The Spokane Parks Board has selected Seattle-based Berger Partnership to complete the design and landscape of public spaces and park grounds for the Riverfront Park revitalization.

The Park Board approved a $1.5-million contract with Berger Partnership earlier this month. The two other landscape architectural finalists considered by the parks board were Walker Macy, of Portland, and San Francisco-based Hargreaves Associates, says City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Division spokeswoman Monique Cotton.

Cotton says Berger Partnership will rely heavily on the advice of a dozen Spokane firms, including the Spokane office of the CH2M Hill Inc. engineering firm, and Land Expressions, a landscape architecture firm based in Mead.

The contract with Berger is part of the $64.3 million in Riverfront Park renovations that city voters approved in November. The anticipated completion date for the entire park project is spring of 2019, Cotton says.

The Berger Partnership now will begin early design study work, including a detailed review of the Riverfront Park master plan. The city anticipates hosting a public presentation and exhibit to showcase Berger Partnership’s initial schematic designs early next year, Cotton says.

Berger’s work is one part of a proposed master plan that includes relocation and upgrades to the ice rink and the Looff Carousel; a complete renovation of the U.S. Pavilion, playgrounds; tree-lined pedestrian promenades; a new tour train; and new leasable shelters on Havermale Island, as well as on the north bank of the park. The updated park will also feature a central pathway, security upgrades, new strategic lighting, sound, and improved views.

The task is to solicit input from the community about what kind of park it wants to have for the next 20 years, Cotton says. “We want to make sure people feel comfortable in the park.”

For months, the city has been gathering testimony from residents and businesses about the park’s future. Cotton says drawing people to the center of the park, and “reconnecting” with the Spokane River, are two major sentiments that have been expressed.

In continuing with that theme, city parks and rec, the Spokane Public Facilities District, Avista Utilities, and the Spokane River Forum recently announced the opening of a new location for public access to the river. The downtown Spokane River access point is on the river’s south side under the Division Street Bridge near the Spokane Convention Center.

Parks and rec is offering paddleboard tours starting at the new access point on Sept. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $15 per person. After the paddleboard tours on Sept. 5, the new river access will be free and open to the public.