Recreation Department ends busy year of park spruce-ups

The Detroit Recreation Department completed $18.7 million of capital improvements in 2007.

Parks that got a lot of attention include Butzel, Farwell, Simanek, Van Antwerp (pictured here) and Rouge Park's In-Town Youth Camp. Wayne County funded improvements at 11 additional parks. Additionally, the roof at the Belle Isle maintenance garage and the Crowell Recreation Center were replaced and the Northwest Activities Center was renovated.

Butzel, located on Kercheval east of East Grand Boulevard, was landscaped, repairs were made to its basketball court and fences and new play area equipment was installed. The park received $350,000 worth of improvements. Farwell ($185,000) and Simanek ($220,000) received similar upgrades, The work at Van Antwerp Park, as previously reported in Model D, cost $317,000.

The Rouge Park In-Town Youth Camp received two play structures and swings, nature trails, observation areas and informational signage, a comfort station and picnic shelter and amenities such as benches, picnic tables, grills and trash receptacles. DRD invested $165,136 in to the improvements and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant contributed $407,000.

Wayne County contributed a total of $975,000 to twelve parks, with $50,000 being used at Butzel. The others are Algonquin- Goethe, Bradley, Brookins, LaSalle Ford, Littlefield, Hill, Shirley-Plymouth, Fields, Hope, Mansfield-Diversy and Rockdale-Kendall.

The two roof replacements cost a combined $144,000. By far the biggest ticket item on DRD's 2007 list was the $16 million renovation of the Northwest Activities Center. Read about it here.

Source: Jennifer Roberts DRD
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh