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Pierce Park improvement work underway

File photo by Lisa Carolin. Meg Gower explains concepts of the proposed Pierce Park enhancement project.

(Clarification from Mayor Melissa Johnson: The creation of new parks and the adding of a community center are not new concepts.  They both are included in the original plan and also the updated draft plan.  However, in updating the plan, these were not included (an omission) in the new action plan.  Because they have previously been identified as focus areas they should have also been included in the action plan.  I was identifying a correction, not adding new action items.)

By Lisa Carolin

A path through Chelsea’s Pierce Park is expected to be paved out in the next week.

That was the announcement from Chelsea City Manager John Hanifan at the Oct. 8 meeting of the Chelsea Parks Commission.

Hanifan said that a second gazebo will also be built this fall, weather permitting, and that there will also be more landscaping completed at Pierce Park.

The Parks Commission would like to remind anyone interested in participating in the bench and/or tree donation programs to go to the website www.city-chelsea.org

During the meeting, commission members had a chance to look at the first draft review of the Parks Plan Amendment, a document that will be sent to the State of Michigan for approval. One of the topics was whether to have the dog park officially designated as a park. Because of the possibility of expanding the nearby water purification plant, the decision to designate it as a park was delayed.

Chelsea Mayor Melissa Johnson, a member of the Parks Commission, said that she’d like to add an action plan to the Parks Plan Amendment to provide for community recreation by creating new parks and spaces and adding a community center.

Johnson spoke about an event she attended Oct. 6 called Direct Dialoguing on the Double: Civic Engagement in Three Minutes, which was held at the Chelsea Senior Center. Members of the public had the chance to engage with elected officials and community leaders. She said that some of the feedback received during the session about parks included requests for more benches as well as shade at the dog park.

Johnson reminded those who asked about better signage to the dog park that it’s not an open park and that you must register to be able to bring your dog there.

Johnson said that other comments shared at the event included requests for more investment in local parks, traffic safety, walkability, and continuing to work collaboratively with neighboring townships.

Hanifan suggested scheduling a public input session for the Parks Commission in March of 2020.

The next meeting of the Parks Commission will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 311 S. Main, City Council Chambers.

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1 thought on “Pierce Park improvement work underway”

  1. I grew up with the train so I already miss it ♥️. I was also wondering if anyone knows what the cost of moving that rock 15ft is going to cost the city? So far renovations are looking good oh, but I would love to know the cost of the rock moving.

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