Riverside Files: Day Four

  The playscape is up. The surface has been poured; nothing much left for volunteers to do but mainly last minute tasks getting ready for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony tomorrow.

I'm sure there are many people like myself who are thinking of the Parker family and the long path that brought us to this point and what the future holds in store for the Parkers and for Riverside Park. 

We can never stand still and must choose the direction we will take.
I received an email from a friend who grew up in the Hodges Square area and, although he lives elsewhere, he has continued to offer his advice on the many (many) times I contacted him during the campaign to save Riverside.

In his most recent email, which I received in response to yet another of mine, he writes, in part, 
“There is one issue about the CGA acquiring Riverside that was never resolved for me. Leading up to the referendum I frequently wrote in The Day's comment section a suggestion that the CGA share the park with NL. I saw that as a win-win solution.
For example, the CG could [have] put a large building on the park's grounds (say anywhere along the boundary fence running East-West on the northern edge of the park...)
If the building were 4-stories tall the CGA could [have] use[d] the top 3 stories and the city the ground floor. I can think of several uses for that ground floor: nature labs for Winthrop students, art and/or dance studios for residents, office space for NL Parks Dept, public restrooms, etc.
The deal would be the CG build the facility and maintain the grounds around it, and the city provide the land while retaining ownership of it...But what about Avery Point?...”

The man's a genius I tell you! And has provided us with even more ideas for what might come next for Riverside.