Detroit's Infrastructure Wish List

[Richard]

LANSING — The transition of Detroit's historic Belle Isle to a state park began Tuesday after the Michigan Emergency Loan Board approved a 30-year lease with the city.
The state has promised to make up to $20 million in improvements to the park over the next three years, while saving the city — which is seeking bankruptcy protection — $4 million to $6 million a year in operating costs. An entrance fee for motorists begins next year.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-park/3514141/

So if the city leased the island to the state,as a state park in order to save money - what is the 50 million for?

Unless the state said,okay we are going to give you these funds but you have to kick the 50 billion into the park?

The funding was not allotted to Detroit,it was allocated to the state who then split it up.

Giving up the island did not save the city 4 to 6 million in operating costs,because now they are paying the 50 million,so they gave up control of the park,needlessly,and now are kicking in 50 million to boot,gotta love government math.

[Gistok]

Giving up the island did not save the city 4 to 6 million in operating costs,because now they are paying the 50 million,so they gave up control of the park,needlessly,and now are kicking in 50 million to boot,gotta love government math.

Having never been to Detroit, and therefore never set foot on Belle Isle before or after the state takeover, you sure are making a lot of assumptions about the island being run by the state based on little more than a list... A LIST....

When there is something more substantive about what exactly the city's SPECIFIC goals are... we'll get back to you on your lanai somewhere in Florida...

[Richard]

Having never been to Detroit, and therefore never set foot on Belle Isle before or after the state takeover, you sure are making a lot of assumptions about the island being run by the state based on little more than a list... A LIST....

When there is something more substantive about what exactly the city's SPECIFIC goals are... we'll get back to you on your lanai somewhere in Florida...

Yea that would be you once again babbling on about what you think you know verses what you actually know.

The thread was posted for discussion and not posted for your singular pleasure,unless you have a frog in your pocket.I have yet to see the forum nominate you as everybody’s spokesperson,stick with legos.

Besides it has been freezing in the 60s the last few days,so posting from my lanai,if I had one,would be the last place.

[401don]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-park/3514141/

Not sure why they think most of the country would care about this story. I realize Gannett owns the freep and USA Today but are they that hard up for content?

[Richard]

Not sure why they think most of the country would care about this story. I realize Gannett owns the freep and USA Today but are they that hard up for content?

Well if you had looked at the date and understood that the reason for posting the link was to refresh peoples memory as to the deal that was struck.

As for most of the country ? The infrastructure package is being paid for by all of the country,we are not like Canada where free money falls from the trees.

It kinda defeats the purpose of giving up city assets in order to save money while still having to fund it in excess of what would have been spent in the first place had it been retained.

30 years of lost opportunity.

Kinda like funding a bridge based on anticipated traffic that will never exist.

It is infrastructure funding,it can only be used towards infrastructure,so a lot of the wish list,is that,most of it does not qualify.

Unless they are combining the COVID funds with the infrastructure funds,which are two different things and in total represent more then what is actually specified,some would refer that presentation as,a slight of hand.

What they actually did was take the $250 billion in COVID relief and moved it over to the infrastructure package.

So the COVID losses wishlist gets thrown in the trash like it never existed and just renamed a infrastructure wish list.

Even that is not a guarantee because they only actually have $500 billion,they are trying to get to the 1.5 trillion by taxing cripto,clawing back the scammed COVID funds and uncollected tax revenue.

But mass transit is absent from this wish list,but not from the feds intentions.

It is just a discussion

If the island is considered a state park,why is the city on the hook for the 50 million,which can only be used in infrastructure or climate change related?

You can run new roads,lights,caulking windows of existing buildings,or clean up contamination if it exists,the states commitment over the 30 year term was 20 million and the yearly upkeep and the city became nothing more then the leaseholder,putting $50 million into it now is a zero sum game because it is not the cities requirement.

It would be different if it could be used to improve it with more revenue generating options,or fixing up existing venues,but as a state park the city would not be able to reap the investment rewards as much as they would if they invested it in the actual city.

When you are looking at federal funding stuff it is usually better to fix the stuff that will decrease the tax burden on the local taxpayer,stuff that you will not have to sell bonds for.

For instance,replacing water mains and pipes,it creates up to a 30% reduction to the cost of the taxpayer based on future maintenance costs.

If used for the big ticket items,you do not have to sell bonds to pay for them or pay the interest for decades,the goal being to drive the current tax rate down for the residents.

[401don]

Well if you had looked at the date and understood that the reason for posting the link was to refresh peoples memory as to the deal that was struck.

