A Riverfront View -Development is taking root

[William Hull]

Dan Wire was excited Mr. Tom Henry the mayor had finally accepted his invitation to meet him and his wife on his boat for hors d’oeuvres and wine. Dan was optimistic that he could possibly convince the mayor to let him escort him on a short 30-45-minute tour though the waterway. His hopes were not in vain; the mayor was intrigued with the beautiful scenery. He was impress with how many places they could go and things they could see by only using the water way. Dan wire had lived in the area for around sixty years and had traveled the waterways for most of his life. Dan knew the waterways very well and had ventured up, down and around the connecting rivers probably more than anyone else in the area. The mayor was engulfed in the beauty of the surroundings and the short tour lasted over three hours. He had many questions and had thoughts of the numerous possibilities the waterways offered. That short tour led to many steps in the future. They dedicated a plaque to the Fort Wayne Civic Improvement Association that had 2 women in a reclining position one of the women was meant to represent “nature and sleeping” the other reclining women was meant to represent “natural beauty awakened”. The citizens of Fort Wayne placed the plaque. They hoped to awake a new civic spirit and increase river improvement. The project stood still for many years. Several years later things have changed numerous improvements were made and they now have boat tours and things to do on the rivers.

Key Takeaways:

• Phase One of the river land development will occur on banks of the St. Marys
• Dan Wire, long-time resident of Fort Wayne, wants to see the land by the three rivers developed.
• There's over dozen varieties of game and non-game fish in the rivers.

"Long before the dreams of rooftop terraces and pedestrian bridges as part of a promenade area, and long before the ideas of a pavilion, event lawn, urban bioswale and a dock were designed and mapped out and put on paper as a very real possibility, city leaders saw the value of our rivers all the way back in the early 1900s"

Read more: http://www.fortwayne.com/fortwaynemonthly/features/a-riverfront-view/