Birmingham provides updates on Adams Park construction

BIRMINGHAM — While Adams Park is still a work in progress, the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board is able to proudly share the newest construction updates.

“Over the past several weeks, this project has created an amazing transformation of a beautiful park space,” Public Services Director Lauren Wood said.

The renovation of Adams Park has been long-awaited since the city purchased the land from The Roeper School in 2006. Residents are now going to be able to enjoy several amenities.

The design team for this project is Michael J Dul & Associates Inc., and the construction team is Michigan Recreational Construction Inc. Wood said they are “top-notch” teams.

“We have been waiting for quite some time to see something happen here because of a lack of funding in the past,” Parks and Recreation Manager Carrie Laird said.

Earlier this year, the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Department applied to the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Park Improvement Grant Program. From this program, they ended up receiving  $100,000.

The total cost for this project is just over $1 million.

“It will really bring together that neighborhood and provide a gathering area for the community, so we are excited to see that happen,” Laird said.

Construction in Adams Park has been underway for about two months. They began work as scheduled June 13.

The early stages of this project included placing a construction fence and removing all park items, including the playground and benches.

Adams Park has a 10-foot difference in grade, which causes water runoff issues. This is one of the issues being addressed.

Regrading the park to improve the water runoff off of the south side of the park has been a major part of the project. During this process, they hauled away 1,500 yards of earth from the park.

They are also putting in a rain garden on the south end of the park.

Significant concrete work has been completed, including track and field elements. Elements of the basketball court have also already been put in.

Laird said this will be the only park in Birmingham with a finished basketball court. The court will include a red and blue surface with lines.

“It is going to be such a cool park with lots of neat elements all around,” Laird said.

Work on the seating area is in progress, and several boulders have been placed in the park.

In the center of the park, a large tree has been planted. More trees are on the way as well.

The date of almost completion is Aug. 26. Laird noted that this marks the day it will be almost completed rather than completed, because some minor elements may still not be in by that time.

While a lot of progress has been made on this park, a few major projects still need to begin before the construction is complete. These projects include the playground and pavilion, which will be worked on this month.

Construction updates can be found on Engage Birmingham.