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The County of Wayne has taken ownership of,
and a large amount of responsibility for the 40+acre parcel just to
the north of Humbug Marsh and Humbug Island, formerly the Chrysler Paint Plant,
in Trenton.
Although this property will be leased to the US
Fish and Wildlife Service for the Visitors Center for the International Wildlife
Refuge, the County has been investing staff and funds into the development of
this site. The County has pledged that this visitors center will be a
Platinum Certified LEED development (www.usgbc.org/ ) The architecture firm of
Hamilton Anderson is designing landscape, use and building plans.
Already many hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent. The entire
visitors center will cost millions.
The County played an important role at a
critical moment, responding to the well organized effort to save Humbug
Marsh, and working non-competitively with the staffs Congressman Dingell,
River Navigator John Hartig, the Friends of the Detroit River, and many
many very motivated grass roots citizens and organizations.
In this "exception" to the sorry story of
"opportunities lost" which Cliff, Smiley, Cowherd et al., have
laid out for our consideration, there is material difference -- an
essential component to any progressive change. We had
champions!
With a similar mobilization of citizens, I believe
the County could restore Fort Wayne, develop Fordsom Island, salvage the
Boblo Boat, or even build a new age golf course in the abandoned 40 acre
plots on the near east side of the City.
All it takes is love. . .
Blair Mc Gowan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 10:14
AM
Subject: Re: E-M:/ Wayne County Town Hall
meeting tonight
Jack, should we assume the answers to your (rhetorical)
questions about Wayne County's park millage money are "No"?
If that's
the case, then I am truly amazed. I thought the steps taken towards
selling parkland by Ann Arbor's senior City administrators and Mayor - just
after the citizens voted 2-1 to buy more parkland - were outrageous. But
Wayne County appears to be setting the standard for cynical abuse of the
public's goodwill on parks issues.
Doug Cowherd
Chair, Sierra
Club-Huron Valley Group
Smileysmlc@aol.com wrote:
I just received this notice for a Town Hall meeting tonight:
"Town Hall meeting with Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano, will
feature an overview of county programs and goals. County department
heads will also be present. There will an opportunity for you to ask
questions about county government. Hope you can join us.
Light refreshments will be served. For more details call 313
467-6945."
"Wayne County Executive... Town Hall meeting hosted in the 5th
commission district, Southwest Detroit
On: Tuesday Feb 28, 2006
At: Greater Apostolic Faith Temple
4735 W Fort St, Detroit
48209
Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM"
County residents might want to ask about the management of the Wayne
County Parks millage money--which raises approximately $12 million per
year. The Parks millage initially passed 10 years ago under the guise
that it would raise money for park land acquisition , for fixing up
Fort Wayne, and for a variety of other park improvements. In
10 years, has one single acre of park land been purchased? Has a
single dollar gone into the renovation of Fort Wayne? Is there an
audit available for public inspection which details where the money has been
spent? Why does Wayne County not have a Parks Commission to oversee
operation of the Parks Department and expenditure of millage money?
Wayne County also created the first Wetland Mitigation Bank in the
state. How much money was lost on that project? Why was the bank
such a failure? Since it was never certified by MDEQ, has it been
officially "closed"?
I'm sure there are a host of other questions that people should
ask.
Jack Smiley
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