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.
Oh goodness. It appears that rains have once again washed out the retaining wall along the trail south of Elm earlier this month, so this section is closed:
This is not the first time they've had problems with the retaining wall in this part of the trail. What they need to do here is spend the money that is required to raise the trail a half-foot or so, and secure it with metal planks like they have at other parts of the trail. A simple stone/rock retaining wall with chicken wire is not going to cut it. Better yet, they need to raise the train all the way past Island Avenue quite frankly, since this section is in a floodplain.
In other news, I noticed for the first time the other night that the storage yards were Lansing Car Assembly used to be west of Lansing Grand River are now illuminated. Kind of makes it look lively again; they've also done some landscaping around the lots. In a perfect world, the GM-owned lots off of Malcolm X, Williams and Olds would be developed as neighborhood retail for the factory workers and the south end of the Westside Neighborhood next door. But, I guess until then the least they can do is to make them look nice. Seems to me they only use the lots south of Olds regularly with the other's used for overflow.
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.
The limestone pillar was originally crafted more than 70 years ago, Knight said. The pillar is also being retrofitted with stained-glass window panes back-lit by a newly-installed light source inside, said Minshall.
Dan Schiffer, formerly of Schiffer Mason Contractors, Inc., donated his time and masonry expertise in dismantling and reassemble the former YMCA pillar, said Devon Bradley, LCC’s public relations director.
They are still talking about redeveloping the site "pending financing and city support."
Comments
This is not the first time they've had problems with the retaining wall in this part of the trail. What they need to do here is spend the money that is required to raise the trail a half-foot or so, and secure it with metal planks like they have at other parts of the trail. A simple stone/rock retaining wall with chicken wire is not going to cut it. Better yet, they need to raise the train all the way past Island Avenue quite frankly, since this section is in a floodplain.
In other news, I noticed for the first time the other night that the storage yards were Lansing Car Assembly used to be west of Lansing Grand River are now illuminated. Kind of makes it look lively again; they've also done some landscaping around the lots. In a perfect world, the GM-owned lots off of Malcolm X, Williams and Olds would be developed as neighborhood retail for the factory workers and the south end of the Westside Neighborhood next door. But, I guess until then the least they can do is to make them look nice. Seems to me they only use the lots south of Olds regularly with the other's used for overflow.
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.
community heart of reo by telephotodreams, on Flickr
I actually like this one better than the old one.
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.
They are still talking about redeveloping the site "pending financing and city support."