FLINT, MI – It’s impossible to miss the work taking place on the Flint River as part of the development of the city’s first state park in downtown Flint.
But in Lansing, the Michigan Department of Resources is still grappling with a problem that is not addressed in the 230-acre recreation area: What should it be called?
It’s an issue that’s been discussed but not decided, said Ron Olson, director of the DNR’s parks and recreation division.
The agency has held back some local residents’ proposals since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced plans to develop the park with more than $30 million in federal stimulus funds.
Olson said the DNR will most likely announce the name at a dedication or ribbon-cutting ceremony — most likely sometime next year.
Michigan has 103 state parks named to convey a sense of place. The names refer to geographic features, local history, or people with a connection to the land.
Claire V. Korn wrote in her book Michigan State Parks: Yesterday Through Tomorrow that the issue of naming rights for state parks “became a thorny issue” in 1921, when state park policies were revised to provide guidelines for naming.
In 2006, the state renamed the 92-mile White Pine Trail from near Grand Rapids to Cadillac the “Fred Meijer White Pine Trail” after grocery magnate Fred Meijer donated $1 million to it.
Three years later, the state renamed the Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor on the Detroit River to William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor.
And Michigan’s newest state park – Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve south of Jackson – is named after Royal and Sally Carpenter Watkins.
The Watkins initially farmed the property, which includes a 5-mile hiking trail, and played a key role in the development of the Underground Railroad, according to the DNR.
The names of parks after people date back to the naming of Hoeft State Park, which in turn was named after the late lumber baron Paul H. Hoeft, who donated land for this recreational area – one of the original 14 state parks in Michigan.
Olson declined to say which proposals are among the favorites for Flint State Park, but said people can email or write their suggestions to the DNR.
“We’re not actively looking for names, but we’re always listening,” he said. “Right now we’re still going through the possibilities.”
Members of the Genesee County Commission received an update on the $13 million river work that began in June during their meeting last week.
Implementation of the Flint Riverfront Restoration Plan began in 2015 and the state park includes the project area.
Contractor Granger Construction is building six rapids in the river between Grand Traverse Street and Hamilton Avenue and removing the remains of two river dams.
The aim of the work is to restore the river’s natural habitat, improve fish habitat and improve recreational access for kayakers and canoeists.
The commissioners did not make any suggestions for the name of the park, but Commissioner Delrico Loyd (D-Flint) expressed the hope that the Chevy Commons area would commemorate the Flint residents’ sit-in of 1936-1937.
The building was once the heart of Chevrolet’s global manufacturing operations and played a key role in the walkout that led to GM recognizing the United Auto Workers union as a bargaining agent for hourly workers.
In 2009, former Mayor Dayne Walling endorsed the idea of building a state park in Flint in a speech to a group of local Democrats, but later said he would prefer to see the Chevy Commons site developed as a memorial to the unions’ contributions.
Patrick Linihan, director of the county Parks and Recreation Commission, said discussions have been held with the DNR about some form of recognition for the strike, and Olson said such an honor is currently being discussed.
In total, the park will consist of five units and span 230 acres, including 67 acres that will form Chevy Commons, known locally for decades as Chevy in the Hole.
Plans for the state park include creating a special play area at the east end of Chevy Commons where Swartz Creek flows into the Flint River, new connections between adjacent residential areas and other nearby amenities, and additional low-maintenance plantings, according to a DNR project description.
Other park features include Riverbank Park, originally created in the early 1980s and featuring an amphitheater, a large fountain, and an Archimedes screw that channeled water from the river into a system of canals, fountains, and waterfalls.
The new plan for the state park includes new access points to the river, barrier-free trails, new lighting and modernization of public restrooms in the area.
Other areas of the park include the Mott Park Recreation Area, the Happy Hollow Nature Area, and the Vietnam Veterans Park.
Through an agreement with the DNR, the County Parks System is responsible for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the park.
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation provided $18 million, matched by $22 million in state American Rescue Plan Act funds, to establish a $40 million endowment with the Community Foundation of Greater Flint to ensure the long-term operation and maintenance of the state park.
