Lookout Point opens on Friday

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Pocatello is unveiling a new park in its Historic Downtown area on Friday.

Crews are hard at work getting ready for the debut of Lookout Point, the city's new town square.

"This has been a five year project," said Historic Downtown President & CEO Stephanie Palagi. "We started very seriously planning and doing some visionary work about four years ago, and here we are today ready to open. We're about 30 days behind where we wanted to be, just basically because we had such a horribly long winter."

Lookout Point features a brand new stage for concerts, a playground for the kids, and plenty of space for families to enjoy.

"We wanted open visibility, so that kids can be sitting along the fountain looking at the stage and have a performance or a musical," Palagi said. "We wanted a playground for the kids to enjoy, lots of grass, boulders, hills to sit on. This is really a place where the community can come together, enjoy the summer, and enjoy an amenity that will be open year round."

Historic Downtown recently moved their headquarters to the Bangs Building that's connected to the park. They are hoping to make the new town square a primary access point.

"The intent was to be in a more centralized location, so that we could feed customers out," Palagi said. "They come to an event downtown, but then they go shop and dine and enjoy the entire downtown area, not just come to the Farmer's Market and leave downtown, but come to the Farmer's Market and go and experience downtown."

They also wanted to keep many of the features of the old Simplot Square.

"The fountain is iconic to the downtown area, so to incorporate the fountain and open up the concrete walls and resurface the benches and the two pavilions that we have, it really ties everything together," Palagi said.

Palagi says after almost a year of construction, they are ready to show off Lookout Point to the city.

"The community has embraced the idea from the very beginning, and as we've started the development to the grand opening, people are just so excited," Palagi said. "The buzz in the community, among community leaders, among our business owners downtown, people are excited. They are excited for a new amenity that downtown has never had before."

Lookout Point are holding a grand opening celebration on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. The event will include live music, food trucks, local vendors, and several giveaways.