Engaging Stakeholders: A Project Team Review
The Upper Detroit Riverfront Habitat and Parks Restoration Project is supported by a combination of federal, state, and local governmental agencies as well as non-profit and civic partners. The multi-million dollar investment in the Upper Detroit Riverfront habitat and parks is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is coordinated by staff from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Area of Concern, Detroit General Services Department, City of Detroit Department of Parks and Recreation, the Friends of the Detroit River Public Advisory Council, and a local unit of the National Park Service.
Confused yet? Don't worry, so was everyone else.
As is the case with large civic projects, the roles of each agency can be hard to grasp. Furthermore, it is often confusing to remember who is doing what, and who the long term person contacts for the project will be. This was a definite problem the Project Team experienced in the early months of community engagement and outreach in the Jefferson-Chalmers community. With such an active and involved citizen base residing in the project area of the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood, it was important that the outreach process made one thing clear- who the people are that are working on behalf of the Upper Detroit Riverfront.
On Wednesday, October 12th the Upper Detroit Riverfront Habitat and Parks Restoration Project Team convened a meeting of stakeholders in the community to review public engagement and outreach efforts to date, and to discuss how best to collaborate for the duration of the project. One of the goals of the meeting was for stakeholders to have face to face interactions with each Project Team member and to learn about how each agency would be involved in the Upper Detroit Riverfront Habitat and Parks Restoration Project.
Stakeholders were selected for their interest and involvement with the Upper Detroit Riverfront project to date. One of the key topics addressed during the meeting was how to expand the stakeholder group to include more representatives from the community, including faith based and public school leadership.
The meeting began with presentations from each agency partner to summarize their roles and involvement in the Upper Detroit Riverfront project.
The presentations of each of the project partners is summarized below.
Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office
The EPA has identified Detroit as a focus community through the Make a Visible Difference Initiative and will continue to fund and lead air, land, and water program resources to implement projects. The EPA works as part of the Detroit Federal Working Group (DFWG) team to align resources to support environmental protection and neighborhood revitalization in Detroit along with several other federal organizations.
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Area of Concern (AOC) Project Coordination
The Detroit River is one of 14 Areas of Concern (AOC) in Michigan where the health and quality of the Great Lakes are affected due to pollutants. This project is listed as a priority project for the MDEQ Detroit River AOC.
Friends of the Detroit River Public Advisory Council (PAC)
The Friends of the Detroit River seeks to improve the quality of life of people, plants and animals in southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario. They organize grass roots advocacy and staffed programs, and have formed an environmental group that watches and protects the Detroit River. Their efforts hope to include the creation of a highly visible resource center focusing on Detroit River issues, programs, research, policies and partnerships.
City of Detroit Department of Recreation and General Services Department
The Department of Recreation and General Services is taking a bold approach to focus on reinvestment and implementation of $4.125 million in open space and park access as part of the 2016 Parks and Recreation Improvement Plan. This opportunity will make it possible for Detroiters to continue enjoying the parks and greenspaces they love while underused and deteriorating park facilities will undergo phased improvements following a community engagement process.
National Park Service - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA)
The National Park Service Rivers Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the nation to help communities get their conservation and outdoor recreation ideas on the ground. RTCA works closely with project partners to help implement planning and facilitate community engagement. Futher, Detroit was selected as a key model city in the midwest to demonstrate how parks, programs, and partners can strengthen public land access for generations to come.
Following agency presentations, stakeholders were provided a comprehensive overview of community engagement and public outreach from the National Park Service. This included a summary of Community Opinion Survey results that were collected from June 1 - October 1, 2016. The summary of community engagement and public input will be helpful in guiding the EPA consultants who will lead the project from 2017 onward until completion.
If you are an advocate for the Upper Detroit Riverfront and are interested in being included in the next Stakeholder Meeting, please submit a request to the Project Team via the Contact Form on this website.
The presentations from the Stakeholders Meeting can be found on the blog!
