Input throughout the Herman Franks Park project
Authored by Brian Tonetti
Engagement was the cornerstone of the community-based design process for daylighting Emigration Creek at Herman Franks Park in Salt Lake City, UT. Read through our process and see the numbers from the feedback of community members, governmental partners, and other stakeholders.
In 2016, we were selected by Bockholt Inc.’s technical assistance program to explore daylighting Emigration Creek through Herman Franks Park. This idea was originally proposed on a semiannual-walk with Westminster College students tracing Emigration Creek from campus to Liberty Park. They found the creek flowed underneath this East Liberty neighborhood green space. Students examined the benefits of uncovering the creek here and envisioned strategies to build community support.
Engagement began with a stakeholders meeting, which included representatives from Bockholt Inc., East Liberty Park Community Organization, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, and Seven Canyons Trust. This meeting outlined the process, timeline, and mission of the project. Afterwards, we hosted two community workshops focused on engaging the park’s neighborhood, hanging a total of 1,200 flyers on doors. The workshops engaged 50 community members, establishing project goals. Water quality was voted as highest priority, followed by community amenity, then wildlife habitat, and after feedback was gathered on two concepts. The community-based design was then finalized through individual stakeholder meetings (Central City Baseball, a dog park advocate, a restoration specialist, and Salt Lake City Council, Parks & Public Lands, Sustainability, and Transportation), as well as four outreach tabling events at the park to gather feedback from users. In total, 150 comment forms were submitted through workshops, walks, and online surveying.
Throughout engagement, we made five presentations to update community councils, including East Liberty Park, Central City, Liberty Wells, and Sugar House. Five articles were published in Building Salt Lake, Catalyst Magazine, and three community newsletters. Westminster College students continued involvement—250 students joined semi-annual watershed walks to park. Approximately 97% strongly agreed or agreed they understand the benefits of uncovering Emigration Creek at the park. Additionally, 94% strongly agreed or agreed they understand the benefits of waterways to wildlife habitat and 98% understand the issues urban waterways face. Of those that answered the question, 100% support the daylighting of Emigration Creek through Herman Franks Park. A Westminster capstone course researched and drafted the Herman Franks Park Emigration Creek Vision. These students also created an environmental education curriculum to engage community members in the project. Further, a University of Utah student took this initial draft and finalized the document.
“[I] like that there is going to be more connection to the water. Increased awareness will hopefully bring about positive change and healthy discourse about citizen responsibility in regards to healthy water systems.”
By The Numbers
Priorities
Water Quality
Community Amenity
Wildlife Habitat
Living Laboratory
Recreation
Flood Mitigation
Concept One Big Ideas
‘Industrial Style’ Fountain Start
Pipeworks Playground
Below-Grade Stream with Platforms
Excavation Landform
Filtration Pool Terminus
Concept Two Big Ideas
‘Water Feature’ Fountain Start
Educational Playground
At-Grade Stream with Boardwalks
Fill Landform
Greenway to Liberty Park Terminus
