The controversial entrance to Groesbeck Golf Course was a topic of major interest last year. Now that the entrance is paved, WKAR’s Katie Cook revisited the site and caught up with the Friends of Ormond Park to find out where things stand with their lawsuit against the city.
Lansing City Council has offered to explore a possible settlement with the Friends Of Ormond Park over the Groesbeck Golf Course entrance.
Friends of Ormond Park sued last year in an attempt to block construction of the entrance, but a judge lifted the restraining order against construction and the road through the park has since been paved.
If you’ve driven along where Grand River turns into Cesar E. Chavez you may have noticed the clearing of trees and the new pavement. The entrance cuts a direct path to the golf course through the middle of the park, and means golfers will no longer have to drive through the nearby neighborhood to reach the course.
But several people in that neighborhood tell WKAR they’re not happy about it, even though it means less traffic on their street.
“It kinda sucks, it’s quite a waste of a nice park,” says resident Tim Leece.
“They told us it would make things safer for our kids playing in the street, but our kids didn’t play in the street until they took their park away,” says Sally Backhaus, another resident of the neighborhood.
The Park Board identified a portion of their 2019 budget specifically for play equipment for Ormond Park, which will replace the equipment that was torn down when the entrance was paved.
Friends of Ormond Park representative Merry Stanford told WKAR they are hopeful that Mayor Andy Schor has reached out in the spirit of cooperation and that they can come to a settlement agreement that addresses the needs of their neighborhood children for play space, and the needs of Lansing residents for green space.
The Friends of Ormond Park and residents of the Ormond Park neighborhood are meeting with Mayor Schor and other city administrators on Saturday to work out the type and location of play equipment to be replaced in the park.
