Mayor Bing in talks with state about Belle Isle

**Cooper** · March-09-12, 08:09 PM

"When Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says everything is on the table he means it –- even Belle Isle.

Bing, speaking this afternoon to the Free Press editorial board, said in an effort to streamline Detroit's government he has been talking to Gov. Rick Snyder about the Department of Natural Resources about possibly managing the 1,000-acre city jewel.

"We're trying to do way too much and we don't have the resources to do it," Bing said.

Whether the state's assistance translates into mere advice or transforming Belle Isle into state park number 102 is still a matter up for discussion, said Geralyn Lasher, spokeswoman for Snyder.

"When you're looking at the DNR [[Department of Natural Resources) and our parks' system, this is what they do best," she said. "And this is one of the areas we've been looking at."

The state has the professionals and expertise in running and maintaining parks and Belle Isle presents an opportunity for the state to help the city, she said.

"There's not an agreement yet and nothing is set in stone," she said, noting that one of the goals of DNR director Rodney Stokes is to provide more access to state parks to the state's urban residents.

"He's been very focused on really trying to create opportunities for getting people from the cities into the state parks," Lasher added.

The William G. Milliken State Park, along the Detroit River in Detroit, is one of the newest state parks and was dedicated in 2009. It is the only state park in Michigan which doesn't require an entrance fee.

If a Michigan resident wants to go to any state park, they'll pay a $10 fee for a recreation passport which will last for a year.

Snyder has been talking with the Mayor for more than a year about ways the state could assist the city, including parks' discussion. Any resolution of the matter would be a part of a consent agreement, Lasher said."

http://www.freep.com/article/20120309/NEWS01/120309044/Mayor-Bing-talks-state-about-Belle-Isle

**rjk** · March-09-12, 09:02 PM

"The state has the professionals and expertise in running and maintaining parks and Belle Isle presents an opportunity for the state to help the city, she said."

How has the city been doing in running and maintaining BI over the last few years? The last couple of years I've only been to BI to go fishing a handful of times and really couldn't get a feel for the whole island.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · March-09-12, 09:21 PM

As big a critic of the Mayor as I am, I think he is dead right that the city tries [[unsuccessfully) to do too many things. The city has neither the money nor the administrative capacity to do a fraction of what it is trying to do. Thus, there is no aspect of city services about which anyone ever says, "Wow, the city is doing a great job with that." Drastically reducing the number of things that the CofD tries to do is ideal. It is necessary. On the specific topic of the state maintaining Belle Isle, I am for it because it will mean the garbage will get picked up, the lawns mowed, etc. I am not saying that the city should sell off or contract out all city services/ facilities/ programs, but it should be thought about.

Mikey

PS I know there would be a lot of hurt pride about the city "giving away" BI, but remember, no one's going to move it!

**Fulcanelli** · March-10-12, 09:30 AM

I bet the state wouldn't do this out of the kindness of Snyder's heart, so there will be a fee to access the island perhaps?

**corktownyuppie** · March-10-12, 09:37 AM

Current fee for state park access all across the state is $10 per year. And if you can't afford the $10 per year, perhaps access to Belle Isle is more of a secondary priority.

bartock · March-10-12, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

Current fee for state park access all across the state is $10 per year. And if you can't afford the $10 per year, perhaps access to Belle Isle is more of a secondary priority.

Spot on, corktown

**Novine** · March-10-12, 12:52 PM

Spot on? Why should the poor be denied access to Belle Isle because of their poverty? What's the point of public parks if they are only available to those who can afford to pay an entrance fee? Having fees for facilities like a water park or something similar is reasonable. But it's unreasonable to ask people to pay for simply coming to the island to enjoy the water or the natural areas on the island.

**townonenorth** · March-10-12, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

Spot on? Why should the poor be denied access to Belle Isle because of their poverty? What's the point of public parks if they are only available to those who can afford to pay an entrance fee? Having fees for facilities like a water park or something similar is reasonable. But it's unreasonable to ask people to pay for simply coming to the island to enjoy the water or the natural areas on the island.

