Belanger Park is getting a Facelift

River Rouge - The EPA has been working diligently for approximately four months to eliminate the contaminated soil from some areas of Belanger Park. There were many steps that had to be taken to get to this point. The Just Transition Team – MI has been engaged in learning the process as it directly ties into their efforts to educate the community and fight for Environmental Justice issues.

To keep the community informed on the process of elimating the contamination at the park, Mayor William Campbell gave updates during River Rouge City Council meetings and newsletters created by the EPA were distributed in the community. Those were good educational steps, however, Just Transition Team – MI (JTT-MI) thought that it would be a added educational experience to have community members to hear directly from the EPA at the park.

On Tuesday, June 25th, community members joined with JTT-MI, the Environmental Justice Committee of Western Wayne County NAACP, EPA, EGLE, MDHHS and River Rouge Mayor William Campbell to have a hands-on lesson on what was actually happening to restore the grounds at Belanger Park.

Brian Kelly, EPA's Onsite Coordinator gave an overview of why the remediation was necessary and the steps taken. During and after his presentation, the community members asked questions and either, the representatives from EPA, EGLE, MDHHS or the City of River Rouge gave the answers. The dialogue was outstanding as it proved that many of the community members had very little knowledge of what was going on at the park.

Ebony Elmore, President of JTT-MI, said, "This was an extension of our community meetings that are necessary as residents learn about issues that effect their families. We feel people need to be comfortable to speak up when they are concerned about something going on. We also realize that building partnerships is a key component to reaching successful outcomes."

The park area won't be ready for community usage until sometime next year, as new grass must grow in. But once it is complete there will be new trees, new picnic tables, new playground items for the youth and most importantly soil that is not contaminated.

Many comments from the attendees displayed a sense of excitement once they learned of the new and improved Belanger Park that will be available to them in 2025.

"Thank you to the Just Transition Team, NAACP Western Wayne County, and the City of River Rouge for hosting last week's community meeting. EPA is very proud of our partnership with the City and Michigan EGLE that enabled the $2 million environmental remediation of Belanger Park. I look forward to coming back next year for a picnic. " said Brian Kelly, EPA On-Scene Coordinator.

More information will be shared with the community as the process continues.

The park area is off limits, but the fishing dock and boat launch are still available for community usage.