City planning Coleman Hawkins Park stage renovation

By Chris Fortune

City officials are enlisting the help of architects and the community to find ways to improve Coleman Hawkins Park.

The city council authorized a $75,450 work order for design and engineering services with GGA, a St. Joseph architecture firm, at Monday’s city council meeting. One of the biggest changes residents could see is the relocation of the stage.

Chuck Kempf, the city’s director of Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities, said GGA has talked about moving the stage to the southwest or southeast corners of the park.

“What that will look like ultimately will be decided after we kind of go through a public engagement process, which is going to start here hopefully in the next 30 days,” he said.

There have also been discussions about leaving the stage in its current spot but changing its shape to take advantage of the natural upward slopes on the park’s north and west sides.

A public engagement process will be facilitated by GGA, and it’s expected to begin within the next 30 days. The company wants to provide renderings and other material to help residents visualize what the park may look like.

Kempf said city staff have recommended taking advantage of Downtown events for public engagement.

“We’ve got Sounds of Summer, Imagine 11, those types of events,” he said. “Whether or not we do something at both of those, or just one of those. But I do think they’re going to set up at at least one of those events.”

St. Joseph resident Miranda Steenbok is open to the idea of relocating the stage if it provides a better view for shows. She frequently visits Coleman Hawkins Park because of its beauty and how peaceful it is.

“I like that it is full of nature,” she said. “I’m big on being out in nature, and so I like how open it is and how many plants and flowers (there are).”

But she would like to see more features geared toward kids because it can be difficult for them to sit down for an entire show.

“The only thing that I think that they should change is maybe adding like a little playground for kids, so it attracts more people to come down here and have a little play area for the kids, especially when they’re doing concerts,” she said.

The public engagement process will continue through the summer, and the city would like the planning to be finished this winter.

“And then, hopefully sometime during the construction season of 2025, begin the process — hopefully begin and end it all in one construction season,” Kempf said. “I think that’s possible.”