RIDGEFIELD — The future of Ridgefield’s downtown will be built with partnerships.
That was the major theme Wednesday night at Old Liberty Theater, where nonprofit Ridgefield Main Street hosted an event looking at the future of the city.
“Partnerships are the life blood of what we do,” said Ridgefield School District Superintendent Nathan McCann, one of three panelists who spoke at the event.
The other two panelists were Jeff Niten, community development director with the city, and Port of Ridgefield CEO Brent Grening. Frank Shuman, retired board president of Ridgefield Main Street, said it was the first night meeting the organization has hosted, drawing a crowd of about 85 people.
Each panelist was given time to make a presentation about their respective organization and its plans for the future, and then guests had a chance to ask the three of them questions.
In their presentations, each panelist spoke about work their agency is doing with another one in the city, or about plans for them to work together in the future.
Overpass
Niten said city officials are looking for ways to get people to Ridgefield, and to stay in the city. A big component of that is expected to kick off later this summer or in early fall, with the port’s construction of an overpass above the railroad tracks connecting Pioneer Street to the port’s property, making it easier to get from downtown to the waterfront area.
The port has about 43 acres of waterfront property it’s getting ready to develop. While port officials are still looking at options for development, the area will likely see mixed-use zoning, which will allow for retail, commercial, professional spaces and a bit of light manufacturing.
Grening said however the port develops the waterfront, the idea is for it to work with downtown, not take away from it.
“We want to work together,” he said. “We want to play off each other.”
With easier access from downtown to the waterfront and vice versa, Grening said it could help keep visitors in the city by allowing them to walk along the water at the port and then head into downtown to go to some shops or restaurants.
Other concerns
While Niten and Grening talked about bringing people to downtown, McCann spoke about getting people out of the area, specifically students and their frustrated parents waiting to drop them off and pick them up at the cramped downtown campus at View Ridge Middle School. District voters passed a $78 million bond issue earlier this year, and part of that money will go toward a new 5-8 campus across South Hillhurst Road from Ridgefield High School.
The new campus will allow the district to repurpose View Ridge. Part of the building will become administrative offices, and the district is seeking partners for how else to use the space. McCann said there are possibilities for continuing education and an early learning center in the area.
There has also been talk of moving the Ridgefield Community Library to View Ridge, either inside or by constructing a new building where the baseball field is. At the meeting, Kathy Winters, who has organized a lot of fundraising efforts for a new library in the city, said there are three locations being discussed for the new library: the two at View Ridge or a spot north of the post office.
Other projects
Another project born through partnership coming to Ridgefield is the outdoor sports complex, which will be built on the same property as the new 5-8 campus. The city will pay for it, and it will be open to the public, as well as used for school activities.
McCann said he also wants to see the district work more with businesses and other outside agencies to get 11th- and 12th-graders out of the classroom more. He said he hopes that by 2018, there will be more opportunities for students to do “credit-based work out in the real world.”
Other topics at the meeting included the possibility of building a community center or bringing in a YMCA. Niten said there has been preliminary discussions with the YMCA about a location, but nothing serious yet.
Grening was asked about adding a pedestrian and/or bike overpass to get from downtown to the waterfront, and he said it’s been talked about, but it’s something they’ll have to find funding for in the future. He was also asked about building a structure for boaters to dock so they could head into the city. He said port officials will look for opportunities to get grants for a kayak landing and day docks.
“As the property develops, those pieces will become more affordable or they’ll be built into the project,” he said.
