12/7/12 - The Brighton City Council Thursday night was presented with a report from City Manager Dana Foster regarding plans to reinvent and expand Meijer Park on the cityâs north side, in a joint project with the Southeastern Livingston County Recreation Authority. Fosterâs proposal grew out of the recent council retreat in which council discussed the possible addition of a splash pad at the park, which now has skateboarding as its only attraction. SELCRA Director Derek Smith tells WHMI the splash pad would be just the first phase of an envisioned three-phase âreinventionâ of Meijer Park. The construction cost would be an estimated $174,000 plus $150,000 for a water recirculation system, although Smith says he has been told those amounts can be reduced. Foster says the Downtown Development Authority may also be willing to make a $100,000 contribution toward the project, although it has committed no funds at this time. The cost of the splash pad could be included as part of a $250,000 refinancing bond issue that would be paid back over 15 years. Foster says a possible impediment to a refinancing bond issue that would include a splash pad is that it would require a 45-day period in which a citizen could initiate a petition drive to put it on the ballot. Another possible downside is if SELCRA were to default, the city would be obligated to pay the annual cost of the operation. However, Smith says his projections are that the splash pad would turn the Meijer Park operation from an $8,000 per year financial burden to a $20,000 revenue producer for the agency. Council took no action, saying they needed more time to consider the proposal.
↧