Sunday marked six months since the Michigan Department of Natural Resources took over control of Detroit’s Belle Isle Park in one of the state’s more controversial moves of recent years.

Since then, the DNR has moved aggressively to quell complaints about the takeover and to keep its promise to improve the island park. It has removed about 200 hazardous trees, reopened most of the restrooms that the City of Detroit had locked for lack of maintenance money, got the classic Scott Fountain operating again 12 hours a day all summer. And, most controversially, Michigan State Police cracked down on speeders and other violators.

As a result of state control, Belle Isle has been cleaner, less rowdy, and probably safer this summer than at any time in years. It also has seen less usage, although hard numbers are unavailable because the city previously never made anything more than vague estimates of the number of visitors. But Michele Hodges, president of the nonprofit Belle Isle Conservatory, which raises money for park projects, says attendance clearly is down from previous years when the park could be jammed on summer days.

If the grade on state control remains incomplete after just six months, Ron Olson, chief of parks and recreation for the state DNR, said it has been a good start on keeping the state’s promises.

“There’s a been a lot of things accomplished. There’s a lot more to do,” he said last week. “This is the beginning, not the end. I think we’ve improved a lot. Whether we made some mistakes or people think we have, we’re trying to address the process as best we can.”

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