So the poor can't come to Belle Isle now? How are they getting there? Car? They can afford a licence plate, right? For 10 dollars more a year they can drive there AND contribute to the greater good, I know, a foreign concept, but still valid.

I think the City Council and Mayor contributed far more to the plight of the poor to not have access to BI when they cut the bus service around it. Now that hurts the poor more than a 10 dollar fee on a motor vehicle.

Not anything stopping the poor from coming on the island by bike, or walking, curiously enough.

bartock · March-10-12, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Novine

Spot on? Why should the poor be denied access to Belle Isle because of their poverty? What's the point of public parks if they are only available to those who can afford to pay an entrance fee? Having fees for facilities like a water park or something similar is reasonable. But it's unreasonable to ask people to pay for simply coming to the island to enjoy the water or the natural areas on the island.

I believe that $10 is for vehicle access.

The other 100+ public parks run by the State of Michigan have fees. There are people in poverty all over the State. With the water park thing, I doubt charging a fee for Chandler Park would fly well.

**Flintoid** · March-10-12, 01:14 PM

I would have absolutely no problem with Belle Isle becoming a free state park [[much like Miliken State Park is). What level of government runs it is not important, the park itself is what matters. Get it off the city's hands and let them focus on police, fire, and ems like they need to.

**antongast** · March-10-12, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by townonenorth

Not anything stopping the poor from coming on the island by bike, or walking, curiously enough.

From Jefferson and the Boulevard to the Conservatory and back is a good three-mile round trip. Walking to the eastern end of the island and back is pushing six and a half miles. Maybe some folks would make that walk just to hang out on Belle Isle, but I think it's more likely that people who couldn't pay the fee would mostly just stay away. Which, after all, seems to be pretty much the point of this fee for many of those who are advocating it.

SteveJ · March-10-12, 01:49 PM

Well its down to two options. They sell the park to a Casino or they charge an admission fee. I think the $10 a year fee is very reasonable. Like others have said, if you can afford a car, insurance, and $4 gal gas, you can afford .80 a month. If you can't afford .80 a month, then you won't able to afford to drive to the park either. Free is out the window. The park can't clean itself, cut its grass, and maintain all the roads and sidewalks for free.

**rjk** · March-10-12, 02:01 PM

I'm not sure a mayor of Detroit could get re-elected after handing over BI to the state and having a fee to get on the island. I'm not sure he could do even one of the two and get re-elected.

Bing clarified his position in a report this morning saying that he's just looking for help from the state with maintenance and he's not giving control to the state.

**JBMcB** · March-10-12, 03:07 PM

Heck, if Belle Isle were very well maintained, with a re-opened aquarium, something done with the zoo, and maybe a couple of good restaurants, I'd pay $10 just to get in, every time.

**laphoque** · March-10-12, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by antongast

From Jefferson and the Boulevard to the Conservatory and back is a good three-mile round trip. Walking to the eastern end of the island and back is pushing six and a half miles. Maybe some folks would make that walk just to hang out on Belle Isle, but I think it's more likely that people who couldn't pay the fee would mostly just stay away. Which, after all, seems to be pretty much the point of this fee for many of those who are advocating it.

There is nobody who can afford to drive a car who couldn't afford a ten dollar annual fee.

**laphoque** · March-10-12, 04:07 PM

On the other hand, we shouldn't be paying for the Metroparks if they continue to refuse to give us anything for our money. Perhaps the money Detroit city pays to the Metroparks could be moved via a ballet initiative to city parks.

