Springfield Township is putting it in park.
Rotary Park.
A collaborative effort to improve the park, located across from the Hart Center near downtown Davisburg, got started when Springfield Township Clerk Laura Moreau was working on plans to improve the township’s historic cemetery.
Just down the road, she noticed Rotary Park could use some attention, too.
‘You’re heading into town and cresting over the hill by the railroad tracks and get this eyeful of concrete and rock,? she said. ‘It struck me we really should be focusing more on that because it’s the last thing you see before you get to downtown.?
After talking with the township’s Parks and Recreation Department and members of the Davisburg Rotary’as well as representatives of other groups: the Springfield Township Garden Club, North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy, and Oakland County Parks’a plan was formed.
The idea, Moreau said, is for native planting beds to soften the wall of concrete and rock. She’s hoping community groups and organizations will sponsor a bed by covering the cost of the plantings and volunteering to manage on-going maintenance.
When she announced plans to run for the Springfield Township clerk’s position, Moreau listed revitalization of the Davisburg Hamlet among her priorities, noting such an effort would help bring a much-needed sense of community to the township.
Current efforts to improve Rotary Park’and Davisburg Cemetery’are part of that endeavor.
And, while the township continues to discuss possible solutions for some of the downtown’s biggest challenges’parking and septic issues’Moreau said she feels the little things mean a lot.
‘We can’t go in and make major improvements or invest millions right now,? she said. ‘But we can make a lot of these small efforts, like the whiskey-barrel plantings the garden club did for the downtown, to show that we are a community that takes pride, and that we care and we are investing some time and effort.?
The Davisburg Rotary, Moreau pointed out, has cared for the park over the years and recently painted the structures and added flower boxes to the bridge.
While continued plans for improving the park are still in early stages, Moreau said many have expressed enthusiasm about involvement.
Penny Mason of NOHLC, who had her gardens featured in Michigan Gardener magazine, volunteered to design the beds, she said.
The Davisburg Rotary agreed to help with the planting effort and will contribute to the plant purchase, and the Springfield Garden Club indicated an interest in the project, as well.
Oakland County Parks is also keen on getting involved.
‘We’re very enthusiastic about this project,? said Jon Noyes, supervisor of planning for Oakland County Parks, noting Rotary Park is actually one of three parcels that comprise the Springfield Oaks County Park.
While operating the park in three distinct sections’the Oakland County Fair Grounds, the Springfield Oaks Golf Course and Rotary Park’is a challenge, Noyes said the situation also offers a diversity of experiences and unique opportunities for promoting the park and the broader community.
‘Rotary Park should be a gateway for Davisburg, Springfield Township and Oakland County Parks,? he said. ‘It’s such a defining feature of the community and has not been emphasized in the past, but it has a lot of opportunity in moving forward.?
Noyes said early efforts are focused on establishing a partnership with the township, mustering a volunteer force to assist with planting efforts, and addressing safety concerns associated with public use of the park.
He also wants to make sure the park remains accessible and usable for a group of remote control car enthusiasts who currently use it.
‘If folks can come up with a unique use for that public facility, it’s worthwhile to find ways to continue to provide that recreational opportunity,? he said.
‘At the same time, we want to address beautification concerns expressed by Springfield Township.?
Those wishing to make donations or volunteer to support the Rotary Park project can call the Springfield Township clerk’s office at 248-846-6510.
Also visit Oakland County Parks? website at www.oakgov.com/parksrec