5D1 Budget Request (Riverwalk Imprvmnts. Seitz to Howard Phase 2) - TABLED

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South Bend Redevelopment Commission 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Room 301, South Bend, Indiana Redevelopment Commission Agenda Item DATE : March 12th, 2026 FROM: Patrick Sherman Director of Project Management SUBJECT: Budget Request- River Walk Improvements: Seitz Park to Howard Park Funding Source* (circle) River West; River East; South Side; Douglas Road; West Washington; RDC General; Riv. East Res. * Funds are subject to the City Controller's determination of availability; if funds are unavailable, as solely determined by the City Controller, then the authorization of the expenditure of such funds shall be void and of no effect. PURPOSE OF REQUEST: This budget request is for $4M for the renovation and improvement of the river walk from the newly developed Sietz Park to the City’s signature park, Howard Park. SPECIFICS: The river walk between Sietz Park and Howard Park is a heavily used section of wooden boardwalk that needs to be replaced. The wood and wooden supports are deteriorating with age, and they sit on gabion baskets along the river have been sinking over time creating an uneven trail surface. As the path continues toward Howard Park under the Jefferson Bridge, the trail has awkward blind corners that is not conducive to a safe and comfortable multi-use trail. This project will replace this portion of river walk with a new 14’ wide, concrete multi-use trail, that will be much more comfortable for users to use, and it will be supported by new piers for a long-lasting asset for the community. The project also contains a new staircase on the north side of the bridge down to the riverwalk from the bridge surface and replaces the concrete staircase that goes down to Howard Park on the south side of the bridge to meet current design standards. It is requested that the Redevelopment commission approves $4,000,000 from River East Residential TIF to cover the final design and construction of this portion of the riverwalk. Thank you for your consideration of this request. ______________ ___________Pres/V-Pres ATTEST: __________ ________Secretary Date: _____________ _______ APPROVED Not Approved SOUTH BEND REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION March 12, 2026