**sam** · March-10-12, 04:36 PM

I am amazed that there is any resistance to this at all. In fact, the only thing strange about it is that Detroit has not been managing what they have by selectively charging fees. I grew up in HP in the 50's and 60's, but I have lived outside of the Wash DC area since 76. I am an avid biker, even at the age of 65. Northern Virginia has one of the best bike trails on the East Coast, named the Washington and Old Dominion, or W & OD. It runs for about 50 miles from the Potomac to the foothills of the Appalachian trail in Purcellville, VA. This trail is part of the state park system. To my knowledge this trail is fully funded by golf course fees, and park concession fees. Not only that, if a utility company, say Verizon, needs to lay cable on the side of the right of way, they pay a perpetual fee to do so. Additionally, developers, and there is a huge amount of development adjacent to this trail, must pay for bridges, and adjoining infrastructure.

My advice for those dealing with the horrible mess that Detroit has become is to get out of the brain dead attitude that the only way to protect what is left is for everything to be free. Detroit, and Michigan's natural resources make Northern Virginia geography look like crap, and I am not exaggerating. I sure miss riding down to Belle Isle to watch the lake freighters come in off of Lake St Clair.

**douglasm** · March-10-12, 05:23 PM

What ever happened to the idea of Belle Isle becoming a Metropolitan Park? I think it was first proposed in the early '7-'s.

**Johnnny5** · March-10-12, 09:49 PM

Talk of Belle Isle becoming a State Park is the most positive Detroit related news I've heard in a very, very long time. The current condition of the park is proof enough that the City of Detroit is not capable of managing or maintaining it. I love Belle Isle, but it could be so much more and so much better if it was taken care of properly.

**313WX** · March-10-12, 11:04 PM

Who in the world seriously thinks Belle Isle would be better off with the state "managing" it?

How's that state-"managed" school district in the city doing these days?

**jtf1972** · March-11-12, 12:32 AM

Would this potentially get rid of the Grand Prix & Lake Penske?

**corktownyuppie** · March-11-12, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Who in the world seriously thinks Belle Isle would be better off with the state "managing" it?

How's that state-"managed" school district in the city doing these days?

I can't speak for everyone else, but I see this as less about competency and more about access to financial strength.

Here's the difference between having any entity managed by the state vs. managed by the city...if the city starts charging $10 per car per year, then the $10 you pay goes into a sinkhole called structural debt, unfunded pension liabilities. If the state runs the park, the $10 goes into a fund that is pooled for all state parks. It's difficult to tell whether or not the $10 you pay all comes back to the Belle Isle park, but intuitively speaking, you're more likely to get more bang for your buck than if that $10 was going to be pooled with money used to pay some 80-year-old pension recipient living in Arizona.

The last option is to have Belle Isle become its own non-profit entity and charge the $10 per year. That would be the one most likely to result in the most positive change for the island because almost all the money would be stay here. But then you have to ask, who would run the entity?

As a general rule, my preference is to have nice places, nice services to be available to all. Detroit, however, is my exception to that rule. In an effort to make Detroit services free/inexpensive for everyone, the result is that the city provides few services that are shitty for almost everyone. You get what you pay for.

With a little bit of funding and some good management, Belle Isle could be a draw for the 2,000,000 people who live in Metro Detroit. We all talk about how having some kind of unique shopping experience could really draw people back downtown. Well, it's not retail, but Belle Isle could BE that unique experience. But if you want to draw from the 2,000,000 people, you need to design a space that will be attractive to them.

Guess what? You probably are going to need some money in order to make that happen. And it means you're going to likely price some people out. I'm fine with that.

One day, when you have 2,000,000 people driving to Belle Isle for a summer weekend, there'll be more than enough money coming in from commerce, new business, tourism to spread to many more in Detroit. But til then, like my other post...it's about priorities.

We have 1,000 wounded soldiers. Some of them aren't gonna make it. And of those who could survive, we can't get to them all.

We gotta prioritize, and right now, making Belle Isle a state-wide tourist draw will do far more for Detroit's finances than having yet another poorly run, downtrodden attraction that's "free" for everyone.

**rjk** · March-11-12, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Who in the world seriously thinks Belle Isle would be better off with the state "managing" it?

How's that state-"managed" school district in the city doing these days?

If one is trying to predict how well the DNR would manage BI you would look at the 100 state parks in Michigan. I don't know what DPS has to do with it.