Although the plans have yet to be approved, the proposal to renovate Peace Park has proven to be quite controversial.
Some see the proposed renovation to Peace Park, located at 452 State St., as necessary, but others see nothing wrong with the park in its current state.
At Tuesday's neighborhood meeting concerning the proposed renovations, many people wanted to know how the renovations would impact the homeless population known to gather in the area.
One female UW-Madison student spoke out and said that by renovating the park, the homeless would be driven out, no help would be provided to them and they would have nowhere else to go.
The student also said she feared that if an ATM were installed in the proposed visitors center, which is part of the plan, then the homeless would be forced to panhandle farther away from the park because of a law prohibiting panhandling within a certain distance of an ATM.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he wants the new park to encourage more use because there are very few green spaces in the downtown area. He said the renovations would increase the number of people using the park instead of pushing them away.
Another concern brought up was the impact of a proposed police workstation. Some said that the workstation, as well as the overall police presence, were unnecessary.
However, Cpt. Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department said there have been multiple crimes reported near the Peace Park area and the presence of police officers would not be excessive.
The proposed renovations include the rebuilding of the entire park and the addition of a visitors center. The current design of the new park would include an amphitheater, chess tables and lighting improvements. The proposed version of the visitors center would include an information desk, public restrooms and an ATM.
