NEWS RELEASE —

The City of Wausau and Stantec were recognized by the Wisconsin Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects (WI-ASLA) with a Professional Design Merit Award for the Wausau riverfront redevelopment.

The riverfront work, branded as the “RiverLife” project, is the culmination of more than 30 years of dedication to land assembly and funding from the Wausau Mayors and Council, supported by their Steering Committee and generous donors. Stantec assisted with grant winning, master planning, brownfield pollution clean-up, all aspects of the site and trail design, and construction administration.

“From a city standpoint, we couldn’t be more pleased with this award as a testament to the excellent work our employees do in cooperation with our Stantec partners”, said Wausau Mayor Robert Mielke. “Our East Riverfront is coming alive with superior features that will continue to evolve and drive our quality of life here in Wausau for years to come.”

Key design features of the RiverLife trail include a daylighted channel with waterfall; a pedestrian “wishing bridge”; The Wharf that offers boat and kayak access to the river; and the Adirondack picnic plaza. The next phase will include a park, restroom and concession building, a jumping jet fountain, art, a climbing wall, and challenge courses.

“Each of these features invite citizens to come down and enjoy the City’s beautiful Wisconsin River frontage,” said Marc Putman, senior landscape architect with Stantec. “It truly is a regional destination.”

Award judges noted that the “impressive environmental reclamation of the site truly energized the public space”, and it “sets the table for future development opportunities.”

The award was presented at the WI-ASLA’s Spring Conference. Accepting the award for the City and their Steering Committee was Bill Duncanson, Parks Director, with Marc Putman PLA LEED AP accepting for the Stantec design team and Project Manager Eric Lembke PE. The City and Stantec previously won a National Brownfield Renewal Economic Impact Award for the riverfront project.