City Plans A New Park For Downtown

Residents and business owners got a final opportunity to weigh-in on plans to turn Custom House Square into a multi-use park. City officials and the Stoss Urban Landscaping group presented a conceptual drawing of the area to the public Tuesday night. The project would turn the current parking lot into a green-space with trees, cafe-style seating and walkways to connect pedestrians with other parts of the Historic District. Jacquelyn Hallsmith helped bring the 54th Regiment Memorial at the Square to life. She tells WBSM News, a downtown park is sorely needed.

Public comment from Tuesday's meeting will be added to the final engineering design, with groundbreaking on the project expected to begin in Spring 2013. Funding for the $300,000 project is coming from a state Urban Parks grant.