Originally Posted by
Honky Tonk
"DetroitNerd... have you been to Milliken State Park?"
Well I Have, It's a nice, sterile, contrived environment, complete with a BS lighthouse.
“The eastern middle of the island is a drainage mess of a swamp with dead trees everywhere, the canals are surrounded by scrub instead of nice cleared banks”
How HORRIBLE, a DEAD tree in the water! OMG, NATURAL growth, the shame! Have you ever been to a natural forest? Yosemite, Jellystone?, [[YES I know it’s Yellowstone). They actually leave dead trees lying around and let nature take its course because it attracts the natural wildlife. How about Point Pelee, Pointe Mouillee? Maybe the Canadians ought to dump algaecide into the natural swampland to get rid of that pesky seaweed growth? That way you can have a nice, clear bottom, like Camp Dearborn!
“the bathroom facilities are 3rd world....”
Now THERE’S something that COULD stand improvement. I just hope the next generation knows how to behave themselves and doesn’t destroy them like the last time they were repaired.
“and yet you're happy with that mess.... sounds like lowered expectations... even during the CAY adminstration era they said it would cost $150 million to bring the park back to the way it used to be... .”
When? In 1929? Exactly what about the park did he want to restore, and what parts of that restoration estimate are no longer relevant or actually will be used, by today’s standards? I also wonder how much of that estimate included a few Krugerrands for Mr. Young’s pocket.
“Anyone from a world class city would be appalled by the state the park is in.”
Please enlighten me. What “World Class City” are you from? Perhaps a seat @ a local mall indoor water fountain is more to your liking?
Belle Isle, “the Detroit jewel” needs polishing, no doubt. Being a person that frequents the island, 2-3 times a week, I enjoy it FOR its natural state. I enjoy the wildlife, [[both natural and human), I enjoy the scenery, and the views, and the serenity. I’ve brought well-to-do people from “World Class Cities” to the island, in the summer, @ 7 p.m., and they thought it was rather cool. They were less offended by it then some of this forum’s members. I think there SHOULD be some kind of small fee collected to help offset maintenance and improvement costs, and I think there are a lot of things on Belle Isle that could use improvement. What I DON’T want is it “improved” to the point of becoming some kind of corporate waterslide park, complete with strip mall and a McBurger. The fact that Granholm wanted to sink, [[30 mil was it?), into “creating” wetlands @ Milliken State Park just cracks me up. Visiting Belle Isle, like living in Detroit, isn’t for everybody. And Belle Isle, like Detroit certainly isn’t your average cookie-cutter place. Lowered expectations indeed.