Palmer Park expected to make splash come August

Detroit’s Palmer Park will soon be the new home for a state-of-the art Splash Park, thanks to the generosity of Lear Corporation and support from the City of Detroit. Construction is proceeding quickly and water should be flowing by mid-August, providing welcome relief from the heat for children of all ages.
 

 Palmer Park was chosen by the City of Detroit Recreation Department as the location for the second splash park in the city to be built by Lear. The new Palmer Park Splash Park will be motion-censored and will be programmed to turn on at 10:00 am, and automatically shut off at 10:00 pm, when Palmer Park closes. 
 

Construction at the site of the former pool began in Palmer Park earlier this month, and is expected to be complete by mid-August. The City of Detroit suggested Palmer Park primarily because the People for Palmer Park (PFPP), a nonprofit 501(C)(3) entity, has adopted the park and has collaborated with the city and community to revitalize the recreation and nature site. PFPP has launched extensive recreational programming this summer, offering baseball, organized weekly bike rides, tai chi and yoga classes, and tennis lessons for children and adults. 

 

The Splash Park will replace the non-functional pool in Palmer Park, which has been closed for many years, after vandals removed all mechanical infrastructure for the pool. The site of the Palmer Park pool is now a large excavated hole, which has been drained, and will be filled with a stable material, followed by the construction of the Splash Park. Go here for photos of the future Splash Park. 

 

In the near future, the City of Detroit also has plans to construct a new playscape in the area adjacent to the pool. The People for Palmer Park have been working with the General Services Department on design, siting, selection of the proposed structure and more. 

 

Palmer Park is located between McNichols and Seven Mile Road, and just west of Woodward Avenue. The Splash Park and playground will be located on Merrill Plaisance, which intersects with Woodward Avenue just north of McNichols and borders part of the southern periphery of the park.