Help Build Dry Run Park

Posted: September 24, 2019

What will downtown Decorah look and feel like in 25 years? There have been many changes in recent years and will be many more in the future. There is great interest and work being done to create this downtown vision. Some of the key elements are: being walkable, bike-able, maintaining history, having excellent wayfinding signage, and creating outdoor eating and meeting spaces. Roger Brooks, a well-known branding consultant, was contracted in 2007 to look at our downtown and offer suggestions of what would make our downtown an even greater place. One of his recommendations was to have gathering spaces on Water Street. T that time, Downtown Decorah Betterment Association (DDBA) commissioned the design of Water Street Park and raised the funds to make the Park a reality. A Great Places grant of $25,000 was leveraged to help with creating Water Street Park. Today, Water Street Park has become a wonderful gathering place allowing us to enjoy the outdoors while having lunch, a cup of coffee, listening to music, or just relaxing.

DDBA, in collaboration with Decorah Park Rec, Decorah Area Chamber, and Decorah Jobs, is working to establish an additional gathering space. Dry Run Park is a pocket park at the East end of downtown at the intersection of East Water Street and Riverside Avenue. The cost of building this park is $170,000, which includes seed funding for future maintenance. The park will offer similar amenities to Water Street Park and will feature an overlook of the Dry Run Creek flowing below.

DDBA’s goal is to raise all of the funds from business and individual donations, and early efforts have secured over $100,000 in pledges. Please consider helping make this feature of downtown a reality by helping us reach our goal! Pledges can be made over two years, and gifts of $500 or more will be recognized on a plaque at the new park.

If you have questions or would like to pledge, please contact any of the following DDBA volunteers:

• Keith Christensen 380-7453
• Joe Grimstad 382-1558
• Mike Harman 382-2020
• Mark Lovelace 380-1829
• Harlan Satrom 382-4277

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