Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Richard Piatt ReportingTo a lot of people Pioneer Park has a bad reputation -- drug dealing, violence, intimidating people. The real problems do ebb and flow, but in a couple months things will start happening to make a concrete difference.
As it stands right now, city officials say the park is simply the victim of neglect. Finally, development is scheduled to begin as soon as the Farmer's Market wraps up in October.
In total, 1.4 million dollars will go toward the first phase of a three phase plan to improve the park. But it's going to take a lot more to really change it and long time neighbors and business owners have been patient.
Tony Caputo, Restaurant Near Pioneer Park: "Pioneer Park, being so visible, having so many problems, I think if it doesn't happen below State Street and lot of the city council members don't care about us."
Bill Zierle, Owns Restaurant Near Pioneer Park: "This park does have some kind of reputation, which I don't see. I see the police patrolling around there just as they do in the rest of the city."
The improvements include non-sexy items like irrigation and electrical improvements, but it will also include a jogging path and sidewalks along the perimeter; a dog park, news trees and benches, and new entry plazas and access to the park.
Park promoters, including Mayor Anderson, were hoping to take another half million dollars out of a Liberty Park fund, for Pioneer Park. That did not happen.
That leaves an ambitious list of even more extensive improvements with a question mark on it. The new improvements are still on track, scheduled to begin as soon as the Farmer's Market ends in late October.
