Proposal Essay 4
Abstract
This essay will provide a brief history of the historical Belle Isle Island Park. It is a beautiful park that has declined over the years due to budget cuts and will continue its decline due to the city being in such dire straits. Detroit spends an estimated $6 million a year to operate and maintain Belle Isle Park (Helms). The city has filed bankruptcy and could possibly have to sale treasured assets to eliminate its debts. If Detroit could maintain ownership of what is the nation’s large city owned ecological asset, it could through implementing the proposed trajectory plan cited in this essay provide long-term revenue for the city by revitalizing Belle Isle Island through an Adopt-a-Park program, gap loan funding, volunteerism and the establishment of a park entry fee.
Belle Isle: A plan to Restore and Revitalize Detroit
Belle Isle is a large urban 982-acre Island Park that sits in the middle of the Detroit River. The Island Park is now a deteriorating historical landmark that has a rich history that dates back to the early seventeen hundreds. In order to understand the importance of the plan laid- out in this essay a brief history of Belle Isle Island has been included.
The rich history of this island begins with the original owners, the Ottawa and Chippewa Indian tribes, which they called Wah-na-be-zee (White Swan) Island. In 1768 a Lt. George McDougal purchased the island from the Native Americans. In the early 1700s the French were using it as a livestock grazing ground, the low swampy island, inhabited by herds of wild hogs, because of this the island became known as “Hog Island”. Then later in 1793 William Macomb purchased the Island. In the early eighteen hundreds the island would change ownership two more times. It became a popular picnic spot after Barnabus Campau...