The
Friends of Belle Isle (FOBI) will present a forum on the management of Belle Isle at the Detroit Historical Museum on Thursday, October 8 at 6 p.m. The forum is being held in conjunction with the Belle Isle: Soul of the City exhibition showing at the museum until October 11.
The forum's conversation will be moderated by Janet Anderson, PhD, author of
Belle Isle: Island in the City. The panel will include representatives from
Hamilton Anderson Associates, the firm that designed the park's most recent master plan, and the
Belle Isle Women's Committee, the group that just completed the
restoration of Sunset Point. "We hope to make the case that two things need to happen for Belle Isle: a master plan around which we can all rally, and dedicated management not
fettered by the city of Detroit's awful woes," says Anderson. "Now does seem the time for
action."
The panel will look at management structures and agencies that have worked to develop, preserve and maintain other historic and natural assets such as
Eastern Market Corporation (Eastern Market),
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (Detroit RiverWalk and Dequindre Cut) and the
Detroit Historical Society (Detroit Historical Museum). Strategies that other cities have used will also be explored.
A $5 donation is requested from the general public, while Detroit Historical Society and FOBI members get in free. Call 313-833-7934 for more information about the museum, and 313-331-7760 to reach FOBI.
Source: Janet Anderson, FOBI
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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