One of the murals in Rensselaer's Riverfront Park.

The city of Rensselaer is looking to make some improvements to its Riverfront Park -- and it's hoping you have some ideas.

There's a quick online survey asking people about their preferences for updated park amenities such as new lighting, pathways, benches, or even the many murals that are around the park. The survey will be collecting responses through November 15. (There are also physical copies of the survey at City Hall and the Rensselaer Public Library.)

Ketura Vics -- the assistant director of planning and development for Rensselaer -- said the city has $125,000 state grant via Assembly member John McDonald to pay for improvements, so it wants to get a sense of what's important to people. And while the city won't be able to make every suggested improvement -- that money will only go so far -- the feedback will also allow the city to plan for the future.

Speaking of the future... Rensselaer recently officially opened a new esplanade just a bit north of Riverfront Park. And Vics said via email the city is thinking about the bigger picture here: "As the city continues to grow and develop, we hope to have trails all along the waterfront and through the city that are connected via 'complete street' designs in order to improve access and mobility throughout our small, linear city."

Albany-Rensselaer

We've mentioned this a few times before, but it's worth saying again: The cities of Albany and Rensselaer could both benefit from a better pedestrian/bike/whatever connection across the river.

Between the improvements in Corning Riverfront Park, the planned Albany Skyway, the development at the Rensselaer esplanade, the plans for the Albany South End Connector and the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, and maybe even the gondola (who knows), there are possibilities to create an interesting cross-river interactions and area that includes parks and trails and even commuting.

It's just one more reason to think about how to incorporate a pedestrian/bike path on the next version of the nearby Livingston Ave Bridge. And for both Albany and Rensselaer to collaborate on a future.

Earlier

+ Checking out the new Rensselaer esplanade

+ Taking in the murals in Rensselaer's Riverfront Park