Belle Isle as a State Park? [UPDATE: Snyder Withdraws Offer]

**douglasm** · January-20-13, 09:37 PM

Gistok.....

.....it's more like 40 years. Memory says there were talks about the idea of Belle Isle being run by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Parks before I moved to Colorado. That would have been in '72.

**stasu1213** · January-21-13, 10:29 AM

The bought and paid for council could had voted to have a fee charged to get unto the island. Now the state is thinking of making it a state park or sell it to a billionare to make it a private island with it's own currency.

**southen** · January-21-13, 10:33 AM

nobody is considering selling it to the billionaire...

**DetroitPlanner** · January-21-13, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by southen

nobody is considering selling it to the billionaire...

Thats cuz he ain't no billionaire!

**corktownyuppie** · January-21-13, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

The bought and paid for council could had voted to have a fee charged to get unto the island. Now the state is thinking of making it a state park or sell it to a billionare to make it a private island with it's own currency.

Having a fee charged would be great if you had a time machine and could go back to 1983. The problem is that there are millions of dollars in improvements needed, and how does charging money today give us the necessary money to improve it?

It doesn't.

Let the state step in. Anyone who wants to access the property by car pays $10 per year. The state has more than enough access to up front money to make the improvements right away.

This is a gift, and in short time Belle Isle will shine again.

**Gistok** · January-21-13, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by douglasm

Gistok.....

.....it's more like 40 years. Memory says there were talks about the idea of Belle Isle being run by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Parks before I moved to Colorado. That would have been in '72.

Actually Jt1 would know the exact date... he's brought it up "several" times... I do believe that the first formal offer by HCMA was in the late 70s or early 80s. The city said NO, so HCMA never offered again.

As for all this billion dollar nonsense, that discussion is just that nonsense... regardless by whom. I remember about 10 years ago someone had the daft idea of building 8-12 casinos on the island... well again that went nowhere.

No one is going to close Belle Isle to the public... just now it will be a paying public... with funds going to fix it up. They definitely need to do something with the poor drainage area of the forest on the east end of the island. It looks like something out of "The Swamp Thing" movie... and the Zoo... they need to figure out what they want to do with it...

But all this talk about closing it to the public... just some people's hair brained idea, which always seem to get traction on this forum...

**jt1** · January-21-13, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Actually Jt1 would know the exact date... he's brought it up "several" times... I do believe that the first formal offer by HCMA was in the late 70s or early 80s. The city said NO, so HCMA never offered again.

You should probably gets your "facts" in order. What I have brought up many times, in response to people saying the city should let HCMA take BI over, is the fact that the last time the city approached HCMA they were kindly told, sorry, we don't have the money or desire to help.

The city should have turned it over to HCMA back in the day but that doesn't change the fact that HCMA wants nothing to do with it regardless how many times people imply the city is preventing HCMA from helping out.

Carry on. Feel free to incorrectly point out things I have stated "several" times.

**Gistok** · January-21-13, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by jt1

You should probably gets your "facts" in order. What I have brought up many times, in response to people saying the city should let HCMA take BI over, is the fact that the last time the city approached HCMA they were kindly told, sorry, we don't have the money or desire to help.

The city should have turned it over to HCMA back in the day but that doesn't change the fact that HCMA wants nothing to do with it regardless how many times people imply the city is preventing HCMA from helping out.

Carry on. Feel free to incorrectly point out things I have stated "several" times.

Sorry to get your knickers into a twist... it wasn't my intentions... I probably could have worded it more diplomatically, but since you do mention it on occasion, I though you might have been able to come up something a bit more specific...

**Flintoid** · January-21-13, 08:20 PM

Detnews covering it now. Tate and Brown say the votes are there to do this on the 29th [[knock on wood).

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

**DetBill** · January-21-13, 09:14 PM

Originally Posted by noenaim

No the city can't accomplish same thing they can't even keep the street lights on.

Couldnt agree more,, not sure why anyone would think the city could accomplish this ... am extremely glad the state may take this over,, the only thing I dont care for is Detroits right to refuse agreement after 10 years,, the state could theoretically fix everything, then our fair leaders could take it over and ruin it,, yet again,,, I certainly hope the state is smart enough to make sure that Detroit has the resources to assume it after 10 years if they want to take over. Otherwise , it could be disasterous..
our street lights finally went on after two years on lafayette downtown.. finally,,,, had them about a month , and now we are drowned in darkness again,,, pretty frustrating.

**MSUguy** · January-24-13, 03:02 PM

A public hearing on a proposal for Michigan to lease Belle Isle from Detroit and run it as a state park turned heated even before it began this afternoon, with two council members opposed to the deal accusing Mayor Dave Bing and other council members of selling out residents and refusing to look at alternate proposals that would keep the park under city control.
“I just think that it’s unjust and it’s unfair to only consider one proposal,” said Councilman Kwame Kenyatta, long a vocal opponent of the deal. He said not leasing Belle Isle wouldn’t break the city’s bank, but approving the deal would “break the spirit of the people of Detroit.”

Break our spirit, really?

http://www.freep.com/article/2013012...text|FRONTPAGE

**TexasT** · January-24-13, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by MSUguy

Break our spirit, really?

http://www.freep.com/article/2013012...text|FRONTPAGE

Kenyatta: "The people could care less about our budget and we're not going to die over $6 million."

Wonder if $6 million to either DFD or DPD would have saved a life or two...

