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WXYZ Editorial: Your opinion about Belle Isle's future matters!

Posted at 7:23 PM, Mar 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-23 22:13:30-04

It’s one of Michigan’s historic gems and the people who oversee it want your input. What should be the future of Belle Isle Park, the 982-acre park in the Detroit River?

As most of you know, this island near downtown, has gone through a major transition over the past two years. The Department of Natural Resources and its partners have invested over $22 million in park improvements. Those changes range from things you can see to long overdue infrastructure updates.

But now the Detroit Conservancy, the DNR and the City of Detroit want to develop a long-range strategic and management plan for the park. The intent of the plan is to protect Belle Isle’s natural resources and see what kind of recreation and educational opportunities the public would like to see on the island. This is not about increasing taxes for this or other state parks! It’s about enhancing the historic, environmental and cultural experiences the park has to offer. It’s also about making sure the park lives up to the international promotion, recognition and benefits it gets each year from the Belle Isle Grand Prix.

We commend the island planners for their very open process. Your opinion matters! There will be two meetings to seek public feedback. The meetings will be Wednesday, March 29, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the park’s Flynn Pavilion. If you can’t attend, take a moment to complete a short online questionnaire that you can access from our wxyz.com website until April 7th.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/belleisle2017

This is your chance to take action and make a difference! Together, we can help the Belle Isle Conservancy fulfill its mission to protect, preserve, restore and enhance Michigan’s 102nd state park.

I’m Mike Murri, Vice President & General Manager

Broadcast: March 23 - 26, 2017