Monona Community Visioning: Trails, parks and improved signage among top priorities

By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor

Trails; improvements to community parks, signage and roads; safety and community pride are the top priorities of Monona residents, according to the team that led the Monona Community Visioning design workshop and presentation June 18, during Hay Days.

The workshop was the culmination of an input-gathering process over the last several months to identify transportation needs and opportunities for enhancements in the city. A design team from Iowa State University then worked to incorporate the ideas into a conceptual transportation and landscape enhancement plan.

Monona was one of 10 Iowa communities selected to participate in the Iowa’s Living Roadways 2016 Community Visioning Program. Sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation in partnership with Iowa State University Landscape Architecture and Extension and the non-profit Trees Forever, the program integrates technical landscape planning and design techniques with sustainable community action to assist community leaders and volunteers in making sound and meaningful decisions about the local landscape.

The community values listed above, said David Stokes, from Jeffrey L. Bruce and Co., who led Saturday’s presentation, “are the foundation from which we as designers will develop projects.”

Monona can then take these project plans to implement community improvements.

Trails

Trails were the heaviest priority, as residents cited a desire to expand existing trails and create new ones, while also paving some, providing better lighting, enhancing plantings and implementing trailheads. With updates, trails could provide safer routes to school, more walking and biking opportunities to promote community health and bring visitors, as well as new home owners, to town.

One of the biggest proposals, Stokes noted, is to develop a perimeter looped, paved trail system around Monona. At 10 feet wide, it would be utilized for multiple uses, he said, and feature numerous rest areas and distance markers. At a future meeting, he said more information will be provided on the distance.

Another potential trail improvement involves connecting to other communities, such as Luana, Postville or McGregor-Marquette. This would also allow Monona to partner and exchange resources with these cities, Stokes commented. 

Heading to Luana, he said one of the biggest obstacles to tackle is the B45/Old Highway 52 railroad crossing. Two designs were drawn up for the spot, with one crossing the tracks and the other tunneling under the tracks.

Although expensive, “it’s not far-fetched,” Stokes explained. “It’s been done before. There are grant programs that could fund it. It’s a progressive way of thinking.”

Other proposed trail concepts involved creating narrower pedestrian trails or wider sidewalks around town and forming connections that will take people to the resources in town. In addition, improvements were also proposed for two trailheads: creating a better turn-around area and ADA accessibility and adding more plantings at the Davis Street Butterfly Garden trailhead, along with more shade and a more dynamic structure to the entry at the Garden View trailhead.

Park improvements

Among the community-stated goals for park improvements are greater accessibility and green infrastructure. Stokes said Gateway Park was chief on the list, and possible ideas for the park include expanding it, connecting it to other trails and parks in Monona and developing restrooms and showers. At the entrance to Monona at Gateway Park, designers suggested implementing native plantings, allowing people to better see the park and an eventual trail system.

Designers also proposed some changes at the city park, including a new sign with plantings around it, as well as ADA sidewalk leading into all areas of the park and to shelters.

A design for a pocket park at the old water tower was unveiled, as well. 

“It’s a historic piece of Monona,” Stokes said. “It has character.”

Wayfinding signage

Through the community input sessions, Stokes said there was a lot of talk about branding Monona. As a result, designs for updated wayfinding signage, particularly on Main Street, will play off the city’s logo and entry signage. 

“The DOT has really improved its signage,” Stokes said. “They’re willing to think outside the box.”

The community also expressed interest in larger directional signage, so Stokes said the design team will work on plans to beef that up and make it successful.

Roads

Goals regarding Monona’s roads included repaving some and improving intersection visibility.

Safety

Playing into road goals, community-stated safety goals involved reducing speed in some areas, which Stokes said can be controlled through vegetation and pavement patterns and colors. Also mentioned was downtown lighting.

“There was a lot of talk about this,” Stokes stated. “[The lighting] doesn’t allow light to the sides, but you can do that with updated fixtures.” Everything won’t have to be changed.

Community pride

One of the biggest goals regarding community pride was downtown plantings.

“There are very wide right-of-ways downtown,” Stokes said. “We feel vegetation could be incorporated to break it down. There are storm water benefits too.”

Other improvements could include more trees, as well as additional trash/recycling receptacles.

Moving forward

Due to time constraints, Stokes said the design team was unable to show more ideas regarding lighting, vegetation and trees. These areas will be addressed at a future presentation. In the future, he said residents can also expect more refined graphics.

“These are preliminary concepts,” he said. “They’ll only get better.”

He encouraged those in attendance to share the ideas with people, opening up feedback and discussions.

“You have to champion this with the rest of the community,” he said.