This is the thing about the river walk that has been since they built the first one is way did they build that? The first one had huge cement circles under the Shiawassee St Bridge that were suppose to serve what purpose? Now in this version they have a band stand [I guess] that looks OK but did they ever use it for anything? When they show a shot of that area on the channel six weather report it looks like a cement empty area. When you walk through there it's very hot the plantings are minimum and many left to weeds. Why? The area under the bridge is often occupied by what may be homeless men asking for a hand out. I think that could be a bit frightening to women and families. Perhaps we need a conservancy to help with river trail and maybe all Lansing's Parks.
In Boston a charitable conservancy takes care of The Public Gardens and that area looks great with nice plantings no litter good security, across from there The Boston Commons although better lately, has a neglected look about it scruffy grass litter kind of scary looking folks hanging out there. The difference is that the city of Boston only maintains the Commons. There is also a conservancy for the Rose Kennedy Greenway. You often see groups of volunteers there planting flowers and doing maintenance.
Here in Lansing you can see a similar situation on Washington were LCC takes care of the grounds and farther south the city takes care of the grounds. LCC has nice well tended plantings healthy trees that are looked after. Washington Sq the plantings and rain gardens of often neglected some of trees have more bare branches the green. On farther south they planted about one little flat of flowers for each of the green areas on the street. One than two feet over one more in this desert of bark mulch, it looked bad to start and then they let the flowers die. Why even do it if it's done like that?
If we had a charitable friends of the parks group it could help the city beautification of our parks and trails. People could get a tax deduction and maybe volunteer to work at their favorite park. The group could independently hire people to help maintain the parks. Perhaps the city could reopen it's greenhouses and people could help grow next seasons flowers. Maybe offer internships and college credit for working at city parks and gardens. It may never happen but perhaps the city could give people credit off their property taxes for money or time spent beautifying the parks,boulevards and curb sides.
The river trail goes through beautiful wild forests that we are so blessed have right in the middle of our city, the trail is truly a great jewel of a thing that needs to be maintained over every inch. The pavement should smooth and a pleasure to ride on, the fencing also needs to be maintained. I know that tourist would come here just to ride the trails and visit our parks and gardens. If you make nice for tourist you are making it nice for the residents as well.
The same goes for our streets. We build the coolest cars in the world, shouldn't we have the best streets to drive them on?
There is a group that recently started. The Friends of the Lansing River Trail. I believe that their first meeting was earlier this year. One of the points brought up during their initial meeting was how to best allocate the money that was earmarked for trails in Ingham County.
We actually have a lot of bike riders on the trails in the area. You can view the data accumulated from riders on the National Bike Challenge website. There is a map of all miles logged since May. The impact that the river trail has on the Lansing bike scene can be easily seen.
Yeah, between the Friends of the Rivertrail group and the new $3.5 million per year trails millage, things are looking up for the Rivertrail. That northward expansion is important, as is a westward expansion from Moores Park. I think they claim 20 miles of trail now, it will really get interesting when/if it ties in with the statewide trail system.
I hope that pointing out some things that could be improved did not come across that I am not impressed by the river trail. I am very much. I am often amazed be a huge tree. wild flowers, or wild life that I see each time I walk the trail. I was just stating that money should spent on real improvements that people will use. Pavement boardwalks fencing things like that.
No problem with pointing out shortcomings, that's part of what the Friends of the Rivertrail group exists to do, along with helping to decide where to put the trails millage money. Judging by how things have went so far, I'm fairly confident that the money will be used for real and useful improvements, I think we're all curious to see what they come up with.
Myself as well. I love the rivertrail. I was just noticing that the landscaping around the City Market and a few of the flower beds are looking like they've been forgotten about. Not necessarily groundbreaking stuff that absolutely needs to be fixed but every little bit helps with that area.
This is the kind of thing that needs to be repaired the next day, and plans to fix the trail way and raise the trail next. Also the roadway on the GM side could be curbed and with a drain put in at the bottom of the slope. These big rains we have had wash down that road and over the trail.
I like how the trial goes from woods to industrial and then back to woods because that is Lansing, but this area could be nicer. Maybe flowering vines on the fence by GM, maybe GM could put in a green strip between their roadway and the trail. There is another eroded area on the trail in Moores park again the rain water is washing down the slope that the pool sits on. A drain at the bottom of the slope would help there as well.
