Belle Isle Advisory Committee

Michigan Belle Isle Park Advisory Committee

Parks

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023
9:00 a.m. EST

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Belle Isle Detroit, MI 48207 (Directions)

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team

Live reporting by Amy Senese

Angela Lugo-Thomas introduced as newest committee member; several vacancies still exist. Questions remain over feasibility of Belle Isle Boathouse renovation and long-term sustainable use.

amy k senese 🍉

Good Morning! Today at 9 am, I'll be live-tweeting the Belle Isle Advisory Committee meeting for #DETdocumentersm @DetDocumenters Media partners: @BridgeDet313 @chalkbeatDET @freep @metrotimes @MichiganRadio @media_outlier @PlanetDetroit @wdet @wxyzdetroit

07:50 AM Dec 14, 2023 CST

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Today's meeting is virtual. You can find the meeting link on the documenters' website, as well as past reporting on the Belle Isle Advisory Committee. detroit.documenters.org/assignments/be…

detroit.documenters.org/assignments/be…

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Meeting info and agenda can also be found on the State of Michigan website under the Department of Natural Resources. michigan.gov/dnr/about/boar…

michigan.gov/dnr/about/boar…

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This committee made news in October when residents voiced concerns over a possible teardown of the historic Belle Isle Boat House. The committee promised to explore all options before any demolition. outliermedia.org/belle-isle-boa…

outliermedia.org/belle-isle-boa…

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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is taking public comment on the Belle Isle Boat House through December 31st. freep.com/story/news/loc…

freep.com/story/news/loc…

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The meeting has begun at 9am. They are starting with an introduction of Angela Lugo-Thomas, a new committee member from Highland Park. Committee members are introducing themselves based on where they are calling them in from.

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Minutes from the last meeting are approved. Now there is a resolution to approve the 2023 meeting schedule. There's a question about the frequency of meetings every month.

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It sounds like they don't always have a quorum or the minimum number of people needed to hold meetings or make decisions. One member commented that there will be a lot going on next year with decisions on the Boat House for example.

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Thomas was asking if there will be new appointments to the committee. They've voted to hold monthly meetings, and future committee appointments are still up in the air.

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They are now moving on to reports.

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Here's more on committee member Angela Lugo-Thomas, who is a contributor to @PlanetDetroit planetdetroit.org/author/angela-…

planetdetroit.org/author/angela-…

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Ron Olson said that the recreation passport fee is going up $1 next year. Olson also mentioned that the DNR is collecting public comment through the end of the year. They want people to look at the links and learn about the details of what state the boathouse is in.

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The City of Detroit did an assessment on the Boat House years ago, & there's been substantial neglect. There are 2 questions, if the renovation is feasible & what the long-term sustainable use for the building would be.

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Michele Hodges is asking if the $1 increase will go specifically to Belle Isle. It sounds like it goes to a state fund. There is a general fund for Belle Isle, the state puts more money in the "pot" for Belle Isle than they sell in recreation passports on the Island.

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Ron Olson is saying with all the budgets, State Parks, transportation and State Police, the island has a budget of around 6 million.

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Now onto the Park Update. Tom Bissett is saying that they've received over 1800 official comments and he's asking people to use the official form instead of facebook.

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Here's the form where you can submit your public comment on the Belle Isle Boathouse: research.net/r/NPF2WNC

research.net/r/NPF2WNC

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Here's some extensive info on the Belle Isle Boathouse that the DNR is encouraging people to read before making public comments. michigan.gov/dnr/managing-r…

michigan.gov/dnr/managing-r…

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Gail Fitch gave some park updates. They just hired a janitor going into winter operations and they are full staff for the first time in years. They've closed Central Avenue for the winter.

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Amanda Treadwell is now speaking on current updates on infrastructure projects on Belle Isle.

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Engineering Projects:

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Construction Projects:

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New Projects for 2024:

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Belle Isle Aquarium update:

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Wet Mesic Flatwoods Restoration

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Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. Scheduled to be opened mid-2024

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ARPA funded new projects for 2024 which include removing the old zoo buildings.

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Aquarium HVAC Engineering and upgrades:

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Belle Isle HAzardous Material and Structural Study Master Document

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Belle Isle Former Zoo plans. They had over 7,000 people respond to an online survey in 2021. They will move forward based on the findings from this survey.

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Belle Isle Multimodal Mobility Study:

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James Scott Memorial Fountain:

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Belle Isle Boathouse:

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Now onto the law update with Todd Szyka. He said they are in winter staffing, with some staff needing to take mental health breaks and get some help. They have collected toys to donate to Detroit families.

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Now updates from Ayo Thomas from the Belle Isle Conservancy. There's a Nature at Night series on the Winter Solstice, on December 21st.

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Holiday Hours for the Dossin Great Lakes Museum

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Info on purchasing memorial pavers:

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Belle Isle was named the nation's most beautiful aquarium by Trip Advisor.

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Get involved with the Conservancy and follow on social media:

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Now onto public comment. Stephen Malbouef, from Madison Wisconsin, has been rowing from the Detroit Boat House for many years. He's concerned that there's not enough public engagement on the Boat House. He does not agree with the webpage which details the situation.

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He's also saying they are not considering all the private money spent on the Boathouse by the Friends of the Detroit Boathouse. He's also saying the estimates for the renovation costs are higher than they need to be. His background photo has an interior that the group restored.

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Malbouef is saying they are doing a disservice to the Boat House by only showing the worst areas of the structure. He also compared it to the Zoo study which was much longer and was given more time.

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Malbouef also compared the Boathouse to other historic rennovation projects in Detroit.

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Ayo Thomas is leaving the Conservancy, thanked everyone, and said they will still be coming to the meetings as a community member. Angela Lugo-Thomas is thanking the board. Her grandmother( think I heard that right) ran the Belle Isle Zoo and Conservancy for over a decade.

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The meeting ended at 10:10 am.

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Here's the website for the Detroit Boat Club Crew, which is sponsored by Friends of Detroit Rowing, which was mentioned by Stephen Malbouef during public comment. detroitboatclubcrew.com

detroitboatclubcrew.com

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That concludes my coverage for the December 2023 meeting of the Belle Isle Advisory Committee. If you believe any of this coverage to be inaccurate, please email documenters@outliermedia.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.

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For more coverage, visit documenters.org

documenters.org

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Note-taking by B W

Angela Lugo-Thomas was introduced as the newest committee member. (Lugo-Thomas is a Detroit Documenter.) Several vacancies on the committee still exist. Questions remain over feasibility of Belle Isle Boathouse renovation and long-term sustainable use.

View notes