WATERTOWN — Adam and Danielle Ruppe frequently walk the trails at Waterworks Park off Huntington Street.
And they’d like to see the city develop a park and some trails on Sewall’s Island.
The young couple were joined by about 10 other people at a meeting on Thursday night at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County office on North Hamilton Street to see what could be done with the vacant property, once the home of Black Clawson’s massive plant.
“It could be some fun space,” he said.
With the environmental cleanup now finished, the city is focusing its efforts on how Sewall’s Island can be redeveloped into recreational or business possibilities.
After years of environmental investigations and planning, the long-awaited $1.5 million cleanup of Sewall’s Island was finally completed in October.
The city owns 18.6 acres of the 28.7-acre island property on the Black River, about 10 acres of which can be developed.
Over the next six months, four consulting firms plan to put together some ideas on how to redevelop the island and a nearby neighborhood, Factory Square.
The Factory Square area of downtown contains a series of industrial buildings along the river, some commercial businesses and a small park, where the city had once planned to create a dog park. For years, it’s been a goal of city officials to spruce up the neighborhood.
“They do not need to be competing sites,” said Sean Hare, a planner with MKSK urban design, Ohio. “Not all the investment has to go for Sewall’s Island or Factory Square.”
Both can be redeveloped, he said.
A Black River enthusiast, Steven Massaro, director of New York Rivers, envisions the potential for those two underused areas of the city.
The city “should embrace the Black River,” he said.
The consultants, who are getting paid $95,000, will hold another public session in March and a third in June to discuss the consultant’s findings. The public also is being encouraged to fill out a short survey to share their thoughts and help guide the redevelopment. The survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/watertownny.
So far, 150 people have filled out the survey. Mr. Hare encourages more residents to get involved in deciding the island’s and Factory Square’s future.
Once the study is completed, the focus would then turn to attracting developers to come up with proposals for the island and Factory Square.
