Community feedback sought for Coleman Hawkins park stage relocation
By Chris Fortune
City officials are seeking input from the community for the future development of Coleman Hawkins Park.
The St. Joseph Parks, Recreation and Civic Facilities department is hosting a community engagement open house at the Felix Street Square concessions building at Felix and Seventh streets on Friday during the Sounds of Summer concert series.
Parks Director Chuck Kempf said future renovations will focus on stage relocation.
“That’s really the big one — creating that new stage area,” he said. “In conjunction with that, the plan is to make the seating better.”
There have been discussions about moving the stage to the south and utilizing the current natural slope the stage sits on for seating. Kempf said it would resemble the view of an amphitheater, allowing spectators to throw a blanket on the grass and watch a performance from above the stage level.
“There’s probably five or six different places in that park that the stage can be relocated to that will allow for that,” he said.
It would be a welcome change for a frequent Downtown visitor who has attended a couple of concerts at the park.
“It could be better because right now you’re looking at a viewpoint from below the stage, and you have to be looking up,” Kelsie Bailey said. “I think it would be a good idea to move the stage down lower.”
Goldberg Group Architects, a St. Joseph firm, will show drawings of possible renovations during the open house.
“They’re the professionals, so they’re going to show, three or four different ideas that they have to people to kind of get their thought process started,” Kempf said.
Parks department employees will be at the concert on Friday, eliciting feedback from spectators.
“It gives all those people an opportunity to participate in public engagement,” he said. “Maybe folks that wouldn’t have had that opportunity otherwise.”
The community engagement open house will run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday at the concessions building at 625 Felix St.
