What started as a progressive idea to re-embrace the river and increase our sense of place has since been compromised and watered down so we can maintain the status quo.

I’m referring to the Water Street Business Improvement District’s (BID) plan to build a lookout on the Chippewa River at the start of the walking trail on 5th Avenue. It will provide a roughly 20-by-20 foot concrete deck with a few black metal benches and railings from which to view the river, beautification of the riverfront by eliminating invasive species and replanting native trees, all of which will be completely paid for by the BID with the hope of going in this summer (still needs city council approval).

As cool as it is, the plan is a compromise of their fantastic original conception, a beach launch and stopping point for tubers (of which there are thousands every summer, many from that very neighborhood). People can still get down to the river in the lookout plan, but the idea is that the lack of a structure won’t “invite” people to.

Safety officials of the city did not agree with the original plan, and made their reactionary decision to protect Eau Claire from a poor image and liability lawsuits in the case of a drunk student drowning (we’ve had several in the past decade). Yet as far as I know, no one introduced compromises like signage saying “no one allowed after sundown” or “at your own risk” or even a padlock. Just a simple “no” would suffice, and the BID respectfully conceded.

Not building any pathways or structures down to the river makes it appear as though we’re not “meant” to be near the river. Aren’t we supposed to be embracing the city’s rivers? Isn’t that what makes our area geographically unique? You’d think we’d be trying to promote the exact opposite mentality. Plus that kind of mentality creates a “forbidden fruit” situation that attracts the exact kind of people you don’t want screwing around by the rivers (drunk kids, vandals, polluters, vagrants, etc.) and repels the exact kind of people you want near the rivers.

    Think of the last time you saw people down by the river – not tubing in the river, just people down on the banks. Even if you’ve spotted one of the rare few in Owen Park or Phoenix Park down to skip a stone or just relax, there’s physical boundaries that make it difficult to do simply that (a steep hill in Owen Park and large boulders in Phoenix Park). Why are we designing boundaries instead of structures?

What structures we do have near the rivers are bridges, and most people know that what goes on under there are (at best) campfires and drinking. Not exactly the types of recreation you want near the rivers.

I don’t mean to demean those who have lost their lives in the river, nor those close to them. But, lets face it, there’s nothing stopping someone from getting down to the river if they are determined to do so. I’m not advocating that we should place more barriers to the river to dissuade this sort of thing (I’ve heard La Crosse built fences all along the Mississippi); in fact, I’m arguing the exact opposite.

Isn’t it possible that the more recreation and interaction our residents have with the river the more respect we’ll gain for its power and dangers? Those hundreds of people in town that have gone tubing for an afternoon know the strength of the Chippewa’s current, as do kayakers and fishing hobbyists.

I don’t mean to rip on the Water Street BID’s plan for a lookout deck. I think it’s a fantastic addition to the city, and a shining example of how businesses can come to together and raise funds to build something that betters the area. But a stairway to the river is as much a stairway “down” – beckoning people to interact with the city’s natural gem – as it is a stairway “up” – attracting people to an important retail shopping district.

At least the city officials and I can agree on one thing. The stairway is a liability. But while they view it as something that will lead to lawsuits and deaths, I see it as the positive kind of liability that leads to increased awareness, an increased sense of place, and (in the case of the Water Street project) increased business/tourism.