The proposed new look for Prouty Plaza aims to address community needs on a daily basis, as well as special events such as summer concerts and the annual Strawberry Festival.
The concept for the update of the plaza, located on the northwest corner of the Public Square, was presented Feb. 24 before city council and has been discussed at committee and council meetings since.
Council members, overall, said they supported the concept, although some aired reservations about the proposed water feature. The water feature would not be a full fountain, but a group of at grade jets, said Patrick Titterington, city service and safety director.
The Prouty Plaza portion of the streetscape project is estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million with the water feature proposed costing an estimated $100,000, or what Titterington said would be “a relatively minor amount.”
Councilmember Susan Westfall said she supports the downtown and efforts to bring people together including on Prouty Plaza. However, she would need more detailed financial costs before approving the water feature request and thinks the city needs to spend available money elsewhere. She pointed specifically to baseball fields requested before council earlier this summer due to frequent flooding at existing junior baseball fields near Troy.
“I think we need to get our priorities in order,” Westfall said.
Councilman Jeff Schilling said Prouty Plaza isn’t the place for a water feature. Instead, a splash pad would be more suitable in one of the city parks away from the downtown business district, he said.
Councilmember Lynne Snee said she sees the proposed resolution as the way for council to get more definitive information on a water feature, including how much water it would use. Once more detailed information is in hand, council can take a closer look at the feature, she said.
Several council members said they had few people reach out to them so far on their interest in a water feature on the plaza. Ones they asked, for the most part, were in favor of the concept, these council members said.
The bigger picture Downtown Safety & Streetscape project will take place on Main Street between Cherry and Mulberry streets, on Market Street between Franklin and Water streets and around the Public Square. A cost in the millions is expected but a firm estimate is not yet available. The project will include multiple safety, structural and design upgrades to the downtown, including utilities, sidewalk, curb, pavement and aesthetic improvements. Replacement of water, storm sewer and other utilities will take place in late 2025. The actual streetscape elements construction will not begin before fall 2026.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com.
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