News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The Saddle Tramps perform at Culligan Plaza in downtown Alpena on Friday. A redesign of the plaza is in the works and residents will be asked to input on the new layout.

ALPENA — After receiving blowback over a proposed redesign of the Culligan Plaza, the committee that oversees the local park will seek public input and ideas on the project, which could amend the current design plans.

According to City Manager Rachel Smolinski, the plaza committee met earlier this month and it wants to learn more about residents’ vision for the future of the plaza and what it will look like.

She said a survey will be available to fill out soon and more details about the path forward will be released in the coming weeks.

Last month, the city released preliminary renderings of what the updated park could look like. It featured a smaller water fountain tucked away in the corner of the park. Archways and a large lighted tower — capable of changing colors for special events — near the park’s front were also included in the design.

The design raised the ire of residents, who expressed disappointment with the design, particularly the tower. Many people shared their frustration on social media and during public comment sessions at local meetings.

“The public’s input is invaluable and we certainly have taken the feedback we received to heart and intend to get more feedback,” Smolinski said. “We intend to take the feedback and integrate the desired elements into a new design.”

Culligan Plaza — the traditional site of the city Christmas tree — was constructed in the 1970s and is in need of plumbing and infrastructure repairs. The fountain also isn’t accessible for people who have disabilities.

The budget for the project updates is $320,000 and a combination of funding from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and grants from the First Federal Foundation and the Alpena Youth and Recreation Committee would pay for the proposed improvements.

Some who opposed the proposed design started online petitions to help motivate those involved to include the public in a larger capacity in the planning and design of the plaza.

More than 1,000 people signed the petition, but not all of the people who did were from Alpena. There were the signatures of people from as nearby as Harrisville and as far away as the Netherlands.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.