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Councilmember
Raquel
Castaneda
Lopez
along
side
Second
grade
students
from
Detroit
Public
Schools
Community
District
gathered
at
Szafraniec
Park on
Detroit's
westside
for a
ceremonial
ground
breaking,
representing
the
start of
renovation
of 30
other
parks
throughout
the
city.
(Photo
by HB
Meeks/Tell
Us
Detroit) |
|
Mayor
unveils
first
completed
neighborhood
park
improvements,
announces
start of
30 more
•
Second
phase of
Mayor’s
40
Neighborhood
Parks
initiative
now
underway;
first 10
parks
renovated
last
fall
• Funds
for
two-year
program
coming
from
$11.7M
in
unspent
bond
funds
dating
back
decades
discovered
last
year by
CFO
DETROIT,
MI -
Mayor
Mike
Duggan
today
cut the
ribbon
on new
and
improved
Boyer
Park in
southwest
Detroit,
which is
among
the
first 10
to be
renovated
under
the 40
Neighborhood
Parks
program
he
launched
last
spring.
The
Mayor
also
announced
that
work is
getting
underway
on the
other 30
neighborhood
parks
slated
for
major
capital
improvements
this
year.
Standing
with
residents
of the
surrounding
neighborhood,
the
Mayor
officially
rededicated
Boyer
Park,
which
includes
new play
equipment,
soccer
field,
walking
paths,
benches,
a new
half-pipe
for
skateboarders
and a
basketball
half-court.
Construction
at Boyer
was
completed
late
last
fall.
Just two
miles
from
Boyer,
residents
gathered
to
celebrate
the
start of
construction
at
Szafraniec
Park,
which is
one of
30
remaining
neighborhood
parks
that
will be
upgraded
this
year.
All of
the
parks
being
improved
can be
seen at
www.Detroitmi.gov/40neighborhoodparks.
“These
park
improvements
are just
one of
the ways
we are
investing
in our
neighborhoods
for the
residents
who live
here and
to make
the city
more
attractive
to new
families,”
said
Mayor
Duggan.
“Access
to
quality
recreational
opportunities
is a key
to the
strength
of any
neighborhood.”
When
Mayor
Duggan
took
office
in
January
2014,
only
about 25
parks
citywide
were
being
regularly
maintained.
Within a
year,
however,
that
number
swelled
to about
275
thanks
in large
part to
a
successful
Adopt-A-Park
Program
with
local
churches,
businesses
and
other
organizations.
With
quality
maintenance
now
handled,
the City
has
turned
its
attention
to
making
significant
investments
into the
long-neglected
and
smaller
neighborhood
play
lots
that
once
served
as the
“Central
Park”
for many
families
and safe
havens
for
children.
In 2015,
the City
spent $1
million
to
improve
seven
neighborhood
parks,
including
Arthur,
Edmore-Marbud,
Optimist-Parkgrove,
Ryan,
Tuttle
and
Wilson,
bringing
to
nearly
50 the
number
of
neighborhood
parks
that
have
seen
major
upgrades
since
Mayor
Duggan
took
office.
“Neighborhood
parks
represent
more
than
green
grass
and
games
for
children.
They are
the
center
gathering
space
for a
neighborhood,
a place
for
families
to
gather,
laugh
and
play,”
said
Adriana
Alvarez,
a
Detroit
resident
who
lives
near
Boyer
Park and
President
of
Congress
of
Communities.
“Parks
are
where
neighbors
come
together
and
build
strong
friendships
that
will
help us
bring
this
city
back.”
Community
engagement
key to
developing
Parks
plan
The
City’s
Parks &
Recreation
and
General
Services
departments
identified
the 40
locations
based on
several
key
criteria,
including
which
unimproved
parks
had the
highest
concentrations
of
children
and
senior
citizens
living
close
by.
Another
consideration
was the
size of
the
parks;
all 40
are no
larger
than 5.5
acres.
The 40
neighborhood
parks
slated
for
improvement
in
2016-17
are part
of the
Parks
and
Recreation
Improvement
Plan,
which
outlines
the
City’s
strategy
to
improve
parks
and
recreation
facilities.
