City plans new $16.1 million center for former homeless encampment

A preliminary plan to build a $16.1 million “Imagination Center” with library and pavilion at Reindahl Park was unveiled by the city of Madison, according to a Wisconsin State Journalreport. The plan calls for a new library and park pavilion to be constructed beginning in early 2023. The initial concepts come after several years of study and community outreach about the park. The modernistic, 16,000-square-foot center at the 91-acre park, at East Washington Avenue and Portage Road, will combine a library, park pavilion, and city services. It is estimated that the cost to operate the center would be $1.72 million annually. Reindahl Park held a sprawling homeless encampment until it was closed in November 2021, and occupants were relocated to other shelter options.