There could also be a waterway litter petrol to remove litter and debris that collects by fallen trees and bridges, there is one point up from Elm street were
fallen trees are almost completely blocking the river and lots of nasty stuff is stuck there. It is amazing to me how clean the rivers and creeks have become, to be able to see the bottom in some areas is kind of like this dream I have always had. Seeing that litter all backed up in the river bring back thoughts of the bad old days.
Good point. With the amount of money now devoted specifically to the trail, it shouldn't be allowed to sit like this for very long at all, repairs should begin almost immediately. Taking care of existing infrastructure has to come first.
This looks better than I remember the real one. My Dad would take us to employee parties there, I remember running around the whole place while the grown ups were having a bit of Holiday cheer. There was a big Ball Room with a stage and a big sweeping staircase going up to a balcony. This was in the 60's and to me it seemed then like a very old fashioned building all wood inside, it was a nice place.
I lived over by Quentin Park in the late 70's when the whole complex burned down,what a sight it was to see the whole sky orange with flames, it seemed pretty convenient that every single building burned to the ground, and they might have saved the clubhouse as it was a separate building, but I don't think they wanted to. They were not really beautiful buildings { other than the club house} but they did see a lot of Lansing history.
Looks like the concrete pad by the Marketplace Apartments was a base for a statue. Kind of a weird angle from behind but it is a metal sculpture of a man holding a toolbox.
Comments
In Boston a charitable conservancy takes care of The Public Gardens and that area looks great with nice plantings no litter good security, across from there The Boston Commons although better lately, has a neglected look about it scruffy grass litter kind of scary looking folks hanging out there. The difference is that the city of Boston only maintains the Commons. There is also a conservancy for the Rose Kennedy Greenway. You often see groups of volunteers there planting flowers and doing maintenance.
Here in Lansing you can see a similar situation on Washington were LCC takes care of the grounds and farther south the city takes care of the grounds. LCC has nice well tended plantings healthy trees that are looked after. Washington Sq the plantings and rain gardens of often neglected some of trees have more bare branches the green. On farther south they planted about one little flat of flowers for each of the green areas on the street. One than two feet over one more in this desert of bark mulch, it looked bad to start and then they let the flowers die. Why even do it if it's done like that?
If we had a charitable friends of the parks group it could help the city beautification of our parks and trails. People could get a tax deduction and maybe volunteer to work at their favorite park. The group could independently hire people to help maintain the parks. Perhaps the city could reopen it's greenhouses and people could help grow next seasons flowers. Maybe offer internships and college credit for working at city parks and gardens. It may never happen but perhaps the city could give people credit off their property taxes for money or time spent beautifying the parks,boulevards and curb sides.
The river trail goes through beautiful wild forests that we are so blessed have right in the middle of our city, the trail is truly a great jewel of a thing that needs to be maintained over every inch. The pavement should smooth and a pleasure to ride on, the fencing also needs to be maintained. I know that tourist would come here just to ride the trails and visit our parks and gardens. If you make nice for tourist you are making it nice for the residents as well.
The same goes for our streets. We build the coolest cars in the world, shouldn't we have the best streets to drive them on?
We actually have a lot of bike riders on the trails in the area. You can view the data accumulated from riders on the National Bike Challenge website. There is a map of all miles logged since May. The impact that the river trail has on the Lansing bike scene can be easily seen.
I like how the trial goes from woods to industrial and then back to woods because that is Lansing, but this area could be nicer. Maybe flowering vines on the fence by GM, maybe GM could put in a green strip between their roadway and the trail. There is another eroded area on the trail in Moores park again the rain water is washing down the slope that the pool sits on. A drain at the bottom of the slope would help there as well.
There could also be a waterway litter petrol to remove litter and debris that collects by fallen trees and bridges, there is one point up from Elm street were
fallen trees are almost completely blocking the river and lots of nasty stuff is stuck there. It is amazing to me how clean the rivers and creeks have become, to be able to see the bottom in some areas is kind of like this dream I have always had. Seeing that litter all backed up in the river bring back thoughts of the bad old days.
I lived over by Quentin Park in the late 70's when the whole complex burned down,what a sight it was to see the whole sky orange with flames, it seemed pretty convenient that every single building burned to the ground, and they might have saved the clubhouse as it was a separate building, but I don't think they wanted to. They were not really beautiful buildings { other than the club house} but they did see a lot of Lansing history.