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Written by  Laura Misjak

April 11, 2011

$500,000 to help Lansing's once-polluted Crego Park reopen to public

Land closed in 1986 after sludge, toxic waste found

The sign that declares Crego Park's closure has loomed at the corner of East Mt. Hope Avenue and Aurelius Road for more than 20 years.

But that sign will be coming down in the next year or so thanks to a $500,000 state grant that will help the once-polluted park open to the public.
"I can't wait to take that sign off," said Murdock Jemerson, Lansing's director of parks and recreation.
"This park has gone through a lot in terms of having the negative connotation of being polluted. I definitely want to see it open again."
Crego Park - Lansing's largest park at about 200 acres - is adjacent to Potter Park Zoo, Fenner Nature Center and two of the city's cemeteries as part of the Sycamore Basin.
It's been closed since 1986 when 200 drums of paint sludge and other toxic waste were found.
After the sludge discovery, FMC Corp. of Philadelphia agreed to spend $8 million to clean up the mess. The Lansing Park Board was notified within the past two years that the park was suitable to use, said Ron Lott, a member of the board.
Officials shifted their attention to Crego Park after failing to receive a state grant in 2009 to update Frances Park.
"Especially with (Fidelity Lake) enclosed within the park boundaries, we wanted to take advantage of that," Lott said.
The process of reopening the park began last spring, when the city applied for a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant.

$250,000 from city fund

The grant, coupled with $250,000 from the city's parks millage fund, will fit the land with a fishing dock, kayak/canoe launch, a boardwalk to give a pathway from the 17-acre Fidelity Lake on the park's east side to the city's River Trail, and more.
Once the city finds an architectural engineering firm and construction company to work on the project, the hands-on work might not begin until September, Jemerson said.
"What we're doing here is pretty much allowing access to the park and what we call quiet water activities," Jemerson said.
Motorized boats and other motorized watercraft will not be allowed in the park, Jemerson said.
 The city's grant application shows maintenance to the land is expected to cost about $1,200 annually.

Letters of support

Neighbors of Crego Park have expressed fears that opening the park will bring unwanted noise and traffic.
But Lansing resident Marcia Thomas, 47, said opening the park would benefit the city as a whole.
"I think giving people more access to the parks is a good thing," said Thomas, who walked along the River Trail near the park Thursday afternoon. "Maybe it will get more people outdoors and off the couch."
Jemerson said he's received more letters of support - close to 20 - for this grant than any he's ever applied for.
One of the major supporters for the endeavor are fishing enthusiasts, who look forward to tapping into Fidelity Lake's supply of bass, sunfish and bluegill.
The wetlands that make up a majority of the park will remain untouched, Lott said.
"It's a large portion of land, and we want to try to develop it so residents can be able to do some things they can't do in some of the other parks, like use the lake for fishing or paddling," Lott said.

Local grant recipients

Funded by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund:
• City of Lansing: $500,000 to develop Crego Park
• Clinton County: $1.86 million to purchase 260 acres to add to Motz County Park
• DeWitt Township: $394,200 to construct a baseball field accessible to children with disabilities and update park facilities
• Delhi Township: $283,100 to replace restrooms and pavilion in Valhalla Park
• Hamlin Township: $99,400 to purchase about 25 acres to develop a township park
Source: Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment

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