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Belle Isle Park Management Forum Leads to Recommendations
by Janet Anderson Cityscape Detroit and the Friends of Belle Isle (FOBI) co-sponsored a Forum on the future of Belle Isle park, at the Belle Isle Casino on July 19, from 4:00 - 7:00. A panel of island advocates was convened to discuss a study of national trends in park management, prepared under the FOBI Island in the City initiative and presented by Janet Anderson, Island in the City author and Cityscape Detroit Board Member. 87 people attended the forum. A new Master Plan for Belle Isle has been prepared by Hamilton-Anderson Associates for the City of Detroit, and it has raised important questions about funding and managing park requirements. Renderings of the Master Plan and information about island support organizations were displayed. Participants received a poster of the Proposed Master Plan, and completed a survey about their preferences for island management. Light lunch followed the program. Janet Anderson presented her study of the national trends in a 45-minute slide show. Images of 9 other cities’ showcase parks created with Belle Isle in the 19th century parks movement, were included: Central Park, St.Louis Forest Park, San Diego Balboa Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park, Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park, Milwaukee’s and Chicago’s lakeshores. Most of these other cities have made changes to the way they manage and fund these historical places, including creating conservancies and public-private partnerships to oversee essential services, and establishing stable dedicated revenue streams with which to attract additional support. The net effect is that other cities’ showcase parks are getting the focused specialized attention to provide park amenities and to restore them to the showcases they truly are. Regular maintenance and Master Plan improvements are underway, and new services are improving the park experience while generating needed revenues. The momentum is attracting new and additional support throughout their metropolitan areas. It’s a lesson that can apply to any of the specialized public spaces - Eastern Market; Hart Plaza - under traditional City of Detroit control. The recently-proposed park admission fee has had most of the local attention. Panelists appreciated some of the other city success stories as a model for Detroit, recognizing some of the political challenges that currently exist. There was a sense of urgency about implementing Proposed Belle Isle Master Plan recommendations, with mixed support for the fee. A lot of the audience discussion focused on getting more broad-based support for island activities in general, including strengthening FOBI and other existing support organizations. A followup report of Guiding Principles for a Better Belle Isle was promised to participants when endorsed by the respective Boards and released publicly, right after the General Election. This free event was hosted by the Detroit Recreation Department, and funded by the Comerica Charitable Foundation (Detroit300) which paid for printing and mailing a 12-page illustrated report of the national trends study. The Island in the City book is a fundraiser for the FOBI ($20; half of it tax deductible). The booklet, student guides, and book order form are available on the FOBI website, at www.fobi.org, or by calling 313-331-7760.
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