The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Parks and recreation master plan OK'd
Officials focus on redisgn on Frog Island, Riverside
By Christine Laughren, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 28, 2008
The Ypsilanti City Council approved the city's Parks and Recreation Master Plan for 2008-2012 at their regular meeting Feb. 18.
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The plan includes conceptual redesigns of Frog Island and Riverside parks with an emphasis on health and fitness, education, arts and culture, recreation and economic development.
The completion of the master plan qualifies Depot Town Community Development Corporation, charged with the care of the parks, to apply for state grants for capital improvement projects.
So far, the Corporation received a $15,000 grant in January from Fifth-Third Bank and the 20,000 conceptual improvement grant from the county last fall.
Costs of improvements for the parks are estimated at $4.5 and $3.9 million for Riverside and Frog Island Parks respectively.
"Cost estimates are based on hiring professionals to do all the work," said Brian Vosburg, director of the Corporation.
However, Vosburg said they plan to use volunteers as much as possible to cut the costs.
The Olmstead brothers, landscape architects who designed among other things New York's Central Park, originally designed Riverside and Frog Island parks as well.
Bob Tetens, director of the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission said the Olmstead brothers, saw the Huron River as a thread that connected communities located along the river.
According to Tetens, the brothers designed several parks along the river with the idea that eventually the communities would connect the parks.
Now, more than 100 years later, that is exactly what Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation is trying to do with a "border-to-border trail."
The non-motorized, border-to-border trail is intended to run from Ford Lake in Ypsilanti Township to Portage Lake in Dexter.
"Effectively it would be a linear park that runs for 35 miles," Tetens said. "And because it has countywide significance, that's what brings us to the table."
The new design of Frog Island and Riverside parks was created by Chris Mueller, Mueller Landworks, LLC.
Improvements proposed to Riverside Park include a play structure, new sledding hills, a new pavilion, a canoe landing and a park overlook.
Enhancements proposed to Frog Island Park include a new main entry plaza, a new band shell, permanent seating on the east and west side of the soccer field that would also double up as a retaining wall and further development of the community garden.
"We believe that any kind of revitalization to park land is important," said David Behen, a member of the Washtenaw county Board of Commissioners. "(Riverside and Frog Island) are beautiful parks and if we can get people in those parks it would result in a much better quality of life for the east side of the county."
The goal is to see everything in the plan accomplished in 2012 according to Vosburg.
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