Published: March 27, 2007 10:06 pm            

City meets with riverfront designers

Ashland — A groundbreaking on the first phase of Ashland’s Riverfront project is still at least a year away, according to designers.

On Tuesday the Ashland Board of City Commissioners met with the engineers and architects from Cincinnati-based KZF Design to get an update on how the project is progressing. A concept for the first phase of construction was also presented to commissioners.

According to KZF engineer David A. Tomley, Ashland will have roughly $9.5 million to spend on construction of the first phase. The majority of that money will be spent on the planned reclamation of river and on construction of a river wall. The most expensive part of the project is the wall, which engineers estimate will need to be nearly 90 feet high — with all but about 5 feet of it underwater.

The first phase will take place on the eastern most section of the riverfront property between the railroad tracks and the river. It also includes a boat ramp and access drive, along with the approximately 1,000 feet of river wall that doubles as a walkway, additional sidewalks and two temporary parking lots.

The design presented to commissioners did not include restrooms facilities. Designers estimate the cost of the restrooms — which were conceptualized as tucked into one of the three proposed mounds — will cost $1 million to construct and were listed as possible contingency design elements if Phase One came in under budget.

Commissioners, however, said restrooms and the boat ramp being accessible to recreational boaters are priorities for this phase of the project.

Engineer Bryan Bender said the company would take the commissioners’ suggestions to heart, but cautioned that the construction of restrooms would most likely cause the river wall to be shortened in this phase. He added that a final Phase One design is pending and will depend heavily on the remaining soil studies and final engineering drawings that have yet to be completed.

The city’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit is also pending, along with the results of a geotechnical study, which has been delayed because of high river levels.

Tomley gave the commission a best-and-worst-case scenario timeline for the start of construction. Once the permit is granted and the soil study approved, preliminary and final engineering drawings must also be completed and approved. He said ground could be broken at the end of this year or, in a worst-case scenario, by March of next year. Construction time, he said, will run between five and seven months.

“I think this is the best place to start,” architect Chad Edwards told the commission. He said once completed, this phase will easily fit in with the next phases of the project.

“This is a long endeavor. It just takes patience and time,” he said, pointing out to commissioners that Louisville’s riverfront project began in 1989 and is still being worked on.

“There are so many pieces to the master plan,” he said. “This is just one piece of the puzzle.”

Mayor Steve Gilmore said he was pleased with the proposal. “I think that’s great,” he said. “Conceptually, I think that’s what I had in my mind.”

He said he was hopeful the city could do some additional work on the remaining property to make it more useable while the city waits to complete the additional phases. He added the commission is actively seeking additional federal funds for the project.

“There is reason to be optimistic,” Commissioner Kevin Gunderson said of the design. “This will allow for a much quicker start date and expansion in the years ahead.”

Commissioner Paula Hogsten said she viewed the Phase One design as “realistic.”

“I think it’s a wonderful start,” she said. “I think it will be enjoyed by the people of Ashland.”

CARRIE KIRSCHNER can be reach at ckirschner@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.

        

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