Friends of the River Foundation Highlights Progress on River Renewal

The Salina City Commission on Monday approved multiple naming items tied to the Smoky Hill River renewal project, while also hearing pointed public concerns about whether river silt proposed for use near Lakewood Park could create environmental problems.

One of the approvals was for Kubota Plaza, the future plaza area at Fourth Street connected to the river renewal project. City staff said the proposal includes a $1.5 million donation from Kubota Manufacturing/Great Plains, to be paid over 10 years, for future public improvements tied to that section of the project. The commission approved the naming request 5-0.

Speaking for Great Plains and the Friends of the River Foundation, Dee Warren said the company wanted to make “another investment in Salina,” adding that it was not just an investment “in steel and in concrete,” but in “the river project” itself.

Jane Anderson, executive director of Friends of the River Foundation, said the broader fundraising effort for the Smoky Hill River renewal project has already brought in “over 8 million in confirmed pledges and gifts,” with more still being pursued.

Public comment during the Lakewood-related hearing shifted the focus from naming to the river itself, especially the plan to use silt removed from the river channel in the Lakewood area. Ben Winholds warned that the material could be contaminated by decades of runoff, telling commissioners, “everything that comes from the street, from salt to antifreeze to fuel to oil, basically, can end up in this silt.” He questioned whether placing that material at Lakewood could harm “the wildlife, fish and everything in Lakewood.”

Mark Carl raised similar concerns, saying he had been told the silt was contaminated and questioning what would happen to fishing at Lakewood if the river connection changes. He told commissioners, “No trout, no fish. You’re gonna have carp and gar in there,” and also questioned whether changes tied to the old river channel could create new flood concerns.

Another speaker, Lucille Sanderson, argued the city itself helped create the current condition of the old riverbed. She said, “the city created this problem in the old riverbed,” pointing to past changes in how water was routed through the area.

After the public comments, a commissioner asked staff whether soil testing had been done. City staff said it had. According to the discussion, the soil had been tested in increments along the river and staff said there were no contamination concerns. Martha, speaking for the city, said EPA funds were used to test the Smoky Hill River channel “over 500 feet for the entire length of the river channel,” and said that data is included in the feasibility work being done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “So it’s been looked at,” she said.

The commission also advanced another river-related naming request, approving the Earl Bane Foundation Founders Park Trail. Staff said that proposal is tied to a $1.6 million donation for future public improvements at Founders Park as part of the river project.

Throughout the meeting, city staff repeatedly described the naming items as part of a larger fundraising push for unfunded pieces of the Smoky Hill River renewal project, with final design, construction details and signage plans still expected to come back to the commission later.