FiND iT FREDERiCK Magazine Winter 2017 | Page 19

The planning for Carroll Creek Park began in the late 1970s in an effort to remove Downtown Frederick from the 100-year floodplain and restore economic vitality to the historic commercial district . Today , after much planning , time and money , the creek that threatened the city repeatedly has been tamed into a gorgeous waterfront park .
As of June 2006 , the first phase of the park improvements were completed . Running from just beyond Court Street to just past Carroll Street , elements to the park include what is a nearly 1.3-mile long study in functional art . Brick pedestrian paths are bedazzled with mosaics , bronzecast water features and beautifully crafted iron-work flank pedestrian bridges , a 350- seat amphitheater welcomes the public for outdoor performances during milder weather , while the Community Mural Bridge beckons visitors to stay awhile and gaze at the amazing examples of the trompe l ’ oeil style of painting , completed by local artist William Cochran and assistants in 1998 .
The next phase of improvements include the area from the Delaplaine Visual Arts
Education Center on Carroll Street to East Patrick Street . Construction began in December 2013 and was completed in May 2016 . Beautiful planters and additional fountains , while not a focus during the winter , provide lovely architectural structure as snow begins to blanket the area .
These improvements are not without some problems . Unfortunately , the slow moving water in the creek created water quality issues . Recurrent algae blooms throughout the summer months had detracted from the project . Enter the nonprofit , Color on the Creek . In early May of 2013 , the creek ’ s water garden was established with more than 100 volunteers potting and placing more than 1,000 perennial and 150 tropical plants in the creek . The garden now has about 4,000 plants in 450 containers and extends well over 1 / 4 of a mile in length while covering nearly 30,000 square feet of water . While not an official title , it could possibly be the longest planted water garden in the world !
So that takes care of the warm weather season , but what about once the plants are dormant ? Enter the creative and inspired
Photography by Peter Kremers
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