About WREC
The Wabash River
Enhancement Corporation (WREC) was established by the City of Lafayette, the
City of West Lafayette, and Tippecanoe County. Its mission is to enhance the
quality of life in the Wabash River Corridor by creating sustainable
opportunities to improve health, recreation, education, economic development,
and environmental management.
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About the Plan
This planning effort is not the first planning initiative for the Wabash in the
Lafayette-West Lafayette reach, and so, it builds on a rich legacy of public
participation. In addition to asking the community to share their insight about
their vision for the future of the Wabash River, this planning process will be
exploring new frontiers by developing a plan of action comprised of a series of
implementable strategies and projects with both short and long term planning
horizons.
Phase 1
The initial phase of the work is focused on the downtown river segment, which we
define as the areas between the Route 52 Bridge to the north, the Route 231
Bridge to the south, primarily River Road to the west, and the Ninth Street
corridor leading down to the rail corridor (south of Columbia) to the east.
We are currently completing Task 1 of the Phase 1 process, which is the
information gathering and analysis phase of work. Our initial findings were
shared at a public meeting, and a sample of the work is included on this site. |
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Watershed Coordinator
The Wabash River Enhancement Corporation seeks to hire a watershed coordinator
to work with stakeholders in developing a watershed management plan for the
Lafayette-West Lafayette reach of the Wabash River. The coordinator will
organize steering committee and public meetings, prepare draft plan documents,
coordinate volunteers, and collect water samples for analysis at Purdue
University. The job description, along with instructions for applying, can be
found by clicking here. Applications are due October 31, 2008. |
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Website coming soon!
Please note that this website is in development. A much more robust and
well-rounded version of the website will be launched soon. We hope that you will
use this coming website as a portal to the Wabash River. It will feature many
functions to better connect Lafayette-West Lafayette to activities on the Wabash
River, presenting opportunities to participate, celebrate, and educate on the
Wabash!
Part of the website will be dedicated to tracking the progress of this and other
future planning initiatives. The website will be a valuable tool to help
document and organize the planning process. Please sign up by simply providing
your email and ZIP code to the right. Periodic updates will be provided to
inform you of upcoming public meetings and so that you can stay informed,
involved and help shape the future of the Wabash River.
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Sponsors
North Central Health Services
Tippecanoe County
City of Lafayette
City of West Lafayette
Alcoa Foundation
Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette
Duke Energy Foundation
Tippecanoe County Park and Recreation Foundation
West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Foundation
Lafayette Urban Enterprise Association
Purdue University Research Foundation
Caterpillar
Lilly - Tippecanoe Laboratories |
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Greetings!
The Wabash River is a critical regional and local resource. It is an economic,
environmental, recreational, and cultural asset that is an essential cornerstone
of our community's future health and prosperity.
Thank you for your interest in the current planning initiative for the Wabash
River in the greater Lafayette-West Lafayette area. We were thrilled to have
over two hundred community members attend and participate in the first meeting.
We enjoyed meeting and interacting with each of you and look forward to future
opportunities to talk with you. We hope that the interest will continue to grow,
so we encourage you to attend the upcoming public presentations, and feel free
to bring a friend, or two! Your participation is integral in shaping the civic
vision and positioning Lafayette-West Lafayette to be a community of choice now,
and for future generations.
Concurrent to our planning efforts, a parallel effort is underway which focuses
on the development of a robust website to better connect Lafayette and West
Lafayette to activities on the Wabash River. We hope that you will use the
coming website as a portal to the Wabash River. Stay tuned.... |
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The next public meeting will be in mid-november!
Stay tuned for more info... |
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Results from the Public Meeting!
We were thrilled to see over two hundred community members at the first
community meeting for this project. We hope that interest continues to build and
that we see even more citizens at the next meetings!
During the meeting, community members shared ideas, goals, and desired project
principles, organized around the themes of environmental enhancment, economic
development, and quality of life. We have synthesized the community aspirations
into a set of overarching principles to guide the development of the plan. The
full record of public comments is also available below.
Connect the cities to the river + Create a healthy balance.
Provide safe, universal, all-season access to the river while maintaining a
balance of ecological integrity.
Cultivate healthy ecosystems.
Promote superb water quality and healthy ecosystems that support biodiversity
and expansion of native flora and fauna.
Engage the whole community.
Celebrate local culture and heritage and support a wide variety of recreational
opportunities that engage all generations. Cultivate community knowledge and
stewardship of the river.
Connect the cities to each other.
Connect Lafayette and West Lafayette through vibrant, compact, mixed-use
development supported by a coherent network of walkable streets and public
transportation.
Focus on creating a sustainable community of choice.
Enhance and develop sustainable attractions, amenities, and infrastructure,
creating an enduring, prosperous community of choice.
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Letter from the Executive Director
Thank you for your interest in the current planning initiative for the Wabash
River in the greater Lafayette-West Lafayette area.
We are excited to be kicking off the Wabash River Enhancement Project and
working closely with Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC – a nationally recognized
planning and design firm – who will help guide the planning process. This
process will provide a framework built from collective community values and that
vision will be the basis for development of plan recommendations.
Over the course of the project there will be ample opportunities to participate
and share your insight to help shape the community vision of the Wabash River.
The success of this planning effort is highly dependent on the active
participation and input by individuals, such as yourself. Your continued
participation is encouraged and appreciated.
Currently we have engaged with community members, organizations and local
leaders to guide review of existing conditions and analysis of the site. This
first phase of work will provide a launching point for the development of a
comprehensive, action-oriented plan for the Lafayette-West Lafayette reach
(Phase 1) of the Wabash River. Later (during Phase 2) we will be expanding our
study area to include the entire length of the Wabash River that meanders
through Tippecanoe County.
On September 4, 2008, a public workshop was held to present the existing
conditions analysis and findings. Public comments and ideas about the future of
the river were solicited and collected. Please visit the “Findings from the
Public Workshop – September 4th 2008” section below, where the preliminary
findings from the first public workshop are shared.
Over the next two months, we will be developing alternative plan approaches to
share with you at the next public presentation in mid-November. These
alternatives will embody your input and will provide a basis for public
discussion and direction for the development of a preferred alternative. We hope
you will be able to join in on the discussion!
Thanks again for your on-going support and participation. Here’s to creating a
civic vision and action plan for Lafayette-West Lafayette that helps us fulfill
our community's positions as a community of choice.
Respectfully,
Stanton Lambert
Executive Director, Wabash River Enhancement Corporation
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