After nearly two hours of discussion about proposed public access development along Sturgeon Bay’s west side waterfront, the general consensus at a meeting at the Sturgeon Bay High School commons Tuesday evening was that the city should take a “go slow” approach, that there should be plenty of green in the area with benches, planters and the like, there should an educational component, and, area history should be highlighted. There were also more than a few who expressed their love for working tugboats, some who tried to re-litigate the issue of a waterfront hotel, and, some who wanted to go back to nature with the property. The meeting was called at the urging of Mayor Thad Birmingham who brought together the Park and Recreation Board, the City Plan Commission and the Waterfront Design Review Board. No action was taken. During the course of the meeting, representatives of the consulting firm of Vandewalle and Associates of Milwaukee kept a running list of suggestions and comments. Later, the project coordinator, Jolena Presti, explained what the next step in the process would be…
Presti kept the audience on track, noting time and again that the focus of the meeting was on public areas and not other issues. She said there is always a tendency for some to try to go over old ground no matter what point in the process…
No word as to whether the super committee will meet again.
