KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM)– Plans to revamp Bronson Park to add some new features and make it more user-friendly with everything from an ice-skating rink to WiFi are slowly moving forward.
This week, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation granted $100,000 and the Michigan Humanities Council contributed $22,250 to address one of the enduring controversies created by the Ianelli Fountain.
Last night, Kalamazoo city commissioners, once again, heard from critics — two Native Americans who said the fountain is racist and should be taken down because it appears to depict a frontiersman holding a weapon over a Native American tribesman in full headdress.
The city has been working with the Pottawatomi Tribe to use it as a teaching opportunity.
The county board, which technically owns the park and leases it to the city, will get a briefing on the master plan Tuesday afternoon.
So far, they have raised just under $1 million for the $2.8 milion project, which is still a year or two off.
