The Bismarck City Commission made its choices, or rather the wishes of the people, for the park that will accompany construction of the new Liberty Memorial Bridge.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is awaiting Bismarck's input on the park project so final decisions can be made by the director, said NDDOT's Ben Kubischta, who, along with Ulteig Engineers' A.J. Wallevand, met with the commission on Tuesday.

The Mandan City Commission was asked to make similar decisions for a park, which will be built on the Mandan side of the Missouri. Mandan is contributing $145,000 to the project, while Bismarck is providing $125,000.

Kubischta said a public input meeting was held on Jan. 31 and participants were given an opportunity to make selections on various alternatives for park amenities.

The choices, Wallevand said, included:

* Additional park lighting or creation of earth art areas, featuring the use of low maintenance, native ornamental grasses.

* Use of full color or sepia color for interpretive panels depicting the old bridge, which the new one replaces.

* Whether the base supporting the panels would be a simple block or more natural base, resembling the river under the bridge.

* The use of miniature piers to support the panels, resembling either the old bridge piers or new piers.

* Preservation of either a lattice or joint remnant of the old bridge which will be displayed in the park.

The panels and bridge remnant are required as part of the mitigation of replacing the old bridge, Kubischta said.

The public favored the additional lighting, sepia tone, natural base, old pier miniature replicas and lattice joint. Similar choices were made by the Mandan city commission.

"The public had their vote, so I'll go with what they want," Commissioner Steve Schwab said.

Commissioner Sandi Tabor said she agreed, and a motion to confirm the choices passed on a 3-0 vote.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)