Rockford to breathe new life into downtown’s Davis Park

6/21/22, 8:10 AM 
Rockford to breathe new life into downtown Davis Park
Jeff Kolkey
Rockford Register Star USA TODAY NETWORK
ROCKFORD — A transformation of Davis Park from a long underutilized asset into a central hive of activity, entertainment, and fun could begin this year.
City Council will soon consider a more than $3.6 million, mostly state-funded first phase of a multiyear renovation of the 7-acre venue.
An industrial zone turned urban park along the Rock River, the locale at 320 S. Wyman St., has never lived up to its potential, said John Groh, CEO of the Rockford Area Convention &Visitors Bureau.
“We don’t have a Central Park in Rockford,” Groh said. “There is no one
central publicdowntown gathering space with a variety of activities for the whole community — that everybody’s park, where everyone feels welcome and like they belong.”
A 2016 master plan envisions Davis Park as that place.
It proposes a great lawn stage, multiuse path, a pedestrian mall with a vendor market, an ice skating rink, terraced lawn seating with a water channel, and more. It could take years to come to fruition and unfold in phases. Depending on the scope, it could cost up to $17.5 million.
Guided by a recalibrated version of the master plan put together by residents, officials, and tourism leaders, a proposed first phase would focus on the southern end of the park.
It calls for the construction of a boat dock, great lawn canopy stage, restrooms, sunning beach, rain garden filter, purpose-
built skatepark, splash pad, play areas, and wetlands. State grant funds are expected to cover those costs.
It also calls for the demolition of the old Lorden building that has long divided the park into a large area for concerts to the south and a smaller venue for outdoor movies and gatherings to the north. Rockford would have to pay for the demolition, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It is a plan year in the making and made possible by a combination of public and private investments. It is a project no longer hampered by the coronavirus pandemic or the decrepitTapco building that once loomed over the park.
The proposal has been spurred by the renovation of the former Amerock factory into a 13-story, the four-star hotel next door, the creation of the UW Health Sports Factory across the river, other development projects nearby, and especially the release of millions in the state capital improvement
grants. State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, secured $3.5 million, and state. Maurice West, D-Rockford secured $100,000 in Illinois state grants for Davis Park improvements.
“The more gathering spots you can have in any community the more it enriches life,” Stadelman said.
Mayor Tom McNamara said he envisions Davis Park as “the people’s park,” a place where all Rockford residents feel they belong, a place for picnics, concerts, active recreation, relaxation, and families.
“The city of Rockford owns one park and that’s Davis Park,” McNamara said. “It has not been an activated or welcoming place for far too long.”
McNamara said the proposed first phase of the plan would make a huge improvement “to the park as a gathering place.” And he said it would allow the city to better utilize the Rock River which he considers among its top assets.
“To bring people closer to that amazing asset and really enjoy it and embrace it with things like the boat dock, beach, water features, and recreational features, I just think is critical for our entire community,”
McNamara said.
Jeff Kolkey: (815) 987-1374;
jkolkey@rrstar.com
;@jeffkolkey