Playscape at Green Acres Park receives substantial upgrade

HAZEL PARK — The playscape at Green Acres Park has received updated equipment and quadrupled in size, thanks to a major investment by Oakland County Parks.

City and county officials gathered to cut the ribbon at the grand reopening April 20. The park is located at 620 W. Woodward Heights Blvd., next to the Hazel Park Community Center.

“A community needs open areas where everyone feels safe taking their kids and enjoying their time together,” Hazel Park Mayor Mike Webb said. “Being in an urban area, we want to be close to where we work, but we also have smaller backyards. We all live so close together, so we want family areas where we can all get together. And we already have vibrant young families moving to the area, so we have to keep our parks moving in the right direction.”

The new playscape at Green Acres Park is an example of that progress, Webb said. Not only did it expand from 1,125 square feet to 4,500 square feet, but its new poured-in-place rubber surface makes it more accessible to individuals of all ability levels. Three shaded bench areas around the perimeter give parents and guardians room to relax while keeping a watchful eye on their kids.

The playscape itself sports an “urban nature” theme with six swings, including two infant swings and one inclusive swing, as well as three slides of different heights, a bumblebee spring rider, a ladybug spring rider, and three climbing structures. There are also three musical play elements that encourage creative play, while a variety of activity panels promote sensory experiences.

It was all made possible by a $400,000 contribution from Oakland County Parks, part of its Healthy Communities Park and Outdoor Recreation Investment Plan.

The $20.2 million program, aimed at enhancing green spaces and recreational programming across the county, includes $15 million in pandemic relief funds that the county received as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The allocation was approved in 2022 by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners and Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. Another $5.2 million was then added in a matching grant from the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission.

Green Acres Park is owned and operated by the city of Hazel Park, spanning 17.9 acres. A public workshop in July 2023 solicited input from residents about how to redevelop the playscape. Construction commenced in October 2023 once the list of elements was finalized.   

“I wish we had opportunities to have areas like this for our children,” Webb said, referring to his own family. “But for our children’s children, it’s wonderful to give them these opportunities.”

Hazel Park also received another $300,000 from the county that will be used to fund upgrades at the nearby Community Center. And beyond the city of Hazel Park, the county program will be funding improvements at park spaces in Madison Heights, Lyon Township, Oak Park, Pontiac, Royal Oak Township, Southfield, Waterford and Wixom.

Oakland County Commissioner Ann Erickson Gault, D-Troy, representing District 3, said that projects such as the new playscape were one of the reasons she was excited to be appointed to the Parks Commission.

“We’re on a mission to make sure we have Oakland County parks easily available to everyone in the county. There was a time where they were mostly available only in the north, and depending on where you were in the county, you might have to drive quite some distance to reach them. So we’re focusing on spots all over the county,” Gault said.

“One of the things I like most about (Green Acres Park) is this is truly a community park. It’s set in such a beautiful neighborhood, and now the people who live there can walk to this beautiful new play structure,” Gault said. “And I love how this program is a partnership between the county and the Parks Commission and the cities. We’re not coming in with a heavy-handed government approach. We’re working together, hand in hand, with Hazel Park and Madison Heights. I just love how we’re all working together to make these communities even better.”