By Michael Pineda
Staff Writer
During the Route 66 Triple Tour, the city scratched the surface on what a park located off of Main Street and Fourth Street could offer.
The city is now putting together some ideas of what it will be.
The space, which was previously home to a lumber yard, has been designated for a multi-use park that will both draw new events to the downtown area and supplement existing events.
“Right now, we are in the planning stage,” Yukon City Manager Tammy Kretchmar said. “We want to have a place where we can have farmer’s markets, where we can have concerts. We can have a place that people can go and relax.
“I really want something that improves the aesthetics for downtown. It is going to be a multipurpose park in regard to we will have the farmers markets and concerts.”
Assistant to the City Manager Jason Beal said the future park could be used for some parts of Rock the Route. It could also be used to provide a home for some existing programs.
“We would probably grow with what we are doing on some things and do some new activities down there,” Beal said. “We could do yoga down in the park down there. There are a variety of things we could do.’
During Rock the Route, a stage was set up for a concert. There was a gravel driveway area that was used used for the car show. There was some covering set up for concert attendees to the right of the stage. The area did lack infrastructure such as lighting and restrooms.
What Kretchmar envisions is a total overhaul that would provide entertainment for all ages.
“I would like to see a splash pad, a stage, an area for food trucks and an area for farmers market,” she said. “There will be parking as well.
“There will be picnic areas. I think if a family wants to come downtown and go shopping. If the ladies or the moms want to go shopping and the kids don’t want to go or the husbands don’t want to go shopping, they have a place to go.”
Kretchmar said the stage would be a permanent addition and much nicer than the one used during the Triple Tour event. She also said there would be significant landscaping changes. As it is, the space is flat with little shade. The city would plant a lot of trees, create berms and replace the gravel parking lot.
Kretchmar said the park has not been named yet. One aspect of the park that is being explored is incorporating some themes that will go along with the railroad. Yukon’s dormant railroad museum is located next to the park.
There are no cost projections at this time as planning is in the beginning stages. In terms of a timetable, Kretchmar said she would like the park to be open in time for the Route 66 Centennial in three years, given its location.
“We probably will have to incorporate this into next year’s budget,” she said.
