OAKLAND COUNTY: New park spot adds to friction

From the Detroit Free Press:

Oakland County is on the verge of spending nearly $2 million for a piece of land that would become the 12th county park.

The 260 acres at Milford and White Lake roads in Highland Township would become Highland Oaks, a park that can be used for hiking, horseback riding, fishing or cross-country skiing. The Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission will pay $1.9 million for the land, while the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund will pick up the other $1.3 million of the cost.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve the state grant Thursday, paving the way for the park to open in late summer. But some commissioners remain uneasy that yet another park would open in north Oakland while a controversy brews over Catalpa Park, a sliver of land in Southfield that many feel should have been the next county park.

Eight of the county's 11 parks are in the north end of the county, and south-end residents were hoping that adding Catalpa Park to the parks system would help level the playing field.

OAKLAND COUNTY: New park spot adds to friction

Oakland County's Newest Park

Some have claimed that Oakland County Parks does not have the money to acquire parks such as Normandy Oaks in Southeast Oakland County. They certainly have enough money to acquire parks in Northern Oakland County.

From the Spinal Column:
Highland Township is just one step away from being the official home to a new Oakland County park.

After approval by the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission in January and approval from two Oakland County Board of Commissioners committees last month, the full Board of Commissioners will make a final decision tomorrow, Thursday, April 5 on whether to accept a $1.44-million Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (NRTF) grant to acquire 260 acres in northern Highland.

While the grant will provide $1.44 million, the total purchase price is expected to be $3.6 million. The county is expected pick up about 60 percent of that cost, or $2.16 million. That funding is expected to come out of the county's capital improvement budget, which includes money set aside for land acquisition.
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