SUPERIOR, Wis. - Even as Center City Park sparkled to life with Christmas cheer Wednesday, city and Superior Business Improvement District officials were looking ahead to next summer's promise of brighter, warmer days.
The BID and city of Superior kicked off a contest that aims to do just that Wednesday. The partners are seeking designs for the garden adjacent to Superior Public Library in Center City Park.
Anytime you bring color and vibrancy to downtown, that builds excitement, said BID Director Kaye Tenerelli.
The competition launched Wednesday gives individuals and organizations the opportunity to design the garden at Center City Park for the 2010 summer season.
"We're really excited," said Parks and Recreation Administrator Mary Morgan. "... I'm hoping to bring the creativity of interested individuals or groups to this site."
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The competition is open to anyone with an interesting in gardening, except professional landscaping firms.
The garden site is triangular, giving the creator a 35-foot by 45-foot by 47-foot spot near on the northwest corner of the library to let their ideas blossom. The area features a plaque recognizing the contributors who helped create the park and one of the statues donated by the Superior Women's Club when the group created the park originally in the mid-1970s.
Work to expand and renovate the park wrapped up this year.
"When the park was built, I have to admit, I was remiss about the size of this particular annual bed," Morgan said. "I made an order of flowers and I bought some more and then I bought some more. And in doing that, it dawned on me that this would be just a perfect palette for people interested in gardening to exercise their creativity."
The winning design will feature annual plants that can be purchased by the city and BID at a cost of $1,500 or less. Judging will be based on originality of the garden design; balance and scale of the garden to the setting; choice of plants; ease of maintenance; and cost analysis.
In the spring, the city and BID will purchase plants in the winning design and recreate the garden in the park for the 2010 summer season.
Tenerelli said people are already enjoying the newly renovated park and she's hopeful this will draw people to Superior's downtown.
The winning designer receives $500 in BID Bucks and a sign in the garden acknowledges the winner.
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Designers can pick up an entry packet at the Parks & Recreation Division on the second floor of the Government Center, 1316 N. 14th St., or download it from www.ci.superior.wi.us . Entries must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Jan. 6. They can be dropped off at the Parks & Recreation Division, or submitted electronically to parks@ci.superior.wi.us .
"We're really looking for people to hopefully spend a little of these dark winter days thinking about summertime beauty," Morgan said.
