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Mitchell residents will have an opportunity to provide input on a proposed "green space" to be located south of the Corn Palace.
Public Works Director Tim McGannon said the city will likely hold two public forums for citizens to offer ideas for the plaza to be constructed on the permanently closed section of Sixth Avenue between North Main Street and North Lawler Street. McGannon said the forums may be held after an architect and contractor are selected.
While the public will have an opportunity to offer input, McGannon said it will be up to a committee and architect to consider which recommendations can be added to the project, budgeted for $426,083 in 2016.
"You know, you can't put 20 different features in a space this small," McGannon said.
McGannon also said the city will interview an architect on Friday. The city received six proposals and qualifications, but McGannon said the first architect to be interviewed has a lot of experience in similar projects in eastern South Dakota.
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"If this one is as good in person as they are on paper, we'll probably have a decision ready for the March 7 council meeting," McGannon said.
If an architect is selected, they will then be recommended to the City Council for approval.
According to the project's request for proposals and qualifications, the plaza will be tourist and pedestrian friendly and "enhance the tourist experience while visiting Mitchell."
The project to enhance the portion of Main Street comes approximately three years after Mitchell Main Street & Beyond proposed a $5.8 million plan to transform Mitchell's historic downtown. The Main Street & Beyond plan would have altered 32 acres of downtown Mitchell with curb extensions, new landscaping, benches, bike racks and public art displays.
Last August, a Mitchell Main Street & Beyond representative said a detailed funding method for the project has not yet been determined.
