Because of flooding and aging of the location, plans are in the works for Lower City Park to have new amenities and revisions put in place. Since the 2008 flood, and several seasonal floods since then, the park — across the river from Mayflower Hall on Park Road — has suffered immensely.

Officials held a public forum Wednesday at Robert A. Lee Rec Center to review some ideas for the park. Members of the community learned about what is being planned for the spaces and had an opportunity to share their own ideas.

Confluence, an architecture firm located in Des Moines, is in charge of the renovation project. The city held an open competition, and Confluence presented the best approach for Iowa City and its residents.

Some of the many ideas Confluence has for the park include a fishing pier, a high-ropes course, a skate park, zip lines, and much more. The firm works with a company called Pros Consulting, which looks at trends and demographics to pick potential attractions to add.

“We have developed a concept that includes most of the amenities in the park that are already there,” said Patrick Alvord, a representative from Confluence. “Our hope is after comments and input from the public, we can revise the plan to help with the flooding and aging issues surrounding the park.”

So far, there are no funding plans to address the proposed renovations. Once the plans are finished, and the layout of the new park is set, officials will look at how to gather funds and remodeling will begin shortly after.

There is no set amount of amenities that Iowa City’s Parks and Recreation Department hopes to add during the renovations. For officials, it’s all about what the city and its residents hope to see in their park.

Assistant City Manager Geoff Fruin has been heavily involved in the proposals.

“We have to make sure to have community buy in,” he said. “It is critical that we hear from people and are able to incorporate their ideas.”

One major concern involves a potential move of the baseball fields. Over the years, they have suffered from not only the 2008 flood, but others in the past seven or eight years. In return, the boy’s baseball league wants the fields to stay in Lower City Park, because they have been there for decades.

Another big concern surrounds the park’s ponds. Confluence proposed to remove them so when the river and ponds rise, the interior parts of the park do not flood.