Michigans 102nd state park thrives under DNR

By Jim Bloch Voice Reporter

By the time the city of Detroit entered bankruptcy in July 2013, the beauty signified by the name Belle had become drab and tattered. In February 2014, as part of the bankruptcy restructuring, the Michigan Emergency Loan Board entered into a 30-year agreement with the state of Michigan to operate Belle Isle as the states 102nd state park. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which operates the state park system, does not pay rent to the city; instead, the city saves the $6 million or so per year it had been spending on the island.

This is our ninth month at Belle Isle, said Karris Floyd, manager of Belle Isle and the Milliken Nature Center, the wetland state park west of the Renaissance Center, speaking to 14 environmental and outdoor journalists on Oct. 24. He spoke in the Casino on Belle Isle, built in 1904 and used as an event hall ever since.

The Casino was not in good condition when we got here, said Floyd. Weve basically turned this into a very energy efficient building. We replaced all the lighting in here. Weve gone through and done a total cleaning. A lot of the windows were not energy efficient, so we changed those. This building is rented daily for weddings, meetings, you name it, year round. So we really put a lot of time and effort and money into this building.

The poor condition of the casino was the tip of the iceberg.

Because of the bankruptcy, the state wanted to come in and get Belle Isle back to what it was, said Floyd. We have a lot of specific items under the lease that were responsible for. That includes getting all the buildings back up and running. When we came in, we encountered a lot of homeless people living here. We encountered a lot of buildings in disarray, no roofs, no toilets, no sinks. All of that was a real challenge. Were also responsible for bringing the community back to Belle Isle. We are working to make the island safe again. We have a partnership with the Michigan State Police and also the Michigan Conservation Officers. They patrol the island for us. They do it 6 a.m.-10 p.m. every day.

The DNR plans to invest $20 million in the island through 2017.

The turnaround to date has been remarkable.

Belle Isle is emblematic of whats going on in Detroit, said Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. It fell into disrepair. It has come back. The DNR and the state deserve a lot of credit for that.

If were not fulfilling our end of the lease, the city of Detroit at any time can take the island back, said Floyd. Continued...

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Michigans 102nd state park thrives under DNR