Bing closing 50 parks

**CassTechGrad** · February-02-13, 11:18 AM

I found this statement from the Crain’s article amazing:
“Four years ago, the city had 317 parks. Following the closure of 210 parks in the 2008-09 fiscal year and the announcement of 50 more park closures today, the city will have a park portfolio that has been reduced 82 percent.”

In the 1950’s and 60’s, we lived just a couple of blocks from Jayne Field and Lasky Park. I remember going to watch the Union softball leagues play at night under the lights in Jayne Field. Lasky Recreation Center had everything: A basketball court with bleachers, lockers & showers, a boxing rink, an auditorium on the top floor, ping-pong, and you could “check out” baseball equipment to use outside. The park even had a concrete pond area that was used for ice skating in the winter that we called the duck pond.

What happened?? I just can’t believe it!!

**Danny** · February-02-13, 12:34 PM

Black Detroit will come to an end soon. That is what happens if plantation politics is in the way of regular politics. Bring in the EFM and Detroit will change in the blinking of your eyes.

This is an opportunity for Dan Gilbert to became EFM of Detroit. He will but they whole city for a dollar.

**mikefmich** · February-02-13, 12:38 PM

This park situation is the height of absurb....nice going clowncil.

**coracle** · February-02-13, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Black Detroit will come to an end soon. That is what happens if plantation politics is in the way of regular politics. Bring in the EFM and Detroit will change in the blinking of your eyes.

This is an opportunity for Dan Gilbert to became EFM of Detroit. He will but they whole city for a dollar.

The problem is Danny that people with the ability of Dan Gilbert don't want a job like EFM of Detroit. There isn't enough money or challenge in it and there can't be a good result. I'm not sure what "He will but they whole city for a dollar." effect will have, but I would gamble it won't work.

**mwilbert** · February-02-13, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by coracle

The problem is Danny that people with the ability of Dan Gilbert don't want a job like EFM of Detroit. There isn't enough money or challenge in it and there can't be a good result. I'm not sure what "He will but they whole city for a dollar." effect will have, but I would gamble it won't work.

This is partly wrong. The job of EM of Detroit would be very challenging, and it is doubtful that Gilbert is primarily motivated by money at this point in his career. It may well not be something he would be interested in at all, but certainly other rich businessmen have run cities, as witness Mr. Bloomberg in NYC. However, Gilbert has a stronger reason not to do this, which is that he has such major interests in Detroit that he would be constantly hamstrung by conflict of interest problems.

**wolverine** · February-02-13, 07:10 PM

Just read about the parks closing on the Chicago "L" station news monitors. This story is everywhere I guess. A couple waiting passengers asked how the hell you "close" a park.

**downtownguy** · February-02-13, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by cla1945

Round up all those racists who were in the peanut gallery during clowncil meetings about Belle Isle, get Watson and Kenyatta, give them all rakes, shovels, and garbage bags and have them clean up the parks when they start to stink. Clowncil was intimidated by these people, let them run the show, now they face the consequences of giving the City of Detroit no parks at all!

What a bunch of unintelligent people.

When your posts don't reek of racism, maybe I'll take them more seriously.

**cla1945** · February-02-13, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by downtownguy

When your posts don't reek of racism, maybe I'll take them more seriously.

Are you actually saying that I'm incorrect in my assumptions that most of the people in the audience at the council meetings regarding Belle Isle, and that Watson and Kenyatta are not racist?

I don't care if you take me seriously or not, my opinions are mine.

**Bad Brains** · February-02-13, 10:56 PM

If anyone cares about these parks, can't they just cut the grass themselves? The residents of Corktown took over maintaining the Tiger Stadium site because the city wasn't doing anything, and it looks great.

**Zacha341** · February-02-13, 11:04 PM

Bing gave a report on Fox2Detroit this AM that he did not endorse this idea. That he felt the Belle Isle option was the best... I will see if I can find a vid on his comments.

I understand that three council persons did not go along with the NO to the plan. Which three were they?

**Zacha341** · February-02-13, 11:09 PM

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/20...e-deal-fallout

Here's the list:

Closing Parks [[Spring 2013 - No Maintenance)

Biraga
Howarth
Sasser
Brookins
Marruso
Manning-Beland
Dueweke
Maheras
Manz
Messmer
Chandler
Mollicone
Hackett
Milan
O'Hair
Outer Dr. - Burgess
Rosemont - Acacia
Bennett
Cass
Dues
Michigan-Third
Mt. Elliott
Murphy
Pirrien
Savage
Bishop
Calvert
Franklin
Keidan
Laker
Richard Allen
Russell Woods
Schultz
Cross
Fitzpatrick
Phelps
Rough [[portion)
Simanek
Stein
Cook
Diack
Fields
Kelley
Sawyer
Varier
Romanowski
Windgle
Hyde
Lugar
Sherwood
St. Martin

**313WX** · February-03-13, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Bing gave a report on Fox2Detroit this AM that he did not endorse this idea. That he felt the Belle Isle option was the best... I will see if I can find a vid on his comments.

I understand that three council persons did not go along with the NO to the plan. Which three were they?

