Headwaters Park to announce possible new structures

UPDATE: 2:55 PM - Full text of the Headwaters Alliance news release may be downloaded here or viewed on the continuation page.

Headwaters Park Alliance has scheduled a news conference at 2 PM today to discuss a possible structural addition to the park.  Architectural renderings will be made available at the press availability at the Alliance office.

One observer suggests, tongue in cheek, that it may be the announcement of a possible counter-structure to block the view if a 200 bed work-release/prisoner re-entry facility were ever built on Calhoun adjacent to the park.

UPDATE: The News-Sentinel's Kevin Leininger reports online that the proposals are for two 10-story towers that could possibly house disguised cell phone towers.

 

Photo: Image of Headwaters Parks poster based on Eric Kuhne's original plan from the website of CivicArts - Eric Kuhne Associates architects.  Mr. Kuhne is a graduate of New Haven Senior High School and a former Fort Wayne resident.

Headwaters Park Alliance News Release:

HEADWATERS PARK ALLIANCE PROPOSES TO BUILD PYRAMID TOWERS

For Release, Wednesday, January 30, 2008

For More Information, please call Geoff Paddock at 425-5745

The Headwaters Park Alliance today unveiled a proposal to build two stainless steel pyramid shaped towers on the cul-de-sacs (turn arounds) on Barr and Calhoun Streets in Headwaters Park.  The towers are part of the original Headwaters Park plan, designed by architect Eric R. Kuhne, a Fort Wayne native.

The towers could also serve as the infrastructure and housing for an antennae that would provide telecommunications capabilities for the community. They would be 100 to 120 feet in height.

Geoff Paddock, Executive Director of the Headwaters Park Alliance, said the Alliance has been hoping to find a way to introduce the towers back into the Headwaters Park plan.  “The fact that there is a need to provide space to serve the communications industry was a motivating factor to dust these plans off and reintroduce them to the public,” Paddock said.  “We would like to find a partner to work with in the construction of these towers.  They would not only be dramatic in appearance and aesthetically pleasing but could serve as a location for a telecommunications tower in Fort Wayne,” Paddock said.

The Alliance wants to stay within the parameters of the Eric Kuhne design in constructing the towers.

“Imagine these beautiful towers gracing the downtown landscape and being a beacon in the night. They would serve as an identification point for the park and add grace and beauty to the downtown skyline. They could be seen from several vantage points in the city, and they could serve future needs in wireless and broadband communications for our citizens,” Paddock said.

There is no firm cost estimate yet for the towers. It would depend on the height and the requirements of the particular communications company.

“There is great potential to add a lasting landmark to the park that also serves a vital need for the community. A stainless steel pyramid shaped tower would also add to the high quality design and durability of the infrastructure already in place in Headwaters Park. People have come to expect high quality in Headwaters Park, and this design would be no different,” Paddock said.

Local architect Alan Grinsfelder, president of Grinsfelder Associates Architects, would over see the final design of the towers.

Comments

[Dave MacDonald]

I think integrating cell technology into the structures is just the sort of forward-thinking we need. Kudos to Mr. Paddock and his team for the suggestion. Alternatively, towers for a skyride over Headwaters Park could accomplish the same goal, connect the park with Harrison Square, and provide a bird's eye view of the city.