East coast river park sets example for Wabash

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLFI) - The Lafayette-area delegation to Washington D.C. got a glimpse this week of what the Wabash riverfront may look like at some point in the not-too-distant future.

The group toured the Georgetown Waterfront Park this afternoon. 

Ten years ago, the eight-acre site just up river from the Kennedy Center was nothing but a desolate parking lot.

Now it is a beautiful park used by many and includes art, a labyrinth and a fountain for people to play in during the summer months. 

This is the first D.C. delegation to be able to view the completed project.

“It's very exciting because it gets you juiced up to start moving forward into our development phase,” Wabash River Enhancement Corridor Director Stanton Lambert said. “We finished our design phase, done some land acquisition, done some environment cleanup. So, we're moving forward and able to get into the active development phase and it's exciting to see what plans actually look like when you bring them to life on the ground."

The same firm that developed the Georgetown Waterfront Park put together the Wabash Corridor master plan.

Stanton Lambert says the old Midwest Rentals site, which is currently undergoing clean-up, may be ready to open as park space as early as 2014.