Grinnell Plaza
Downtown
Sheridan's New and Private Partnership
To Wyoming Communities, the presence
of a historic downtown district is vital to both commerce and tourism.
It inevitably creates a sense of pride, history, and atmosphere. In
August of 2000, Sheridan took another step towards enhancing their
downtown by creating "Grinnell Plaza".
The idea of creating Grinnell Plaza
was part of a 1992 Downtown Master Plan developed by TSP and Community
Services Collaborative of Boulder, CO.
The Plaza, fronting City Hall as shown
above, is framed by trees and features planters, historic lighting,
colored sidewalks and bricks, benches and trash cans, a sidewalk kiosk
as well as room for future statues. Although neck-downs were added to
the west end of the street, angle parking remained untouched.
The public/private partnership was
evident during both fundraising and design. Through a Capital
Facilities Tax, the City of Sheridan agreed to fund all costs
associated with reconstructing the street. In addition to a Wyoming
Department of Transportation "TEAL" grant, funds totaling about
$75,000 for streetscape amenities were raised from private donations
and individual "purchases" of bricks, benches, trees, tree guards,
trash cans, plaques, and street lights.
Inspired by a similar downtown project
in Worland, Wyoming, a "Streetscape Advisory Group" of
individuals, local business owners, and public officials coordinated
public input and made sure all potential users of the new street
section were given an opportunity for input. Final design was approved
by both the City of Sheridan and the Downtown Sheridan Association.
To learn more about
the Grinnell Plaza Art Project, click
here.
