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The Ypsilanti City Council approved a resolution authorizing the park improvement cost schedule at their bi-weekly meeting on Tuesday, April 16.
The budget approved will provide numerous renovations to parks in Ypsilanti including Peninsular Park, Parkridge, Riverside Park and Candy Cane Park. Christopher Jacobs, director of the downtown development authority, presented the plan and took feedback from the council.
“This is some of the most gratifying works I’ve done for the city and I’d love to see it move forward,” Jacobs said.
The renovations will be paid for by a millage that went into effect in January for the use of promoting mental health and public safety. $125,000 of the $5 to $6 million the millage will produce will go towards park renovations. Mayor Beth Bashert agreed with the departments notion that improving parks will improve the mental health and safety of the Ypsilanti community.
Fixing playground equipment, hazard removal and replacing basketball nets are among the things most of this budget hopes to tackle. Mayor Pro-Tem Lois Richardson expressed community concern of getting restroom doors repaired at Riverside Park. She also expressed concern over $500 trashcans that were included in the budget.
According to Jacobs, these numbers can fluctuate but he wanted to account for heavy duty trashcans that wouldn’t be easily tampered with. The plans numbers are rough estimates and the focus of the plan is big picture, according to Mayor Beth Bashert.
Bashert suggested spending less on traditional trash cans and investing in rectangular lids to reduce the possibility of dumping. She also expressed the councils mission to invest in recycling services and install bins in parks.
