Donation Will Help Develop 70-Acre Park in Rochester Hills

Mayor Bryan Barnett announced the development of Riverbend Park at his State of the City address; a donation from longtime residents Steve and Darlene Stolaruk will make it happen.

A new park — one featuring walking and jogging trails, an arboretum and canoe launches — will be developed this year in Rochester Hills. Mayor Bryan Barnett announced the creation of what he called a "legacy park" during his annual State of the City Address on Wednesday night.  About 250 people gathered inside an auditorium at Emagine Theatre to listen to Barnett and watch on the big screen as he told the city's success story. (Read and watch: Dancing Mayor Tells the Rochester Hills Story.) Amid all the positives — the city's 5 percent unemployment rate and 7 percent industrial park vacancy rate — Barnett kept coming back to one common theme during his address: the quality of life, which relies heavily on the city's parks. "We know our …

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Improved Playground - With Swings - Coming Soon to Borden Park

It's the last of the Rochester Hills park playgrounds to be upgraded, and the city will spend $130,000 to bring it up-to-date.

The 21-year-old playground at Borden Park will be replaced this spring by a whole new playground that features, among other amenities, swings. Borden is the only city playground that doesn't have swings — a complaint that the city's Parks Operations Manager, Alan Buckenmeyer, has heard often. The new playground will be built by Playworld Midstates of Holland, Mich. It will include 44 "fun-filled events" that accommodates 127 children ages 5-12, according to a design concept released by the city. Rochester Hills City Council approved $129,716 in funding for the project this week. It's the last of the city park playgrounds to be replaced under a Capital Improvement Program begun in 2001 to upgrade the playgrounds in compliance with the …

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Paul Merlo

12:57 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013

I'm guessing their insurance premiums are part of that cost. Maybe they'll use illegal immigrants to build it and save a few bucks, instead of qualified Union laborers.   more ›

City Moves Forward With Purchase of Two Properties Along Adams Road

The properties, each containing a residential home, will add to protected green space in Rochester Hills.

Rochester Hills leaders are negotiating with the owners of two 5-acre lots on Adams Road to purchase the properties for city green space. The properties at 950 and 884 N. Adams Road, south of Tienken Road, are next to the undeveloped Nowicki Park. By buying the land, the city would prevent any private commercial or residential development from happening there.  The city's Green Space Advisory Board, a citizen committee charged with helping the city preserve natural green spaces, wildlife habitats and scenic views in the city, walked the properties in August and September and declared them an attractive buffer to Nowicki Park with high-quality wetlands.  Because of how close they are to Adams High School and the Village of Rochester Hills, …

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Christopher

2:53 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013

CaringHuman, I'm not sure why that's relevant. Is a home not in disrepair because nice people live in it? They're going to get more than market for houses they didn't keep up, congrats!   more ›

Have You Voted For Yates Park Project Today?

The polls close March 19 and Clinton River Watershed Council has a chance to win a $25,000 grant.

On the Agenda: Rochester Hills Will Hear Public Comments on Park Ordinance

Rochester Hills City Council meets at 7 p.m. Monday at Rochester Hills City Hall.

Rochester Hills leaders will hold a public hearing Monday night to consider a proposed charter amendment designed to protect city parks and open spaces. The public hearing is part of the regular Rochester Hills City Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Hills Municipal Building. The hearing and proposed amendment were spurred by a group of residents who asked city leaders last month to consider putting the charter amendment question on the November ballot. To amend the city's charter, a citywide vote is necessary. City council members were concerned with some of the language in the residents' proposed amendment and wanted more time before voting to put the amendment on the ballot. Since then, leaders of the group, which …

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Opinion: Finish Our Parks and Leave a Legacy

"Finish Riverbend Park, Nowicki Park and Tienken Park, and make Adams Road a "Complete Street" to connect all three of them."

Dear Editor, Congratulations to Susan Bowyer, Steve McGarry and Gary Uhl on your hard work and efforts that led up to the discussion last Monday night. Speaking as a former member of the Rochester Hills City Council, in principle and as a general rule I do not support charter amendments. I like to think of our city charter as our constitution written by our city founders ... charter amendments should be rare occasions. But, unfortunately there comes a time when the wisdom of our local government can't be trusted and our citizens need to take control of the situation and charter amendments can accomplish those goals. We are a city blessed with residents who know how to get involved, and a big thanks to Bowyer, McGarry and Uhl for all your …

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Residents Will Move Forward With Petition Drive for Parks Amendment

Rochester Hills City Council plans July 18 public hearing, but leaders of an effort to put amendment on November ballot say they have no choice but to move forward.

A group of residents wanting to amend the Rochester Hills charter to help protect city parks said early Tuesday they have no choice but to begin a petition drive to be sure the amendment gets on the November ballot. Gary Uhl, president of the Bridgewood Farms Homeowners Association, led the residents who crafted the amendment, which says the city shall not sell, use for unintended purposes, transfer or exchange city-owned parks without first asking its residents in the form of a citywide vote. It was a discussion that started during Monday night's city council meeting and lasted into the early morning hours Tuesday; in the end, the residents, city staff and council members all agreed that they want to protect parks. But what they couldn't …

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