City of South Bend to hold Seitz Park Re-opening ribbon cutting Thursday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – After six years of renovations, construction delays, and plenty of anticipation, Seitz Park is finally open in downtown South Bend.

The city will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, July 17 at 1:30 p.m. to make things official. Mayor James Mueller, city leaders, and officials from the University of Notre Dame are expected to attend. The public is invited to join the celebration.

The project, originally expected to take far less time, went over budget and schedule due to a number of construction delays and COVID-19 disruptions. Now, the park and its concessions are open to the public.

A gate that had long blocked the bridge connecting Seitz Park to the walking path along the East Race Waterway is now gone.

The concession stand is open, and new amenities like updated bathrooms, a raised riverwalk, and a rebuilt bandshell are ready for use.

Below the park, a hydroelectric plane developed with Notre Dame.

On Tuesday afternoon, families were already out enjoying the improvements. Among them was Mo and his four-year-old daughter Isis, born after construction first began.

“Well, I’m taking my daughter to basically see the water, and get to the other side to the park, and we just enjoying ourselves on a hot day,” Mo said.

Jordan Gathers, Executive Director of Venues, Parks & Arts, said in a statement,

“You can attribute this to Jordan Gathers, Executive Director of Venues Parks &Arts:

"We’re excited to welcome everyone back for the reopening of Seitz Park with a ribbon cutting this week.

This project has been years in the making with a few surprises and a pandemic along the way, but the result is worth it.

Visitors can enjoy brand-new restrooms, a new concession area, a raised riverwalk, and a revitalized bandshell perfect for our summer concert series.

It’s all about honoring what people loved while making it even better. We can’t wait to see families and friends creating new memories at Seitz Park for years to come."

The ribbon cutting will officially reopen the park to the community this Thursday afternoon.”