A riverfront park provides access, where there once was none, to the Yahara River
By Carol Cizauskas
Years ago, in the small city of Monona, Wis., the citizens wondered if they could develop a waterfront attraction—given that most of the city’s water access already had been developed. And the city’s neighboring, much larger state capital, Madison, had laid claim to other potential waterfront sites. There was one spot, along the Yahara River, that in Monona connects Lake Monona to Lake Waubesa. But it was an ugly-duckling location, where charming homes looked upon an opposite shore filled with dilapidated buildings, environmental contamination, and nothing to play up the beauty of the river on whose banks the houses perched.
What ensued over eight years of planning, development, and construction grew into an elegant gem of an urban park. It eventually became a successful public-private cooperative investment and a place that would thrive even under the restrictions of a pandemic, to feed a public hungry for beautiful outdoor access while enjoying enough space and amenities to keep a healthy distance.