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an 'EIIensburg Town Square'as a gathering place.Mulldrew states,"Perhaps the most <br />significant public improvement shown on the plan is to create a true Ellensburg town square <br />adjacent to the Rotary Pavilion.Figure 8 below shows some examples of similar spaces in other <br />places and the plan in Figure 9 shows that the Ellensburg Town Square would retain parking on <br />some of the space,make better use of parking on adjacent blocks,and replace existing parking <br />with a green lawn panel and a small splash pad that can be used as the central gathering place <br />for the community.This space could include restrooms relocated from 3rd and Main as well as <br />the downtown visitor's center."(page 26,Downtown Market Study and Economic Development <br />Plan). <br />The plan also includes a section dedicated to 'Enhancing the Visitor Experience'.In that section <br />the concept of locating a visitors'center in the core of downtown was highly recommended, <br />"The Wells Fargo Drive Thru could be an ideal location for such a facility as it is in the heart of <br />the community,offers "storefront"convenience,and could also provide public restrooms in the <br />center of downtown."(page 37,Downtown Market Study and Economic Development Plan). <br />In February 2016 the Ellensburg City Council adopted the 'City of Ellensburg 2016 Park, <br />Recreation,and Open Space Plan'.This plan was the culmination of over a years-worth of <br />community outreach and input.An online survey,completed by over 440 people,asked a <br />variety of parks &recreation related questions,one of those questions asked,'what additional <br />recreation programs do you feel need the City of Ellensburg should offer or expand?'The <br />number one response to that question was 'Special events (concerts in the park,festivals, <br />movies,etc.)'(pg.244,City of Ellensburg Parks &Recreation System Comprehensive Plan <br />Update 2016).By acquiring the Wells Fargo property and developing it into a park site that <br />could be used to host these special events. <br />Maintenance and operation of the space will be the responsibility of the City Parks <br />Maintenance Division,which has five full time employees and up to six season employees. <br />There has been discussion with the Chamber about the potential of providing space inside the <br />existing bank for office space,as well as converting the restrooms into public restrooms by <br />adding an exterior entrance to the restrooms,providing greater accessibility for the public. <br />6.Project Readiness:Please provide a detailed project schedule,including milestones <br />necessary for completion as mentioned in question 1 above.On the schedule,indicate items <br />completed and exactly where in the schedule the project is at this time.Be sure to include <br />expected completion date. <br />The City could occupy the space any time after June 23,2017 when Well Fargo closes their drive <br />thru banking operation.The City would develop a master plan for both the outside space and <br />the indoor space,this process could take up to 6-8 months.Funding would need to be secured <br />to implement the master plan,this could take an additional 24 months.