Scott Fountain on Belle Isle
It's easy to forget how grand Belle Isle is, particularly when you hear about things being in disrepair and on the decline.
But the state, which is about to officially make it Michigan's 102 state park, has high hopes.
Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press reports that Natural Resource Commissioner Tim Nichols said the transformation of Belle Isle could be historic.
“If you look at what we’re seeing here today and what we’ll see in the future, this could be the Mackinac Island of the south,” he said. “It can have that dramatic of an impact.”
Gray reports that the Natural Resources Commission on Thursday unanimously signed off on an order designating Belle Isle as a state park. Now that's all tha'ts left to make it official is for Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh to give the official nod.
The state is pledging up to $20 million in upgrades, the Freep reports. -- Allan Lengel
