The City of Madison Plan Commission voted Monday to approve the proposed renovations of Lisa Link Peace Park.
The plans for the State Street park include a visitor’s center with public restrooms, outdoor performance space, fountains, bike parking, a surcharge-free ATM and a small police workstation.
The commission and members of the community debated for more than 90 minutes before voting unanimously to give approval to the plans.
The bulk of the debate centered on the current users of Peace Park, many of whom are homeless.
Operation Welcome Home, an organization that supports Madison’s homeless community, sent more than five speakers, all of whom stressed they would be without a home if the plans for Peace Park were approved.
“Lisa Link wanted that park to be for people,” Max Holmes of OWH said. “Where else would you have us go?”
OWH’s objections to the plans were based on the proposed police workstation and the installation of an ATM, which would outlaw panhandling within 50 feet of the park’s entrance due to a Madison city ordinance.
“It’s a peace park, not a police park,” Kayla Fox of OWH said.
According to Ken Saiki of Ken Saiki Design, Inc., the landscape architecture firm responsible for the new plans, the proposed police workstation would be only 29 square feet. It is intended to be a place where the police can recharge equipment, conduct research and file paperwork. The police are not expected to be there for any serious duration of time.
Mary Carbine of Madison’s Central Business Improvement District said a business within 50 feet of the park will be installing their own ATM within 30 days, so the proposed ATM should have no negative effect on who uses the park. Carbine added the ATM will provide $3,500 to $5,000 worth of income that can be spent on keeping the park clean.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, assured the attendees the goal of the renovations is not to kick people out of the park.
“There’s nothing in these beautiful designs that will keep people away from the park,” Verveer said. “The reality is that folks are afraid to use the park.”
Verveer characterized the park as having a “serious perception problem” because the park is the number one police call destination for downtown Madison and was the site of downtown Madison’s first surveillance camera.
Susan Schmitz, a member of the Lisa Link Park Advisory Committee, gave her full support to the park. Schmitz said she has been working on the plans since 2001, when renovations were first proposed. The first 18 months of the committee was devoted to spending hours observing the park and how it was used so the city could make a plan that best uses the park.
Construction is expected to be completed by July 2010, and Verveer expressed his hope that upon completion of the plans, the current users of the park would return.
