Beach plan out of Rockford's Davis Park reboot. See what is taking its place instead

A unique sunning beach is for now out of plans for a Davis Park rebuild. Also gone is a planned splash pad or water feature.

An initial master plan for the re-imagining of Davis Park at 320 S. Wyman St. in downtown Rockford included the splash pad and an 11,000-square-foot urban beach — a sand and sun concept that is growing in popularity in urban locales without access to a natural beach.

But as officials get into the nitty-gritty design work, it became apparent the beach would require too much work maintain, Rockford Public Works Director Kyle Saunders said.

"As we dialed down into the phase one improvements, the functionality of that beach, some of the maintenance that comes along with sand and other aspects of it, just didn't make a lot of long-term sense for us at this point," Saunders said.

Instead, that area will feature a "flex lawn" that could be used as a more intimate spot for events like Friday Night Flix, picnics and gatherings.

More: Vision for Rockford's 'people's park' calls for demolition, major renovation downtown

An initial master plan called for an urban beach that would have provided a place to sunbathe in the summer along the river but would not have provided access to the water. Such areas are meant to provide a beach atmosphere even in cities far from a coast.

Rockford officials are working with designers, tourism officials, the RAVE Authority and Rockford Park District to design a renovation of the riverside park in downtown Rockford into a central gathering point of the city for recreation, entertainment and fun.

Construction is expected to proceed in the spring.

Rockford has already spent $1.4 million to demolish the 104-year-old Lorden Building that had divided the park and had always appeared out of place. And Rockford utilized a grant secured by state Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Loves Park, to construct a boat dock.

A first phase of what is estimated to be a $10.5 million renovation is focused on the southern end of the park. Paid for with a mix of local and state funds, it will include a permanent stage, a great lawn, flex lawn, multiuse paths, support buildings for restrooms, storage and concessions, a universal playground and a skate park south of the railroad tracks.

As the design emerges, the urban beach was not the only element eliminated from the first phase.

Also gone, at least for now, is a splash pad. It had been proposed as part of the initial master plan, but Rockford is already investing in a $743,299 modernization and improvement of the Millennium Fountain located in Waterside Park to allow people to splash around on hot summer days.

It is unclear if the splash pad or urban beach will return in a future renovation phase. Officials said the first phase is meant to stand on its own even if no future phases come to fruition.

Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO John Groh said cost was a factor in the decision to eliminate those elements, but there was also a focus placed on attractions that people could use during as many months of the year as possible, not just during summer months.

The universal playground, a playground that goes beyond being merely accessible and would be designed to accommodate all sorts of children with various abilities, is expected to be a regional attraction, Groh said.

Although the master plan called for a standard playground of about 1,300 square feet, the universal playground will be at least 6,000 square feet, officials said.

"We wanted to make sure we put the dollars behind building the very best, very biggest destination playground that we could," Groh said. "We wanted something that would draw people throughout the year from within the community and that would be unique enough to draw people to the community."

Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at  (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: As Rockford Davis Park plan comes in to focus, there is no urban beach