The
improvement
plan,
which
has had
considerable
community
input,
focuses
on
prioritizing
parks
across
the
city,
with the
goal of
creating
quality
public
space
accessible
to all
Detroiters.
How
improvements
are
being
funded
During
his
budget
address
to City
Council
in
February
2016,
the
Mayor
revealed
that his
Chief
Financial
Officer,
John
Hill,
had
discovered
$50
million
in bond
funds
that had
gone
unspent
over
several
decades.
Of those
funds,
$11.7
million
has been
earmarked
for the
park
improvements.
The
remaining
funds
will pay
to build
out a
high-tech,
real-time
crime
center
at
Detroit
Public
Safety
Headquarters
and to
construct
a new
8th
Precinct
for
Neighborhood
Parks
Improved
in 2016:
District
1
Fields
Playground,
16601
Florence
Walkways,
playground,
fitness
equipment,
picnic
area
Simmons
Playground,
19450
Chapel
Walkways,
playground,
picnic
shelter,
soccer
field,
softball
backstop,
junior
basketball
District
2
Liuzzo
Playground,
20053
Winthrop
Walkways,
playground,
fitness
equipment,
picnic
area,
pickleball
courts,
landscaping
Wells
Playground,
20159
Griggs
Basketball,
playground
upgrade,
fitness
equipment,
fencing,
picnic
shelter
District
3
Calimera
Playground,
19493
Joann
Playground,
walkways,
half-court
basketball,
picnic
area,
landscaping
District
4
Hansen
Playground,
542
Drexel
Walkways,
fitness
equipment,
expanded
playground,
junior
basketball,
picnic
shelter,
landscaping
District
5
Latham
Playground,
5082
Seneca
Playground,
walkways,
game
pad,
horseshoe
court,
picnic
area,
landscaping
District
6
Boyer
Playground,
6203 W.
Vernor
Walkways,
skate
ramp,
mini
basketball
courts,
playground,
youth
soccer
field,
picnic
area
District
7
Mansfield-Diversey
Playground,
7753
Rutherford
Walkways,
picnic
shelter,
full
court
and
junior
basketball,
sports
field,
landscaping
Cross/Tireman-Littlefield
Playground,
8134
Manor
Walkways,
fitness
equipment,
picnic
area,
landscaping
30 Parks
to be
Renovated
in 2017
District
1
· Cook
Playground,
16001
Fenkell
·
Hackett
Playground,
17236
Avon
· Marx
Playground,
18201
Greenview
· Reid
Playground,
20625
Santa
Clara
District
2
·
Clinton
Playground,
8145
Chalfonte
(Transferred
from
Detroit
Public
Schools)
· Diack
Playground,
13889
Curtis
· Gorham
Playground,
19969
St.
Marys
· Varier
Playground,
15639
Thatcher
· Bale
Playground,
18673
Winthrop
District
3
·
Collins
Playground,
11618
Alpena
·
Luce-St.
Louis
Playground,
13490
St.
Louis
·
Marruso
Playground,
19908
Annott
·
Syracuse
Playground,
19192
Syracuse
·
Yaksich
Playground,
18160
Anglin
District
4
· Brewer
Playground,
12450
Hayes
(Transferred
from
Detroit
Public
Schools)
·
O’Brien
Playground,
11938 E.
McNichols
District
5
·
Dueweke
Playground,
4975
Sheridan
·
LaSalle
Park,
2380 S.
LaSalle
Blvd.
· Gordon
Playground,
1935
Atkinson
·
Stewart,
12701
14th
Street
(Transferred
from
Detroit
Public
Schools)
· Yates
Playground,
2499
Blaine
District
6
·
30th-Herbert
Playground,
5000
30th
Street
· Nagel
Playground,
3100
Wabash
· Sak
Playground,
4322
Kinsman
·
Scripps
Playground,
3666 W.
Grand
River
·
Szafraniec
Playground,
4513
Campbell
District
7
· Doan
Playground,
9946
Prest
· Greene
Playground,
9177
Robson
· Phelps
Playground,
9982
Sorrent
·
Richard
Allen (Nardin),
9516 W.
Grand
River
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