues.

A recent blog entry mentioned the FOIA request wherein we obtained documents from the MDEQ; we’ve made several FOIA requests to them and the US Army Corps of Engineers; as you can imagine, they are on-going.

We’ve also fulfilled many FOIA requests with the City of South Haven since last summer. Here’s an image from one of these searches that is rather unique. It shows property lines over the actual landscape of the controversial Dunkley Redevelopment area and neighboring properties.

Note: The rectangular section in Celery Pond is City owned land. See if you can idenify the other public lands. Check this image in a couple days, after another blog entry, so you can see the image, full screen without the header on the side.