Plan to create park at former Saginaw Fairgrounds unveiled June 7
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EmailCommunity members are invited to attend a third meeting to discuss plans for the former Saginaw Fairgrounds.
By: Bob Johnson, MLive, bob_johnson@mlive.com
SAGINAW, MI — Community members are invited to attend a third meeting to discuss plans for the former Saginaw Fairgrounds.
At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, The Saginaw Fairgrounds Committee, is hosting the third in a series of meetings that began in November.
The committee is comprised of members of One Week, One Street – an organization that is in its fourth year of revitalizing one street at a time in the Saginaw High School neighborhood.
In November, the group announced that MSU Extension and the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction has accepted an application from the organization for the Sustainable Built Environment Initiative, aimed at visioning and creating a plan for the 54-acre former fairgrounds at the intersection of Genesee and Webber on Saginaw's East Side.
The MSU Sustainable Built Environment Initiative has announced that a plan for a future park at the currently abandoned fairgrounds is finalized and ready to be displayed for the community, according to Tamara Klida, director of One Week, One Street.
This plan required community input which took place during two previous meetings open to the public.
Creating the plan was made possible by a grant through MSU Extension and donations from Team One Credit Union, Nexteer, Wanigas Credit Union and Consumers Energy, Klida said.
"This is a first step in neighborhood stabilization and improving the quality of life in east Saginaw," Klida said. "A beautiful park with recreational activities would be a community asset that would increase neighborhood density and promote community health by providing youth programs, community events and outdoor activities."
Revitalization
The Saginaw County Fair began in 1866. It was, at its peak, one of the most popular county fairs in the country.
In 2002, the Saginaw County Fair moved to a new location at 11350 Peet Road in Chesaning. The fair's Saginaw County Agricultural Society sold the property to the Saginaw Housing Commission in December 2002 for $500,000, plus nearly $36,000 in legal fees.
Klida calls Saginaw a place of revitalization and believes the time is ripe for addressing the abandoned Saginaw Fairgrounds property.
The Saginaw County Parks and Recreation Department is looking for a place in the city of Saginaw for a county park, Klida said.
"Eliminating 54 acres of blight at a main entry point into the city that also houses a registered historic gate, would help retain the current community and make the area a more desirable place to work and live," Klida said.
The meeting will take place at New Beginnings Enrichment Center 2609 E. Genesee, about a block northwest of the fairgrounds gate. Refreshments will be provided.
For information, email oneweekonestreet@aol.com.
http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2016/06/plan_to_turn_former_saginaw_fa.html
