DETROIT – Forty city parks and playgrounds in Detroit will be renovated over the next two years, under an $11.7 million plan announced Thursday by Mayor Mike Duggan and City Parks & Recreation Department officials.
Anticipated improvements, which still are being finalized through an ongoing community participation process, include new playgrounds and equipment, new walkways, landscaping and more.
The park money is coming from $50 million in bond funds that had gone unspent over several decades, the city said. The remaining funds will pay to build out a high-tech real-time crime center at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters and to construct a new 8th Precinct for the Police Department.
The city said parks were picked for the upgrades through several criteria, including which ones had the highest concentration of children and senior citizens living near it.
Ten of the 40 parks will be renovated this year, and the remaining 30 next year.
Parks slated to get improvements this year:
District 1
Fields Playground, 16601 Florence
Walkways, picnic area, fencing
Simmons Playground, 19450 Chapel
Walkways, playground, basketball
District 2
Bale Playground, 18673 Winthrop
Playground, walkways, fencing
Liuzzo Playground, 20053 Winthrop
Walkways, picnic area, basketball
District 3
Calimera Playground, 19493 Joann
Playground, walkways, basketball court
District 4
Hansen Playground, 542 Drexel
Walkways, horseshoes, junior basketball
District 5
Latham Playground, 5082 Seneca
Playground, fencing, other amenities
District 6
Boyer Playground, 6203 W. Vernor
Walkways, playground, picnic shelter
District 7
Mansfield-Diversey Playground,
7753 Rutherford
Walkways, landscaping, sports field
Cross/Tireman-Littlefield Playground,
8134 Manor
Walkways, picnic area, basketball
Parks to be upgraded 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
Wells Playground, 20159 Griggs
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
Franklin (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
City wants community ideas
Detroit will soon ask for input to determine the improvements and amenities that each park will receive. A public meeting will be held in each City Council District to discuss the projects planned within each. The City also is planning two public meetings – one on the east side and one on the west side – to discuss its overall Parks & Recreation Improvement Plan. Once those dates and locations are established, the information will be made available through the city’s website at www.detroitmi.gov.