Areas to be renamed after prominent Madison Heights citizens

MADISON HEIGHTS — The new children’s room at the library, the Monroe Park pavilion and Ambassador Park itself are set to be renamed, each in honor of a different person who helped shape the city of Madison Heights.

The Madison Heights City Council approved the renaming motions Feb. 13, following recommendations from the city’s Historical Commission to drop a provision that required a waiting period before a park or facility could be named in honor of a deceased person.

The plan is for the children’s room at the Madison Heights Public Library to be named in honor of the late Madison Heights City Councilmember Robert Corbett, and for the pavilion at Monroe Park to be named in honor of the late Madison Heights City Councilmember Robert Gettings. Corbett died on March 25, 2022, and Gettings died on Nov. 19, 2021.

Ambassador Park will also be renamed, in honor of Gary McGillivray — a past mayor and member of the City Council who currently serves on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.

Each naming will receive its own dedication ceremony in the months to come. No dates have been announced, but officials say that the children’s room will likely be dedicated alongside the reopening of the newly renovated library sometime in April, while the Monroe Park pavilion and Ambassador Park will be dedicated sometime when the weather is warmer.

Sean Fleming, a member of the Madison Heights City Council, serves as the council alternate on the Historical Commission.

“There used to be a thought that waiting one year after someone’s death was not long enough, and that it should be multiple years. And I understand that if someone passes away, there might be a rush to do things in their honor, and that you also want to give time to the family to process everything and to take care of themselves. But now, during that same time period — however long it may be — the Historical Commission can take submissions for renaming parks and facilities, and review them, and report their recommendations to council. In the end, it’s a way for those people to be talked about and remembered, and for their legacy to live on within the city,” Fleming said.

“I didn’t know Bob Gettings or Bob Corbett for as many years as my colleagues did, but it’s clear to me that they’re both well-deserving of this honor because of their many years of service contributing to the city of Madison Heights,” he added. “I feel that the locations that we approved are well-suited for each of their characters, given the things they were passionate about in life.”

As for McGillivray, “Gary has given a lot to our city,” Fleming said. “He’s been an advocate for us all this time, making sure that we’re well-represented at the county level.”

Mayor Roslyn Grafstein said that originally, the plan was to name the pickleball courts at Ambassador Park in honor of Gettings, but the family requested the pavilion at Monroe Park.

“He was Mr. Parks and Rec,” Grafstein said of Gettings. “He worked for the city’s Recreation Department (prior to serving on council), and I just know that he would be tickled pink to know we named this pavilion in honor of him. He was such a huge parks advocate.”

The mayor said naming the children’s room at the library in honor of Corbett is equally fitting.

“The library was in his blood,” Grafstein said. “(Corbett) was such an advocate of the library. He even held meeting hours there with the general public, on Fridays. He was also a permanent fixture on the library board, which he played a role in starting so many years ago. Since we’re now developing the library with renovations and upgrades that he helped plan, it’s only fitting that we name part of the library in his honor.”

She also described how McGillivray has been a tireless supporter of Madison Heights, including the county-funded upgrades at Ambassador Park that he helped arrange. She said the work amounts to a $4.75 million investment, currently underway, and that once complete, there will be environmental improvements such as landscape restoration, native gardens and new trees planted, as well as the new pickleball court, play structure and seating area.

“The parks are near and dear to his heart, so it’s only fitting that if we’re renaming our parks, we dedicate one of them for Gary McGillivray,” the mayor said.

Mark Bliss, the mayor pro tem and council rep on the Historical Commission who helped chair the naming subcommittee, agreed.

“Really, if we had a Mount Rushmore of Madison Heights, Gary McGillivray would be on it,” Bliss said. “He has dedicated years of his life to the community — coaching sports teams here, serving as a member of council, and as mayor during a tough time in our city. He has been and continues to be an incredible county commissioner — we wouldn’t have the nature center if not for his work brokering that deal with the county. And the current project at Ambassador Park is heavily influenced by his work, as well,” Bliss said.

“It’s interesting — Gary and I spoke after this motion passed on the Historical Commission and was going on the council agenda, and I let him know it was coming. He had just come off a call working out details on Ambassador Park, and I said, ‘Well Gary, you’re going to have to get used to calling it McGillivray Park,’” Bliss said with a laugh. “People have seen and heard his name for years, but I don’t think everyone truly understands the impact that Gary made on the city. This will help us tell his story, and I’m thankful he will be there to help inspire future generations.”

The mayor pro tem said Corbett and Gettings are richly deserving, as well.

“I knew Bob Gettings when I was a kid growing up here,” Bliss said. “He worked for the Recreation Department for decades, and he was a member of the Madison school board, all before he ever sat on council — and he served on council for a decade. He served our city in many ways, but you couldn’t get into a conversation with him without the topic moving over to parks and programs and sports in any capacity. He firmly believed that kids are better off having played a team sport, having that camaraderie. And I know he’d be very happy that we’re now able to honor him with this pavilion at one of his favorite parks. When kids are having a birthday party at the ‘Gettings Pavilion,’ at Monroe Park, they will see a sign recounting the good things he contributed to the community, and hopefully that will inspire somebody.”

Bliss said he also couldn’t think of a more fitting honor for Corbett than the room at the library.

“The idea to name the brand-new children’s room at the library after Bob Corbett makes a ton of sense since he helped save the library during the economic downturn, and he served on the library board for many years, and the many exciting things we’re now adding with the Civic Center project came from the mind of Bob Corbett,” Bliss said. “To me, it’s gratifying to know that every child that goes into that room will learn about the man who helped keep that library open for so many years. And on a more personal note, I knew Bob Corbett when I was a kid, and then I got the opportunity to serve with him for so many years on council and the library board, and I saw firsthand the passion and generosity with which he served the citizens of our community. I think he would be overjoyed to know that his accomplishments could help inspire the next Bob Corbett.”