Sorry I should have read the tiny print and realized you would post a link from 9 years ago without mentioning it. Yeah, Canada does have money to burn. We are not nearly as careful with it as the United States. Guess that's why our debt to gdp is less than half of the U.S.

[Honky Tonk]

Guess that's why our debt to gdp is less than half of the U.S.

Yes, but that's in CANADIAN dollars...

[southen]

LANSING — The transition of Detroit's historic Belle Isle to a state park began Tuesday after the Michigan Emergency Loan Board approved a 30-year lease with the city.
The state has promised to make up to $20 million in improvements to the park over the next three years, while saving the city — which is seeking bankruptcy protection — $4 million to $6 million a year in operating costs. An entrance fee for motorists begins next year.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...-park/3514141/

So if the city leased the island to the state,as a state park in order to save money - what is the 50 million for?

Unless the state said,okay we are going to give you these funds but you have to kick the 50 billion into the park?

The funding was not allotted to Detroit,it was allocated to the state who then split it up.

Giving up the island did not save the city 4 to 6 million in operating costs,because now they are paying the 50 million,so they gave up control of the park,needlessly,and now are kicking in 50 million to boot,gotta love government math.

There have been many improvements to Belle Isle from state oversight but there is a great deal more needed for the island, especially regarding infrastructure. I have no doubt a great deal of that money would go to measures to help prevent or mitigate the flooding that has happened on the island in recent years. There is also a need to update the beach area and maybe finally install the splash pad they announced a few years ago. The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon is also in dire need of repairs as is the Remick Band Shell. Those are two expensive projects that may make more sense now given the investment in the Oudolf designed garden at the foot of both of those monuments and the renewed interest in that area. These are all things that probably need an influx of cash versus what the state is willing to spend at the moment. Their focus has been updating roads, adding sidewalks and bike paths and recently removing little used roads and replanting them with trees.

If you aren't in the park frequently or paying attention to what has been announced for it you may not understand where that money would go or why the island needs the investment regardless of whether or not the state is running things.

[Richard]

There have been many improvements to Belle Isle from state oversight but there is a great deal more needed for the island, especially regarding infrastructure. I have no doubt a great deal of that money would go to measures to help prevent or mitigate the flooding that has happened on the island in recent years. There is also a need to update the beach area and maybe finally install the splash pad they announced a few years ago. The Nancy Brown Peace Carillon is also in dire need of repairs as is the Remick Band Shell. Those are two expensive projects that may make more sense now given the investment in the Oudolf designed garden at the foot of both of those monuments and the renewed interest in that area. These are all things that probably need an influx of cash versus what the state is willing to spend at the moment. Their focus has been updating roads, adding sidewalks and bike paths and recently removing little used roads and replanting them with trees.

If you aren't in the park frequently or paying attention to what has been announced for it you may not understand where that money would go or why the island needs the investment regardless of whether or not the state is running things.

I understand what you are saying and do not disagree with your intent,but,federal funding comes with restrictions,they have to be used for their intent.

None of the buildings on the island are considered infrastructure,the funds can be used to prepare existing buildings for climate change,more insulation,widow caulking etc. infrastructure is,power,water,streets,now Internet is considered infrastructure,so basically the core services needed to operate a city.

The wish list is confusing because it incorporated the wish list from the expected grant from the COVID relief where the funds could have been used for that purpose,but by incorporating those funds into a infrastructure package,it is now limited to what they can be used for.

It would have been nicer if the city was able to receive the COVID funds in a timely manner in addition to the infrastructure grant,but it is what it is at this point and has changed from a wish list to prioritizing projects that will drive down the taxpayers obligations which in turn gives people more money to spend in local shops and frees up infrastructure costs from the general fund,which then can be used to fix up the buildings on the island.

I never agreed with the city giving up the park based in that moment in time,it was an asset,as we see now and with the books in order the city could have well afforded to retain it and it would have been easy enough to pull a bond in order to fix everything at once,but that is water under the bridge and it will be 30 years before the city gets that chance again.

The problem with wish lists is sometimes with those lump sums,cities do things that will actually increase the tax demand because they add something more that requires a constant maintenance fee,instead of fixing dire projects where the savings from those repairs actually pays for other improvements without increasing demand on the taxpayers.

The city did receive some COVID funds and even though they could have been used to do some of these projects,they were used to replenish the general budget,which put the city on solid ground and they were able to sell bonds while paying some of the cheapest rates in the country,that was a good move because it saved the taxpayers millions in interest payments,now and 25 years into the future.

It may seem rough now but the city is actually on more solid ground financially then a majority of the cities that you yearn to be,they are where you were 8 years ago,1 step away from insolvency.