DETROIT (WXYZ) — Mayor Mike Duggan, community leaders and representatives from the Penske Corporation broke ground today on a new 8,116-square-foot state-of-the-art solar-powered community center at A.B. Ford Park in Jefferson Chalmers along the Detroit riverfront.
The new facility will serve as a community resource and sustainable resilience hub during emergencies, replacing the Lenox Center, which has been vacant for almost a decade and deemed unusable as it is located within the FEMA flood plain. The center will include flexible space for indoor youth sports and community events, classrooms, and a quiet learning space.
"For nearly a decade, the residents of Jefferson Chalmers have wanted a new community center. Now, thanks to Roger Penske and his commitment to this neighborhood through the Strategic Neighborhood Fund, they soon will have one that will be available to them even through power outages,” Mayor Duggan said in a press release. “Neighborhood revitalization, guided by residents and supported by the city and our business partners, has been the key to the success we are having through the SNF. We believe this new center will be a template for future ones like it."
Funding for the $6.68 million community center project comes from $2.73 million of Penske Corp.’s $5 million Strategic Neighborhood Fund (SNF) donation and $3.95 million from the city of Detroit.
“Penske Corporation is proud to continue to support the Jefferson-Chalmers community. It is exciting to be part of the groundbreaking for a gathering place that has generated so much input and support across the community, said Bud Denker, President of Penske Corporation. “This is a wonderful way to contribute to the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood and help deliver something that is such a welcome addition to the area.”
The City of Detroit Parks & Recreation Division led engagement within Jefferson Chalmers community, which was involved in the planning process for the Strategic Neighborhood Fund vision for the neighborhood.
Launched in 2017 by Mayor Duggan in partnership with Invest Detroit, SNF focuses on leveraging investments in four keys areas: improving parks, streetscapes, commercial corridors, and single-family housing.
The installation of solar power, including a battery and generator to ensure access during times of emergency, such as floods, power outages, or weather-related emergencies is funded through $600,000 in grants from the General Motors Climate Equity Fund and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. The center is poised to become Detroit’s first climate resiliency center where residents can go during times of crises to charge devices, access the internet, stay cool, warm, or dry, and get access to emergency equipment and supplies.
“We are thrilled to begin the work needed to redevelop the long-awaited community center at A.B. Ford Park,” said Brad Dick, group executive, Services & Infrastructure. “In the coming years, the Parks & Recreation Department will work to ensure that all recreation centers across the city can serve as resiliency hubs, by continuing to offer critical City services in normal times, but also during and after emergency events.”
Construction on the project has begun and slated to open in 2023.
A.B. Ford Park Redesign
In addition to the community center, A.B. Ford Park will be redesigned with $2.13 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The redesign will feature enhanced connectivity throughout the park with a new walkway system and promenade connecting the community center to the waterfront; an active zone including outdoor fitness equipment, playgrounds for children ages 2-12, picnic areas and fishing areas with riverfront seating and patio event space for the community center.
The site will feature a pollinator meadow, arboretum for educational enrichment opportunities, and additional tree plantings. Other renovations expected to take place at the park include Detroit Pistons-sponsored basketball courts and an Environmental Protection Agency Habitat Restoration Project to provide a habitat wetland for wildlife.
For more information, on the A.B. Ford Park improvements, go to https://detroitmi.gov/departments/parks-recreation/ab-ford-lenox-center.
