Letter: Get ready for park transformation

To the Editor:

Red Wing will receive a wonderful gift next July 4. The gift is the transformation of Central Park.

Thanks to a generous private donation, this century-old park will be given new life with renovations designed to create a welcoming "living room" atmosphere in the park with a focal point of a new band shell equipped for the needs of today's performers.

The construction of a new band shell and park renovation has been made possible due to a donation committed by the Jones Family Foundation. A Central Park Steering Committee was formed to provide input on the design and to work with the architectural firm in renovating the park. The final plan was recently approved by the Heritage Preservation Commission and the City Council.

With the renovations, park visitors will be able to enjoy entertainment with state-of-the-art acoustics; the park will be more aesthetically pleasing and the overall presence of the band shell will further enhance the use of our historic Central Park.

Construction will begin this fall after the Diversity Festival. The present bandstand, after having given Red Wing citizens many years of use, will be replaced. Additional improvements are being planned in future years to expand on these updates being made at Central Park.

Thanks to these improvements, we now look to the future with excitement and anticipation of many outdoor musical and theatrical productions that will be able to take place right in the center of our community.

This project is one example of how public and private collaborations enhance the community for the benefit of all. This Central Park renovation will be tracked in Red Wing's history in much the same way as T.B. Sheldon's donation creating a performing arts theatre and Red Wing Area Fund's donation, which revitalized our train depot.

Many thanks go to the Jones Family Foundation for giving this significant gift to the community. Let's all mark our calendars now for next July 4th to celebrate the completion of this project with them.

Donna Dummer

Red Wing

Donna Dummer is mayor.

Tags: opinion, letter, central, park, donna, dummer