Riverfront Park Vote Deferred

The Fredericksburg City Council Tuesday night deferred a vote on the design contract for Riverfront Park. The 4-3 decision came after almost two hours of discussion about the project and recognition of the need for better communication among council members.

"We have been talking at each other instead of to each other on many issues," said Ward 4 Councilor Bea Paolucci. 

Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw, At-Large Councilor Kerry Devine and Ward 2 Councilor George Solley voted against the substitute motion, desiring instead the contract be approved.

"I’m very disappointed that we have worked so hard to get to this point, and what many of us have looked forward to has changed," said Devine.  "This project has been on the drawing board for decades," she said.

"We cannot go forward without a design," said Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw.  "This design will enable us to know what it will cost, and it is also enabling us to engage the community in a way that fits very well," she said.

"We’re at the point now of commissioning a design that will tell us what's feasible and then, should we go forward with construction drawings, it will enable us to know the price. We have no clue as to cost because we don't have design. I want to stress that point," she said.

Others said the contract as written does not address important issues or provide enough clarity of what the city would expect in the deliverables.

"I don’t understand how we can have a design for a park when we are not addressing parking," said Paolucci. "Parking is our biggest issue.  We have not addressed it with the court and we are not addressing it with this plan," she said. 

Ward 3 Councilor Fred Howe agreed. "There is a direct parallel between where we are today with Riverfront Park and where we were with the court project," he said. 

He said council failed to keep its promise to take care of parking with the building of the new court house, and the city is now short 265 parking spaces. It's estimated the current plan for Riverfront Park will eliminate another 93 parking spaces from downtown.

"A parking solution is economic vitality," Howe said. "We have not addressed parking for Riverfront Park as a priority," he said.

He also said the Council has overreached itself on the courts project. "We have a serious spending problem in the City of Fredericksburg, and if we don't get a handle on it, it will gobble us up," he said. "It's prudent to stop and set our priorities; to figure out what we can and can’t pay for," he said.

"Yes, I am the vocal opponent to it [the design contract] because I want us to be smart about how we spend the taxpayers money," he said.

City Manager Beverly Cameron said the tentative date for the work session is Feb. 12.

Related Stories:

City Council Divided on Riverfront Park (Jan. 8, 2012)

Riverfront Park Again Center of Council Contention (Jan. 6, 2013)

Letter: Councilmembers React to River Front Editorial (Jan. 6, 2013)

Council to Continue Riverfront Park Debate (Dec. 11, 2012)

Riverfront Park May Require Special Permits (Dec. 11, 2012)

Riverfront Park's Future: What's The Best Next Step? (April 23, 2012)

City Moves to Buy Riverfront Lodge (May 16, 2011)

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