By Joe Bachman
Editor

STEVENS POINT — City officials further discussed the possibilities of parklets in the downtown area on Monday night.

Parklets serve as miniature parks to provide outside seating to local area businesses. According to the city, business parklets would offer a “new place for people to stop, sit, and enjoy the life of the street. As an important note, the city will not fund these parklets, but it the cost will be on business owners who would seek to install them outside of their business.

All parklets must also be accessible as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. (ADA) The parklet must also be set 18 inches from the adjacent parking space on either side. Officials revised plans to change the allotted spaces taken up by parklets from 12 to 6. A majority of the fees were also eliminated from initial plans. Only business owners adjacent to the parking space for a parklet would be allowed to install the feature, unless given permission by another business owner.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Street Safety Commission member Trevor Roark spoke in favor of the parklets, as he has helped efforts to get the program off the ground.

“We see a lot of potential for the businesses on Main Street, as well as the south side businesses. So hopefully we keep progress and in the spring there’s a new ordinance, and possibly the first parklet in Stevens Point.” said Roark.

According to city memos:

“Overall, parklets help to create a sense of place while slowing traffic and activity, and adding aesthetics in areas with lots of asphalt and concrete. Parklets can also be used as an expression of art and design. Interest from citizens have sparked this item and the possibility for the City to adopt a parklet program and guidelines. A parklet program would likely fit well within the downtown area and potential expand to other areas of the City.”

District 9 Alder Mary McComb has had experience with a parklet outside of her former business, and supports the move.

“I did have a parklet in front of my former store on Strongs Avenue, and it was such a gas — it attracted a lot of people to my store and the neighborhood that hadn’t been there before.” said McComb.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Mayor Mike Wiza. “The ones that we’ve had before for the single-day events — because of the weather were met with different degrees of success — but what Alder McComb said is spot on: it provides something interesting. Maybe they’ll work and be successful and we’ll expand the program; maybe they won’t and we won’t have the program anymore.  would like to at least give it the opportunity to try.”

Discussion and potential plans are expected to move forward in the coming months.