Quote:
Originally Posted by muertecaza
John McCain looking to extend Tempe Town Lake-type project from Mesa to the West Valley.
https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...-with-rio.html
Seems doubtful that anything could get done within McCain's (or frankly my) lifetime, but it would be great to see the Salt River revitalized.
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Over the years, I've toyed with the idea of the riverbed being an extension of Indian Bend Wash aka Green Belt from beyond the Tempe Town Lake dam to at least Central Ave. I re-imagined the trickle of water that always escapes the dam and feeds the riparian area under Priest Dr as a meandering stream shaded by copious copses of cottonwoods. There would be walking and biking paths and small bridges criss-crossing. The dam itself would have water flowing over it constantly into splash pads below. There would be hourly water shows with fountains of water synchronized to music. At night, it would light up and, on certain nights, display art projections. In times of overflow, this would shut down so the excess water could be routed into runoff alongside the park which would take it further downstream.
At the widest part of the riverbed, there would be a baseball field and a gazebo with a grassy open. The berm which abuts the entire riverbed would be lined with trees (I was thinking cypress) to act as a soft barrier from landing planes and nearby freeway. Of course the closer to Central, there would be apartments and condo overlooking the park (think Hafen-Harbor in Hamburg).