Council Hears Proposed Riverfront Park Master Plan

Norristown Municipal Council heard a proposal for the new Riverfront Park Master Plan at Tuesday night's meeting. Andrew Mears, a landscape architect for engineering firm Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, ran through the plan for the park along the Schuylkill between Haws and Chain streets on the West End.

The plan, paid for with a state grant, breaks the proposed improvements into seven segments to give the municipality and opportunity to proceed funding for the construction in stages. The total cost of the new and improved park is estimated at $1.6 million. According to Planning Director Jayne Musonye, the municipality would seek funding for the project through federal, state and county grants.

The proposed plan includes a picnic and pavilion area, restrooms and a seating area on the hill overlooking the riverfront and boating docks. The three-acre plot, used primarily for boating and recreational fishing, would also include a new floating dock and an additional entrance/exit from Chain Street.

Mears praised Norristown for it's commitment to its parks and noted that the municipality manages to do a lot with the $10 per capita it spends on its parks. The state average for per capita spending on parks is $27, while the national level is around $65.

Mears suggested municipalities like Norristown would benefit from a change in perspective when it comes to parks – envisioning them as revenue generators rather than just amenities for residents. Municipalities can raise revenue through rec league and park usage fees.

"Look at the park and the parks department as a business," he suggested.

Council members praised the new design for the park and for the great pains the designers took to include the surrounding community in the process.

"Tying the bike trail into one of the prettiest parks in town is going to be huge," said Councilman Bill Caldwell.

Caldwell also acknowledged the municipality's lack of funding for the project, but suggested that there was a benefit for planning ahead for better times. When the federal government last made stimulus funds available to local governments, they looked for shovel ready projects that could benefit from the funds right away.

"These are the times they are, but they won't be that way forever," said Caldwell. " We'll have a shovel-ready project with this [plan]."

Council will vote on the plan at the Dec. 20 Municipal Council Meeting on .

You can download the entire proposed plan in our PDF section.