The Kankakee Riverfront Society, the not-for-profit organization spearheading The Currents of Kankakee and the transformation of the downtown Kankakee riverfront, invites residents and riverfront advocates to learn more about the inaugural East Riverwalk during a public workshop on Wednesday, September 16, from 7-9pm at 240 E. River St. in Kankakee. The event will include a 20 minute in-person, onsite presentation, as well as the opportunity to talk to Kankakee Riverfront Society representatives, riverfront consultants and other key stakeholders.

The event is part of ongoing community outreach associated with the preliminary design of the East Riverwalk. The East Riverwalk is the working name for the first segment of The Currents of Kankakee, the new riverfront district first described in the 2018 Kankakee Riverfront Master Plan. The East Riverwalk is planned for the southeast corner of Schuyler Avenue and East River Street on three properties that the City of Kankakee expects to acquire this year. Please see the attached Project Synopsis for additional East Riverwalk facts.

Because of ongoing pandemic-related restrictions, Staci Wilken, Chairperson of the Kankakee Riverfront Society, urges the community to sign up in advance to participate. “This is your opportunity to learn more about The Currents of Kankakee and our first project, the East Riverwalk. It is also an important opportunity for our consultants and other project leaders to listen to you, and learn about your expectations for the use, character and personality of this riverfront, once completed. But you have to sign up to participate.”

To comply with state safety guidelines, no more than 25 people will be allowed at the event at any one time. All guests must have a reservation to participate with only one person per reservation. You can sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4caba72ba0fac07-east1. Masks will be required at all times and absolutely no walk-ins will be allowed in the event.

Wilken also reminds everyone to participate in the online community survey that is located on the Project Website and can be directly accessed at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/eastriverwalk. “We know that some people won’t be able to attend the in-person event, but we still want to hear from them.”

East Riverwalk public outreach will continue until completion of the Preliminary Design in early 2021 and will include a regularly updated project website, pre-design interviews with dozens of key stakeholders, an online community survey, frequent press updates, social media and periodic presentations to public officials and community organizations.

The Kankakee Riverfront Society, Inc. (KRS) is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to the implementation of the 2018 Kankakee Riverfront Master Plan. KRS includes City of Kankakee and Kankakee Valley Park District officials and other community leaders whose mission is to make The Currents of Kankakee an extraordinary riverfront experience that will transform the region’s image, raise its marketplace appeal and enhance its quality of life.

The Currents of Kankakee brand for the Kankakee Riverfront was created and is owned by the Kankakee Riverfront Society.

Preliminary Design of the East Riverwalk is funded by a Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is administered by the City of Kankakee Economic and Community Development Agency.

Please see the attached Project Summary or visit the Project Website at www.hitchcockdesigngroup.com/kankakee-east-riverwalk/ for more information or to take the community survey. The community survey can also be directly accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/eastriverwalk.

For more information about The Currents of Kankakee, please contact Staci Wilken by email at staci@kccvb.com or by phone at 815.935.7390; or Tim King by email at tking@hitchcockdesigngroup.com or by phone at 630.698.5960.

cc: Chasity Wells-Armstrong, Mayor, City of Kankakee
Barbi Brewer-Watson, Kankakee ECDA
Rachel Schramm, Kankakee ECDA
Jasmyne Humble, City of Kankakee
Staci Wilken, Kankakee Riverfront Society
Tim King, Lacey Lawrence, Rick Hitchcock, Hitchcock Design Group