Belle Isle Advisory Committee

The meeting has started with Michele Hodges, chair of the committee and President/CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy, greeting everyone. There’s no quorum yet.

The Belle Isle Park Advisory Committee advises the state on implementation of improvements, master planning and public safety for Belle Isle Park.

Today’s agenda: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/-/media/Project/Websites/dnr/Documents/Boards/BIPAC/BIPAC-Agendas/agenda-2022-12-15.pdf?rev=54b290ad62c94491853e14f2c68a5364&hash=81D5DD79783920A198F98734391A37AD

Highlights include presentations from:

a) Urban Night Sky Place Proposal (Jerry Hasspacher, Sierra Club Southeast Michigan Group)
b) Briefing on Proposed Concours d’Elegance Event (Tara Noftz, Director of Detroit Concours d’Elegance)

Still waiting on a quorum. If you want to join the meeting at any point, you can contact 1 248-509-0316,
Phone Conference ID: 630 508 739#

Starting with presentations–the first is the Urban Night Sky proposal from the Sierra Club. Co-chair of the Sierra Club, Gerald “Jerry” Hasspacher is speaking.

Hasspacher turns it over to Ed Cackett. (Meanwhile, Bud Denker has arrived and there is a quorum.) Cackett is going to lead the presentation.

Because of a tech issue, Hodges is moving onto the review of the last meeting’s minutes and asking for a motion to approve. Approved and seconded. No discussion on the minutes and they are approved.

Hodges also gets approval for the advisory committee’s slate of meetings for 2023, which includes an evening meeting to make sure residents/interested parties can go to the meeting(s).

Back to the Sierra Club. It wants to make Belle Isle an Urban Night Sky Place, or to receive that designation. The idea behind it is we need dark skies because there’s little of it in urban areas such as Detroit. That’s light pollution, which is hard on birds, insects, etc.

Cackett: Michigan and the DNR have been leaders in dark sky places. The International Dark Sky Places is an organization that works with three IDA (International Dark Sky Association) places in Michigan.

Cackett: The Urban Night Sky Place is a relatively new designation; Belle Isle is perfect for this as it is an urban park in the middle of the river, so it is separated from the bright lights of the city. There’s programming at Belle Isle on nature and at night, so it’s ideal.

Cackett: To become an Urban Night Sky Place, you need a lighting management plan, warmer bulbs, curfews and minimizing hours of illumination; a lighting inventory; education on Dark Skies programs; signage; annual reports.

Cackett: Michigan DNR was the first the nation to designate dark sky preservers; Gov. Whitmer made April 22-30 (2022) to create Dark Sky Week, so Michigan generally supports dark skies. The Sierra Club is willing to work with the DRN and Belle Isle to move forward.

Questions from Denker: Would the island be required to be open at night? Sierra Club: Not really. Plus, it would bring in additional tourism, potentially. Curis: What are the costs and does it affect the island’s users? Does it need to be the whole island?

Advisory committee agrees to let the DNR lead and to hear more about this in the future. Next up: Tara Noftz of the Detroit Concours d’Elegance; doesn’t seem like she’s on the line. Sommer Woods also is now on the call.

Next up: Ron Olson of the DNR–next month, park staff will be doing regular activities for the down time of the island and things will be slower generally. Now moving onto Floyd Karis of the DNR with his updates.

Karis: All restrooms are closed now except by the bus stop and the casino; those are available throughout the winter. Public lighting and DTE are working together to get lights on around the island (some of the solar lighting needs to be updated).

Next up: Joel Thomas of the DNR. Rangers are going into their layoffs as part of the seasonal reductions. The park staff is working on cleaning, maintenance, and picnic tables to prep for spring.

Next up: Jason Becker. All is well in terms of safety on the island–nothing to report. Next up: Amanda Treadwell, Urban Field Planner with the DNR.

Treadwell: Anna Scripps Whitcomb project is underway and covered with scaffolding to get the dome repaired. There is interior work as well but the plants are happy and protected during this mega project. The “dance floor” for the workers is built around the plants.

Treadwell: The casino roof is getting DNR review and construction is slated to start in spring 2023, concurrently with its elevator modernization.

Treadwell: Handball court is getting some stabilization work as well. This has become a multi-year project delayed by Covid by a bit, so it is going now; the masonry work has been done (repointed; replaced) and more to come.

Treadwell: The Belle Isle Multimodal Mobility Study continues with stakeholder meetings in December; a project webpage under development; and the data processing and analysis phase now underway. The purpose is to increase safety on the island overall, including parking.

Treadwell: Belle Isle is working with MSU students in its design studio to help create an idea of how to develop “a cultural heart” on the island; these are opportunities to get new ideas of what’s possible in terms of the island’s spaces and community development.

Next up: Ayo T on what’s up with the Belle Isle Conservancy: It’s quiet on the island because of the cold, but the gardens are still interesting and there are events going at the Nature Center as well as at the Dossin Great Lakes museum.

Public comments are next. First up: Stephen Malbouef–he’s wondering about the lighting on the island. Many of the lights aren’t working, they’re flickering. It gets dark earlier, so he has a concern running or walking on the island when it is pitch black. Solar isn’t working.

Up next: Is Shiver on the River happening? Iyo: Yes. Next up: Jenna, a student who supports the Urban Night Sky project. Next up: JW Mitchell–the lights on the bridge seem like they’re in and out as well. Dark skies seem like a good idea in that it is beautiful when it’s foggy.

Hodges wraps up as public comments ends with a “happy holidays” to all. See you in 2023, she notes. Meeting ends at 10:35 a.m.

Next meeting: January 19, 2023, 9:00 a.m., Belle Isle Nature Center

For more coverage and other meeting notes, check out the Detroit Documenters (and let them know if you want any corrections to this tweet chain).

https://www.documenters.org/