The City of Kalamazoo says it wants to hear from the public at city hall tomorrow. That’s when the Parks and Recreation Department will present tentative plans to update Bronson Park. Department Director Sean Fletcher says proposed changes at the park include moving some flower beds, changing the park’s performance seating and creating “flexible” space for art installations.
The goal of the plans is "really just kind of giving the park a fresh look and organizing it a little better and making it more visually appealing," Fletcher says.
As the master plan develops, several groups continue to work separately on the future of the park’s Fountain of the Pioneers. That means restoring it and also responding to what some say is its denigrating depiction of Native Americans.
Preservationist Pam O’Connor says the groups hope to work together after the city releases its final plan. Eventually she hopes they can fundraise together.
"If we can do a single campaign, rather than two campaigns that makes much much more sense for everybody. Everybody – donors, the people who are working on it, the city," O'Connor says.
Fletcher says City Parks hopes to release a final master plan for Bronson Park this spring.