The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

This post submitted by Allison Werner of the River Alliance of Wisconsin:

In (Wednesday's) article Plan makes Racine a river city, too, a vision for what the Root River can become within the city was unveiled. As Racine continues to change, the Root River can become a positive economic and community asset if attention is given to its redevelopment.

The Root River Council and River Alliance of Wisconsin spent the last year talking to the residents of Racine about their hopes for the Root River corridor. The culmination of residents input was used to create, Back to the Root: An Urban River Revitalization Plan, which is available at www.backtotheroot.org.

This plan is about bringing a positive focus back to the Root River by

• Creating a sense of place;
• Stimulating economic growth;
• Allowing public access and interaction; and
• Improving water quality

UW-Milwaukee Community Design Solutions student Anna Grosch created a few conceptual images to share ideas about how the Root River could look in the future. The images show:

The view downstream from 6^th Street

Murals on the Water Street retaining wall

People canoeing and using a river walk downtown

A balance of plant buffers and viewing areas along the Root River Pathway

This is a long-term effort that will require many partners. To start the process, a public meeting will be held on Tuesday July 29 from 6-8pm at the Root River Environmental Educational and Community Center, 1301 6^th Street. During this meeting people will be able to decide which projects they are interested in working on to improve the river. Suggested projects include:

• Creating a mural for the Water Street retaining wall
• Maintaining plant buffers along the river in parks
• Creating educational materials about plant buffers

The Root River Council is looking forward to working with the community for many years to help Racine become a river city again. For more information about this effort visit www.backtotheroot.org or e-mail awerner@wisconsinrivers.org.