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 review the Preferred Concept for the inaugural East Riverwalk during a virtual public open house on Monday, March 22, at 7pm. This online event will be hosted on Zoom and include a presentation by members of the Kankakee Riverfront Society and Hitchcock Design Group consultant team.

 

The presentation is the third of four public events that are associated with the preliminary design of the East Riverwalk. The East Riverwalk is the working name for the first, one-acre 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 acquired last fall. Please see the attached Project Synopsis for additional East Riverwalk facts.

 

Based on extensive public outreach, continuous collaboration with the Kankakee Riverfront Society, and valuable public feedback from the November 2020 virtual open house, the consultant team has refined an exciting East Riverwalk Concept that will be revealed to the public at the March 22 event. Kankakee Riverfront Society leaders and the consultant team will discuss the groundbreaking features, estimated costs, capital and operational funding, and implementation timeline of the Preferred East Riverwalk Concept. Using simple online tools, viewers will be able to ask questions and offer comments about the East Riverwalk and The Currents of Kankakee. The presenters will summarize and respond to viewer’s written questions at the end of the presentation.

 

Following input from the Open House, the Kankakee Riverfront Society and consultant team will finalize the East Riverwalk Concept for presentation to the City of Kankakee’s Economic Development Committee on March 25.

 

Considering the importance of the East Riverwalk and The Currents of Kankakee, Staci Wilken, Chairperson of the Kankakee Riverfront Society, urges the community to watch the Zoom presentation on March 22 at 7pm. “Based on feedback from community leaders, local organizations and the general public, we know how much this initiative means to our future. As much as we want to meet in-person with the community, the virtual open house is, for now, the best way for the public see what we have already accomplished and to visualize the powerful transformation of the East Riverwalk properties.” 

 

Guests can access the event online at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87964615877 or by phoning in at 312-626-6799 using meeting ID: 879 6461 5877. During and after the presentation, you will be able to direct written questions to the presenters. The event recording will be posted to the Project Website following the event.    

 

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 Synopsis or visit the Project Website at www.hitchcockdesigngroup.com/kankakee-east-riverwalk/ for more information.

 

For more information about The Currents of Kankakee, please contact Staci Wilken by email at thecurrentsofkankakee@gmail.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:                    Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong, City of Kankakee

                          Jasmyne Humble, City of Kankakee

                          Barbi Brewer-Watson, Kankakee ECDA

                          Rachel Schramm, Kankakee ECDA

                          Staci Wilken, Kankakee Riverfront Society

                          Tim King, Lacey Lawrence, Rick Hitchcock, Hitchcock Design Group