INTRODUCTION

Following are the strategies, first steps, and implementable projects recommended to inspire a new day for Frankfort!

Discussed further in the following pages, these specifically include recommendations for:

• Prairie Creek System

• Revitalize Downtown Facades

• Revise Design Guidelines

• Washington Street Corridor

• Courthouse Square Improvements

• Funding Revitalization

• Building the Downtown Economy

One of the goals of this plan is to create spaces and activities that attract more people to downtown during evenings and weekends.

PROJECT: PRAIRIE CREEK PARK

Prairie Creek System

Serving as a major destination for the City of Frankfort, and as an anchor for both the Prairie Creek and Washington Street corridors, will be Prairie Creek Park. With a substantial amount of real estate adjacent to both downtown and the creek, it creates a great opportunity to develop an active and exciting park in a currently underutilized space.

Imagine this space being transformed into an active space used throughout the year that attracts people of a variety of ages and backgrounds to gather for performances, festivals, farmer’s markets, movies on the lawn, food trucks, splashing around, and more. This space is capable of supporting such activity and energy while maintaining vital connections to Prairie Creek.

Running through the site, the creek becomes a major asset to the park. Some rerouting will help to create more useful spaces that can be emphasized by the creek. To further make the creek an attraction, weirs would be installed to create interest on the surface of the water.

While the creek is a great asset and provides a complex backdrop for the park, the amphitheater becomes the focal point of the space. Emphasized by the creek, the amphitheater provides the main source of entertainment and attracts a great diversity of visitors. The amphitheater then opens up to a large terraced lawn area. This can either be for people enjoying the entertainment provided by the amphitheater or simply for relaxing, enjoying the outdoors, or people watching.

Framing the terraced lawn area are more active opportunities. This could include cafes, ice cream vendors, splash pads, and ample space for flexible activites. Further complementing these active spaces are a beer garden on the top of the adjacent parking garage and opportunities for the nearby building to take advantage of outdoor seating. This change in levels brings another dimension to the already bustling activites happening in the park.

On the east side of the park, the creek forms a space appropriate to provide a myriad of play opportunities for both youth and adults that would be protected from visual exposure, buffered from the railroad, and yet still connected to the rest of the park.

The resultant activity and energy injected into these spaces as a result of the physical improvements and ongoing programming would encourage development in the surrounding buildings and help to support new businesses and housing, attracting new visitors, residents, and patrons to the downtown.

Prairie Creek Park Cost Opinion

Item of Work Costs

Prairie Creek Realignment $200,000

Prairie Creek Park $4-5.8 million

First Steps:

• Begin discussions with surrounding property owners about goals for the site and Prairie Creek and garner public support.

• Commission design professionals to assist in public space design.

• Develop a schematic design with accurate project costs.

• Raise funds.

• Proceed with construction documents.

• Construct Prairie Creek realignment.

• Construct Prairie Creek Park.

• Discuss building improvements and cutouts with building owners.

Prairie Creek System

landowners, outdoor spaces could be developed for relaxing or entertaining along the trail. There is space for art installations, which could even be incorporated into the bridges over Prairie Creek.

First Steps:

• Begin discussions with surrounding property owners about goals for Prairie Creek and garner public support.

• Commission design professionals to assist in public space design.

• Develop a schematic design with accurate project costs.

• Raise funds.

• Proceed with construction documents.

• Construct Prairie Creek bank stabilization.

• Construct trail along Prairie Creek.

• Discuss opportunities for county parking lot.