I believe Brown, Jenkins and Tate.

**coracle** · February-03-13, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by mwilbert

This is partly wrong. The job of EM of Detroit would be very challenging, and it is doubtful that Gilbert is primarily motivated by money at this point in his career. It may well not be something he would be interested in at all, but certainly other rich businessmen have run cities, as witness Mr. Bloomberg in NYC. However, Gilbert has a stronger reason not to do this, which is that he has such major interests in Detroit that he would be constantly hamstrung by conflict of interest problems.

You're right. What I wrote is partly [[all) wrong. I guess my thoughts were based on the State and City Managements allowing the city to drift too far into difficulties over the decades to make it possible for anybody to effect a successful recovery; and I just don't think Dan Gilbert is in to lost causes. [[I wrote it to reply to Danny who's posts always interest me).

**downtownguy** · February-03-13, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by cla1945

Are you actually saying that I'm incorrect in my assumptions that most of the people in the audience at the council meetings regarding Belle Isle, and that Watson and Kenyatta are not racist?

I don't care if you take me seriously or not, my opinions are mine.

Of course you're entitled to your opinions as am I. But if you're going to post here, be ready for feedback. I'm so tired of white people [[of which I share membership) using black racists as a reason to justify their own racist rants. And that's how I read most of yours. Prove me otherwise. I'll sleep better at night.

**mwilbert** · February-04-13, 12:30 AM

People saying stupid things, even things with some racial content, aren't necessarily racists. My guess is that Watson and Kenyatta and many of their supporters have deluded themselves about the state of the city for so long that they can't deal with the necessity of ceding some control in order to get help. They sometimes put things in terms of race because that is part of how they [[and a whole lot of other people) look at the world.

But I think it would be a mistake to think that in and of itself that makes them racists. They seem to be people who are committed to an unworkable vision of the city and get overly excited when it is challenged, and aren't any too articulate or careful in their choice of words. But when those idiot Republicans made their inane comments about rape last year, I didn't assume they were misogynists; I assumed they were fools, and I pretty much think the same about Watson and Kenyatta.

**Detroitnerd** · February-04-13, 01:24 PM

So, this is all a manufactured crisis. Bing is "closing" 50 parks [[that is to say, deferring what maintenance there is) and may not even have the authority to do so. So he's overstepping his authority to do something that has little impact to make a big scene in hopes of making Detroit City Council look bad.

And, given the way a lot of people, not all of them racists, hate Detroit City Council, I'm not surprised to see the illusion working on those who want to believe it.

Yes, send Bing back to his gated mansion. Let's get somebody with a vision for Detroit that doesn't come out of corporate boardrooms or nonprofit-funded think tanks.

**Spartan** · February-04-13, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

So he's overstepping his authority to do something that has little impact to make a big scene in hopes of making Detroit City Council look bad.

The mistake was not making a big scene early enough that it would matter

**bailey** · February-04-13, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Yes, send Bing back to his gated mansion. Let's get somebody with a vision for Detroit that doesn't come out of corporate boardrooms or nonprofit-funded think tanks.

Yes, let's demand they be city/county apparatchiks instead.

**Detroitnerd** · February-04-13, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Yes, let's demand they be city/county apparatchiks instead.

You mean Big Mike? God help us...

**Rochelle St.** · February-04-13, 02:06 PM

No mention of Troester Park, Troester near Hayes.
Has this one already been closed?

**msamslex** · February-05-13, 12:11 AM

Just checked the map. Our neighborhood park in Aviation near Tireman is on the hit list. We kids went up there all the time back in the 60's-70's. Neighborhood kids still go up there to play, swing, etc.

In the summer, it looks so bad when you go down Tireman. The Dearborn side is maintained regularly [[grass cut etc.) but on the Detroit side the grass is always overgrown until the city gets to it.

**nain rouge** · February-05-13, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by CassTechGrad

What happened?? I just can’t believe it!!

I never get when people say stuff like this. Let's see... do you still live there? No? Well, why did you move, then?

And there's your answer.

**illwill** · February-05-13, 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by nain rouge

I never get when people say stuff like this. Let's see... do you still live there? No? Well, why did you move, then?

And there's your answer.

Maybe it's because it's never ending? Always one thing immediately after another. It is hard to believe sometimes...

**nain rouge** · February-05-13, 05:23 PM

I never found it hard to believe. When crime increases, rather than retrenching and doubling up our efforts as a society, we generally choose to move away because it's the most efficient solution. Consequently, buildings fall apart, since no one lives in or rents them anymore. It's a simple equation. I get that at this point that some of the problems have grown so large that it would be unfair to ask individual Detroiters in the city's bad neighborhoods to put on some kind of heroic effort to save their area. You got to do what's good for you.

But it's no mystery how we got here or why it keeps getting worse...

**jerrytimes** · February-06-13, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by stasu1213

Bing actions are rather "childlike" in nature. He is showing his true colors. This is why he was a failure running Bing Steel. He is going to do major damage to the residents of this city before he leaves office next January. His master had told him to close the parks and the puppet just obliged

Is this an attempt at humor?