Plans

presented for Hermann

Heights

Plans include

observation deck, parking space

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Two concepts of a master plan for Hermann Heights Park were unveiled Tuesday night at a meeting held in one of the park's picnic shelters.

The shelter location was chosen so that those attending the event could get a better perspective of how the concepts related to the actual park, said Scott Midness of Parsons Transportation Group, the master plan's designer.

In this second meeting of the Hermann Heights group, they were able to see how the suggestions made at the first meeting appeared on a design board. To add to the ambience, Midness said, master plan appeared on the design boards in German as VorlagencPlan. The versions were labeled as Konzept A and B.

Both concepts drew heavily from the Hermann Monument in Detmold, Germany, with its grand staircase and open approach to the monument.

Concept A featured an oval "fence" around the monument itself, replicating the design of the Detmold Hermannsdenkmal. In Concept A, the grand staircase climbs the limestone wall between the monument and Center Street.

Concept B called for the staircase to start at the park entry off Center on a pathway cutting diagonally toward the monument.

To take advantage of a raised view of New Ulm's downtown, both concepts feature a sculpted overlook. However, Concept A featured a larger overlook area.

Off-street parking in Concept A is handled with a liver-shaped parking lot with 85 spaces across Monument Road behind the Public Utilities property. This plan allowed for tour buses to turn around inside the parking lot.

Concept B's parking lot is rectangular and smaller, providing 70 parking spaces. However, buses would have to go to the end of the road and turn around in an enlarged cul-de-sac.

Parallel parking on Monument Road added about 16 spaces to each plan.

In the end, Concept A was favored by everyone.

"This plan has basically everything asked for so it's jam-packed (with features)," Midness said. However, he said no attempt was made to affix a dollar value to the plan because the plan may be implemented in stages "making a dollar value meaningless."

However, placement of the informational kiosk, which was located midway between the street and monument, was questioned. Most wanted it moved to the drop-off zone just off the street. Restrooms, which were placed between the existing picnic shelter and the monument, would be better placed between the shelter and the play area at the far end of the park so "they wouldn't block the view of the monument from the shelter," Councilor Joel Albrecht said.

But clearing the sight-lines beneath the overlook would be the most controversial part of the property, most agreed. "Are we doing something about trees in the valley which block the view of the downtown?" Albrecht asked.

"We see some aggressive cutting and trimming of trees below the monument," Midness said.

"We need to realize that there needs to be some trees cut down within the park and topping of trees below the overlook," Bechtold said.

A resident offered the opinion that "cutting down trees is always controversial."

"We have to remember there will be as many trees planted as are harvested," Bechtold replied.

The proposed master plan, after modifications suggested at this meeting, will be brought before the Park and Recreation Commission in June for consideration. From there, the plan goes before the City Council for its approval.