Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – City planners are encouraged by the growing popularity of Riverside Park and are turning their efforts toward sprucing up the downtown destination.
According to Chris Beaulieu, director of rec and parks for the city of Presque Isle, overgrown cedar shrubs and a wooden fence were taken down recently.
“Those hedges were meant to be about two or three feet high, the size of the fence when they were originally planted,” he said. “They just became overgrown and massive, and it closed off the park … you couldn’t see a thing.
“It now provides better visibility” said Beaulieu, “and it makes it easier for the police to monitor what’s going on there. I’ve been wanting to clean it up, so we made it a priority.”
The landscaping was done shortly after the Fourth of July.
“We started with the fence a little bit,” said Beaulieu, “and then pulled those hedges and then finished pulling out the posts on the fence.”
The fence will be replaced, however.
“What was there before was a cedar split-rail fence,” Beaulieu said, “and we’re going to put a cedar fence back in, but it will be round rails and posts. We’re also going to put some trees back in. I worked with the downtown group on the Project Canopy grant, and that’s where I’ll be getting some of the trees from.
“We’re going to put some maple trees in … not nearly as many trees as we pulled out, and maybe even less than I had planned because I really like it opened,” he said. “With the trees being hardwood, there will be some visibility to see through them versus hedges which obstructed the view.”
Beaulieu said he hopes to get the fence and trees put in this fall.
Next year, Beaulieu plans on tackling the playground equipment.
“I’d like to try to spruce up the playground,” he said. “It’s old, but it’s still good stuff. It needs a paintjob and little things like that.”
The cosmetic changes to Riverside Park aren’t directly related to the city’s plan for a new recreation center.
“Once the community center is there,” said Beaulieu, “I think it would be that much more valuable to have a playground that’s close. We want it to look nice.”
The metal building on the grounds of Riverside Park, referred to simply as the Riverside building, will eventually be converted into a shop for the grounds and maintenance workers.
Riverside Park, also known as Bicentennial Park, was constructed in 1980 with the combined efforts of the city, Kiwanis Club, Soil Conservation Service and the Bicentennial Committee. Riverside has a boat ramp, picnic area and playground, and is located along the Presque Isle Stream.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
OVERGROWN CEDAR SHRUBS and a wooden fence were taken down recently at Presque Isle’s Bicentennial Park, or as it’s more commonly called, Riverside Park. According to Chris Beaulieu, director of rec and parks, the shrubs “became overgrown and massive, and it closed off the park … you couldn’t see a thing.” Beaulieu said later this fall a new cedar fence with round rails and posts will be installed, and a handful of maple trees will be planted. “With the trees being hardwood, there will be some visibility to see through them versus hedges which obstructed the view,” he said.