Macomb will slightly increase the size of its newest park.
The city paid $1,500 to purchase less than half-an-acre of land next to the east side of Thorpe Park.
A house once stood there, but it has been demolished. City Administrator Scott Coker said the city has already been maintaining the abandoned lot, and called it a good addition to Thorpe Park.
“It’s a nice place to park cars on the grass if there’s an event there,” Coker said during the city council’s Oct. 12 committee of the whole meeting. He emphasized there are no plans to build a parking lot.
City council member John Vigezzi agreed that it’s a good addition.
“I drove down that road, and there’s limited parking on that road because of the culverts on both the north and south sides,” Vigezzi said. “It’s a good idea to purchase this.”
But the council’s Dave Dorsett said that even though the park is “a wonderful place,” he has some concerns about the purchase.
“It’s only .32 acres, but it’s another .32 acres to come off of the tax rolls, which increases taxes for everybody else. And we are not a park district. I know we keep adding parks, but we’re not a park district,” he said.
Despite the concerns, the city council voted 5-1 on Oct. 19 to move ahead with the purchase. Dorsett cast the lone vote in opposition.
The city dedicated Thorpe Park on Sept. 4.
The park is named in honor of Bill Thorpe, who was Macomb’s first Black police officer.
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