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...mmittee_1.html

**dmike76** · January-24-13, 03:24 PM

Blah blah blah, two racially and socially divisive blow-hards who I'm starting to think actually believe that they are some sort of 'poor people's champions'. The deal is going to happen and I can't wait to see Belle Isle be more clean and more beautiful. I hope against hope that these two fools don't run for office or get voted out.

**kenp** · January-24-13, 03:37 PM

Heard Synder on WJR today saying deal is off in approx one week.
Council needs to vote

**TexasT** · January-24-13, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by kenp

Heard Synder on WJR today saying deal is off in approx one week.
Council needs to vote

Yeah, I read a vote may happen on Tuesday. Public hearing on Monday at 2PM.

**401don** · January-24-13, 03:42 PM

Pugh is "...concerned about the lack of revenue for Detroit." Wow.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...text|FRONTPAGE

**kenp** · January-24-13, 03:45 PM

They have every right to vote it down. But geez do something

**poobert** · January-24-13, 05:00 PM

Kenyatta is senile and JoAnn Watson is ignorant and nasty. They won't get re-elected. Kenyatta isn't running and Watson came in last in the last election. She wasn't nearly this bad last term.

I remember when I was a kid when Kenyatta was on the school board [[his springboard to further charlatanism) he said all of Warrendale should be bulldozed because many residents didn't want the local public school to switch to Afro-centric education. Real class act, those two.

**Wesley Mouch** · January-24-13, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by jt1

You should probably gets your "facts" in order. What I have brought up many times, in response to people saying the city should let HCMA take BI over, is the fact that the last time the city approached HCMA they were kindly told, sorry, we don't have the money or desire to help....

I would suspect that HCMA would be happy to run the park, in exchange for money. They're not a charity. I don't know how they're funded, but unless there's more tax revenue or state sharing or, god forbid, contribution from Detroit, they'd have no way to cover their expenses.

Believe it or not, Authorities like this don't print money. They just lift from taxpayers pockets.

I also suspect that HCMA is wise enough to stay as far away from Detroit politics as possible. If they ran BI, imaging the storm when they put some policy or another into effect. City councillors screaming like slaughtered lambs. How dare they.

If there were tax money and political cover, their feelings wouldn't matter. They have a mandate and its their job to support SE Michigan parks.

**MSUguy** · January-24-13, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

I would suspect that HCMA would be happy to run the park, in exchange for money. They're not a charity. I don't know how they're funded, but unless there's more tax revenue or state sharing or, god forbid, contribution from Detroit, they'd have no way to cover their expenses.

Believe it or not, Authorities like this don't print money. They just lift from taxpayers pockets.

I also suspect that HCMA is wise enough to stay as far away from Detroit politics as possible. If they ran BI, imaging the storm when they put some policy or another into effect. City councillors screaming like slaughtered lambs. How dare they.

If there were tax money and political cover, their feelings wouldn't matter. They have a mandate and its their job to support SE Michigan parks.

Detroiters already pay into the HMCA through their county taxes.

**Wesley Mouch** · January-24-13, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by MSUguy

Detroiters alredy pay into the HMCA through their country taxes.

As members of the southeastern Michigan community, with access to these taxpayer funded parks, that's appropriate.

And it explains why HCMA is not interested. They can't get any more taxes. But they can have one more park to pay for with the same money. What bureaucrat would want that? So its quite obvious then when they weren't interested. Taking on Belle Isle would mean budget pressures and smaller raises.

Thanks.

**kenp** · January-25-13, 03:03 PM

Love him or hate him councilman Kenyatta has always been a fair and reasonable man. I personally have a lot of respect for him and he has always been a voice of reason, in my opinion. Unfortunately this term his decision's and action's have been a complete turn off and disappointment for me. He seems like a bitter old man.

**TexasT** · January-25-13, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by kenp

Love him or hate him councilman Kenyatta has always been a fair and reasonable man. I personally have a lot of respect for him and he has always been a voice of reason, in my opinion. Unfortunately this term his decision's and action's have been a complete turn off and disappointment for me. He seems like a bitter old man.

Being a newbie, I don't know his history but I am not impressed. The fact that he and Watson walked out of yesterday's council meeting so they didn't have to hear the presentation on the terms of the lease just reeks of immaturity. I get disagreeing with it, but refusing to even learning the details of the lease? Damn.

Though I have heard other people say basically what you said - he's generally been good but terrible lately.

**TexasT** · January-25-13, 08:14 PM

Question for those who were around: I read that Milliken Park was sold/given to the state in 2004. Was there any uproar? Was it well-received? Anyone have links to any articles about the transfer or any photographs of the park before the city turned it over? GIS didn't turn up much.

**MSUguy** · January-26-13, 12:01 AM

Originally Posted by TexasT

Question for those who were around: I read that Milliken Park was sold/given to the state in 2004. Was there any uproar? Was it well-received? Anyone have links to any articles about the transfer or any photographs of the park before the city turned it over? GIS didn't turn up much.

I don't remember any uproar or controversy whatsoever. I don't think anyone even noticed.

I had a chance to watch a replay of the hearing and public comment was just bizarre and sad. One woman claiming that "people who look like us won't be able to use the island". Another during her comments called Cockerel 'Shrek'. There will be another public comment period on Monday at 2 pm, people who support this and are available should go. As I'm sure the crazies will turn out in force.