The City of Salina will be working to refine design elements presented in the Smoky Hill River Renewal Master Plan that was adopted in 2010.

In May 2016, voters approved a sales tax increase from 8.40% to 8.75% that will be in place over 20 years. A portion of these sales tax funds will be used for Smoky Hill River Renewal projects and will allow restoration efforts to move forward.

As part of this process, the design team will be conducting a design workshop in Salina, July 17–20. The design team will incorporate results of the most recent public survey and input from the steering committee to develop concepts for the public to review and provide feedback.

A public open house will be held Thursday, July 20 from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. at the Salina Art Center Warehouse, 149 S. 4th St. Attendees will be able to view exhibits, speak with project representatives, and provide feedback on proposed elements. A presentation of the work to date will begin at 5:30 p.m. and be broadcast live on the City of Salina Facebook page. Concepts will be posted as they are explained for the public to view and provide input on.

The public is invited to provide input and comments at any stage during project development. However, feedback is most useful now – before design decisions are made.

The next public meeting is scheduled to occur in September 2017. The preliminary design process is expected to take just over one year. An additional public meeting will be held in the fall of 2018, prior to finalizing designs.

Specific questions regarding the project should be directed to Martha Tasker, Director of Utilities, City of Salina, [email protected], (785)309-5725.