The Jewish Community Relations Council
is pleased to invite you to join
us as we present the
Jacobs assesses
the condition
of the athletic
shelter kitchen.
Come Play from page 8
the same permits for the same times, and
all had paid the dues. It's funny looking
back on it now"
Tall grass and double-booking may
be problems he's encountered, yet he
says he's never had a single issue with
safety on Belle Isle. A police presence has
ensured that.
When Belle Isle became a state park,
Jacobs again moved quickly.
Adat Shalom Synagogue
Farmington Hills
Dessert Reception
following the event
Couvert: $18
Featured Speaker:
Rochelle Riley
Columnist, Detroit Free Press
To register or to learn more about sponsorship
options, and opportunities to pay tribute to
Marcy Feldman, please contact the
Jewish Community Relations Council
248-642-5393, ext. 5 or visit detroitjcrc.org
Honorary Co-Chairs
Michael Feldman • Cheryl and Dan Guyer
Lois and Robert Kaplow • Gilda and John Jacobs
Dulcie Rosenfeld
Supported by
The Jewish Federation
Media Relations
Israel Advocacy • Community Activism
10 March 26 • 2015
OF METROPOLITAN DETROIT
JN
Belle Isle
When the state took over, CPD was pro-
gramming and competing with other
rentals on Belle Isle for space and time for
softball and kickball leagues.
A woman from the city told Jacobs that
the state had to keep any contract the city
had with a league, so he reserved the days
he needed Monday through Thursday for
the softball fields for one year.
When the state had a listing session for
concessionaires to manage Belle Isle the
first year Jacobs said the state was inun-
dated with bids to manage each sport.
"One group offered to manage the
handball courts; another group said they'd
manage the soccer field; another said
they'd manage the tennis courts:' he said.
"I was the only one who came in and said,
`I want the softball complex, but we are
prepared to oversee it all,"' he said. "The
state did not want to have to deal with
five or six organizations, so they gave it to
me for the yeat"
After the year was up, Jacobs had to
rebid on the job, but only one other bid-
der competed. "The condition of the
complex was terrible and scared off a lot
of people he said. Now that he has been
accepted to run things for the next seven
years, Jacobs is full steam ahead.
"The fields overall have been in disre-
pair; he said. "The soccer field from the
Pontiac Silverdome was brought down
there in 1994, and I don't know if ifs ever
been touched. The athletic shelter build-
ing, a historic building [built in 1898], is
in really bad shape:'
The short list of renovations includes
adding turf to the complex, building three
soccer/lacrosse football fields, four base-
ball/softball fields and a feature football
field with full stadium seating and an
eight-lane track around the field.
"Once the track is built, we plan to
bring the State High School Track and
Field Championships to Belle Isle. It's cur-
rently at Eastern Michigan University:'
He will generate revenue from league
fees, facility rentals and sponsorships.
Currently, CPD has 30 part-time employ-
ees, including on-site coordinators, refer-
ees, scorekeepers and interns. Jacobs will
be hiring additional full-time staff once
funding is in place to maintain the facility
and handle administrative costs.
He said the state will put in $500,000
with a matching $500,000, so he'll have
$1 million from the state to focus on the
building. Another $1 million will redo the
softball complex.
He's going to different foundations
to fundraise and has hired New York
City-based Biederman Redevelopment
Ventures (BRV) to take programming to
the next level.
"I can organize leagues and engage
people better than anyone else, but I've
never built a park. I wouldn't know where
to begin:' he said.
Biederman project manager George
Roberts has local roots and grew up in
Birmingham.
"We've been working on trying to find
ways for BRV to help out Detroit for
some time now:' Roberts said. "The Belle
Isle Sports Complex came along and we
jumped at the opportunity We work on all
different types of parks and parts of parks,
everything from a 1-acre Hart Plaza or
apartment complexes to all of Belle Isle.
"The hardest thing for any public space
is getting people there he added. "When
it comes to public spaces, people vote
with their feet. This project will be tough
because there's a lot of maintenance, and
you're on an island and not somewhere
where there's traditional foot traffic. We're
going to make sure that there's a diverse
array of programs and amenities at the
athletic complex that will draw people at
all hours of the day, at all days of the week
and throughout the year."
Jacobs said he doesn't want to cut any
corners. "I want everything to be top of
the line, state of the art, and make this
a destination that everyone will want to
travel to:' he said. "We'll be able to pro-
vide a wide range of programing, youth
and senior programming. Everyone
needs to feel that it belongs to them:'
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