St. Cloud Placemaking Project Making Progress [AUDIO]

ST. CLOUD - Back in 2013 St. Cloud city leaders spent a lot of time trying to find ways to make the city stand out. The project was called "Placemaking".  So, now that it's 2015, how are some of those initiatives coming along?

Community Development Director Matt Glaesman says one thing they wanted to do was make the Mississippi River more accessible, and they're making progress on that.

Glaesman says plans call for a grand staircase down to the river on the north side of the River's Edge Convention Center.

Another goal identified two years ago was to create a winter festival.  Glaesman says they're working on it, for next year...

Glaesman says another placemaking initiative that's making some headway is the creation of a gateway to the downtown along 9th Avenue by Lake George. He says they're in the finals for some grant dollars to get that project started.

He says more initiatives discussed with the placemaking process will be included when the city council updates the Comprehensive Plan later this year.

The placemaking project also suggested the city adopt the brand "St. Cloud: Greater", which they have. Some of the smaller projects that have already been put in place include, the summer pop-up parks downtown, and the poetry on the sidewalks.