Redesigned Tom Lee Park ready for debut
Nearly three years after work began on the $62 million redesign, the Downtown Memphis space along the Mississippi River will have a formal opening Saturday, Sept. 2. Here’s what to expect.
There are 45 article(s) tagged Carol Coletta:
Nearly three years after work began on the $62 million redesign, the Downtown Memphis space along the Mississippi River will have a formal opening Saturday, Sept. 2. Here’s what to expect.
Memphis River Parks Partnership president and CEO Carol Coletta talks on “Behind The Headlines” about the road to the September opening of the redesigned Tom Lee Park.
Carol Coletta talks about the recent Memphis in May events in the new Tom Lee Park — how they went, how they were received, and what they’ll be like in the future.
Carol Coletta, president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership, has been named one of the 100 most influential urban planning experts, past or present.
Mayor Jim Strickland is proposing the city create a $500,000 “park restoration fund” from Mud Island renovation money to cover potential damages to Tom Lee Park during Memphis in May events.
Negotiations between the festival and the partnership hit a rough patch this week over the amount. Mayor tells MIM and Memphis River Parks Partnership to work it outRelated story:
The day after Memphis in May president Jim Holt said the dispute over holding the festival at Tom Lee Park should be settled by Mayor Jim Strickland, Strickland flatly rejected the idea at least for now and in public. Memphis in May ‘down but not out,’ worries about 2023 festival in Tom Lee ParkRelated articles:
Memphis in May is eager to return to Tom Lee Park but cites issues with a lease and damage deposit lead to ‘uncertainty’ at its annual meeting.Related story:
The president and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership says on “Behind The Headlines” that Tom Lee Park’s new look will debut next summer, but it will be available before that, for the Memphis In May International Festival.
Over the next four months, the Memphis River Parks Partnership aims to come up with four possible scenarios for the 40-year-old, city-owned park.
Wildlife cameras, native species, river quests and a citizen science experiment are poised to help people understand the river as more than just a pretty view or a shipping corridor.
A proposed lake off Mud Island would be north of I-40 and the Hernando DeSoto Bridge.
The seven-year-old venue beneath a manmade hill on Tom Lee Park’s north end is a separate project from the $61 million renovation of the park.
“Now it’s our job to capitalize on the opportunity to lure suppliers to Ford and related companies.”
Memphis River Parks Partnership President Carol Coletta called the riverfront path “one of the most important parts of the park.”
The long awaited permit clears the way for the park’s redesign to begin moving dirt and creating new features in Tom Lee Park after a three-year planning process that has seen the plans change over time.
The shortened park season opened with water in the Riverwalk. But other parts of the upgrade in the 39-year-old attraction have been delayed. Meanwhile, there was an attempt on the City Council to get the park’s long-dormant monorail up and running again that didn’t pan out.
The permit is a critical juncture in the $60 million project. In an update for donors and potential donors Wednesday, April 14, park planners said the Tom Lee statue in the park will not be moved and will be a focal point of the park.
Memphis River Parks Partnership has city administration approval for a plan to slow traffic on Riverside Drive while keeping it open to auto traffic.
The river park’s closing last year due to the pandemic allowed Memphis Parks Partnership to save some money that is going into improvements, such as repairing the Riverwalk and resodding the south lawn.
Plans for the interactive sculpture were among several new riverfront developments, including Mud Island renovations, reviewed Tuesday, Feb. 9, by the Memphis River Parks Partnership board.
Eric Barnes talks to Carol Coletta, the president and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership, about green spaces, and the resistance to getting them established.
Plus, Zach Randolph’s honor, a case for Scooby Doo, and restaurants that are gone but not forgotten.
Some Memphians regard Mud Island’s walkable Mississippi River model and museum as sacred, while others say nothing should be off the table as city leaders look to the future.
With millions of dollars of work needed at Mud Island, what happened with all the other ideas for some of Memphis’ most valuable property?
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