By Lisa Carolin
Adding shrubs and perennial plants to the front garden at Pierce Park are among the updates approved by the Chelsea Parks and Recreation Commission at its Nov. 6 meeting.
Landscaper Meg Gowen, who did the initial conceptual drawing of improvements for Pierce Park, presented the updates that include making a big bank of shrubs with hydrangea and an arc of shrubs along with a perennial planting area with plants such as lilacs, burning bushes, boxwood, and Oregon grape holly.
Gowen said that she went back to Pierce Park and sat in different places and believes that shifting The Rock rather than relocating it would highlight The Rock and make it more visible.
“There’s a slight rise, a fairly natural pedestal for The Rock, which would bring it physically away from trees,” she said.
One of the Park Commission’s goals is to eliminate the graffiti on the trees closest to The Rock. Park improvements could begin as early as the spring of 2019.
Chelsea City Manager John Hanifan shared news from the City Council’s Nov. 4 meeting that an agreement to match a $70,400 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the non-motorized trail along Letts Creek was accepted. A feasibility study is expected to be done by the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative close to Christmas time.
Also on the Parks Commission agenda was the acquisition of property for new parks. Mayor Melissa Johnson, a member of the Parks Commission, reminded members that looking to acquire additional property for parks is identified in the Master Plan.
“As we anticipate additional growth in the area, it is prime time to think about this before land is developed,” she said.
That will be a topic at future meetings.
The Parks Commission meets the first Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. in City Council Chambers. The next meeting is on Dec. 4.
One of the things that helps to make Pierce Park feel like a safe space (particularly the playground area at the rear of the park) is that the entire park is fully visible from Main Street. I hope that the plans for the new plantings will not create a visual barrier that ends up impacting that openness in a negative way.