Design council approves 90% design for Crystal Prairie Lake Park with conditions on ADA, quotes and future lighting conduit

The Wichita City design council approved a 90% design for Crystal Prairie Lake Park on Monday, with members asking staff to confirm accessibility requirements for built‑in benches, verify sources for quoted inscriptions, and add conduit or junction boxes so lighting can be installed in the future.

"My name's Tim Pelhams. I'll be doing the first half of this presentation," Tim Pelhams said as he opened the design overview, which covers phase 1 elements including a trail, parking, fencing near the landfill, and pedestrian connections toward Sedgwick County Park. Pelhams said RDG has been involved with the park project for many years and that the current submittal reflects 90% design development.

Gary (project designer) described the park’s sensory-based artwork approach: coves emphasizing smell, water, touch/soil and plants with integrated glazed 'clay bars' set into precast retaining walls. The council was shown elevations and a 3D view; presenters said the precast retaining wall height would be a maximum of about 3 feet and clay bars would be grouted into the precast with each bar projecting roughly 3 inches from the face.

Council members raised questions about how the clay bars interact with the bench (some bars extend beneath bench seats), whether the recessed grout/detailing will be visible in normal light, and whether the benches must meet particular built‑in bench accessibility rules. "It just might be something I'd look into," one council member said of accessibility requirements.

Members also discussed site amenities such as bike racks near the parking lot and the desirability of running conduit or installing a junction box during construction so future lighting can be added without later disruptive excavation. Project staff agreed to investigate electrical provisions and to provide cost/quote information where feasible.

A council member moved to approve the 90% design with recommendations to confirm the quoted inscriptions’ sources, check ADA/accessible‑seating requirements for benches, and include conduit/junction‑box provisions for future lighting. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

The council recorded several follow‑up items for staff: confirm quote attributions intended for bench inscriptions; verify whether bench design must be altered to meet accessibility standards; and provide a cost estimate for adding conduit/boxing for future site lighting.