Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An official groundbreaking was held at the site of the future Main Street Park – marking a major milestone in the citizen-led effort to create a safe, inclusive, and active public space for the community.

The groundbreaking was held earlier this month by the Main Street Park Alliance (MSPA), in partnership with the City of Chelsea, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Washtenaw County Brownfield Authority, Washtenaw County Parks and the City of Chelsea Parks & Recreation Commission. Local State Representative Kathy Schmaltz and State Senator Sue Shink joined a crowd of supporters and MSPA board members for the milestone event.

The project is the result of a grassroots public-private partnership fueled by thousands of volunteer hours, steadfast community support, and collaboration across local and state agencies. The Main Street Park Alliance successfully navigated a $2 million environmental remediation, a robust public input process, and an ambitious fundraising effort to bring the project to this moment.

Joe Ziolkowski, Lead Developer & Member of the Board of Directors for the Main Street Park Alliance said “This project has always been about more than just building a park—it’s about bringing people together to solve a long-standing problem. What began as a shared dream among community members is now taking physical shape thanks to the persistence, generosity, and determination of this community.”

The construction campaign is continuing.

MSPA raised $250,000 since May. Officials say every gift helps close their funding gap, which now stands at under $1 (m) million.

With environmental remediation complete, park construction is underway. A new retaining wall is complete on the north side of the property, a robust stormwater retention system is complete, and all other underground utility work is nearing completion. People can expect to see the foundation poured for the climbing wall and the restroom building to take shape over the next several weeks. The skate park and climbing wall are scheduled to be in place this fall. The team is currently reserving over 170 trees from a local nursery to be planted this fall. Those interested can also donate to plant a tree.

A link to more information is provided.