This week, Benton Harbor residents were treated to a second round of conceptual drawings showing what their beloved Dwight Pete Mitchell City Center Park may look like in the near future. Michigan State University professors Warren Rauhe and Wayne Beyea presented drawings combining features that received the most positive feedback from the community in two prior visioning sessions. The current design includes a stage for concerts and special events, covered space for farmers market booths, attractive landscaping, a splash pad for children, and plenty of seating for people to gather and enjoy the view. After the presentation, everyone shared their thoughts in small groups.

As exciting as it is to imagine the park’s new look and feel, it’s even more exciting to get a little taste of it right now. That’s exactly what we did the day after the presentation. Together with the weekly farmers market and Harbor Market, we did some pop-up placemaking to bring the park to life.

We arranged comfy, colorful seating in cozy groups. And we filled the lawn with games ranging from badminton to soccer. Before we knew it, people of all ages were happily browsing through the farmers market stands to the beat of live music, and wandering over to the grass to play a game with their kids or sit and enjoy a taco from the nearby food truck. With some ingenuity and hard work, that type of scene can become a more frequent occurrence at City Center Park.

We also had the second round of conceptual drawings on display and encouraged people to give us more feedback. In October, the MSU team will return with their final drawings and report. We encourage all interested Benton Harbor residents to attend.