DETROIT – Next spring, AB Ford Park on Detroit’s east side will be open and ready to welcome parkgoers.
For now, however, it remains closed following testing that concluded the soil was contaminated.
“It revealed that there’s high levels of various metals and manmade chemicals,” said Crystal Perkins, Director of Detroit’s General Services Department.
City council approved a bid Tuesday (March 26) for the $9 million remediation and renovation, which will be underway soon.
The first step is to remediate the soil. After a protective layer on top of the current soil and two feet of new soil will be brought in to go on top. Old trees 251 will be removed, and more than 500 will be put there in their place.
Once complete, the park will feature a basketball court, playgrounds, a fitness pad, a sheltered picnic area, and grills. While many neighbors are excited about the changes that are coming, they have many questions about why there wasn’t better communication about what was happening.
“There should’ve been an opportunity in writing, door-to-door, a knocker, or mailed something that told the residents its coming and how it’s going to impact them,” said Jocelyn Fitzpatrick-Harris, who works as a liaison between the city and residents.
The city says it’s aware of residents’ concerns and is addressing them as best it can. Many wondered about the disruption the construction traffic would cause.
Perkins says someone will be on-site monitoring the traffic and that the work will be extended over the course of a year to lessen the disruption.
For residents who feel left out, the city will soon be holding weekly office hours, Zoom meetings, and once-monthly in-person meetings at the community rec center.