South End Oakland County to get Major Park Upgrades

Catalpa Oaks in Southfield seeing $850,000 investment

Hard work and a unified lobbying effort by south-end Oakland County Commissioners has resulted in a major success for residents of Oakland County as the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission announced last month the approval for Phase I construction for Catalpa Oaks Park in Southfield. More than $850,000 in funding will produce or deliver this year an irrigation system, a new children’s playground, new service building, rental shelter, a 2nd entry kiosk and new goals and bleachers for the sports’ fields. Baseball, softball, and soccer are currently available at the park, with eventual plans for many other programs.

The land for the new park was acquired in 2007 after efforts by several county commissioners, including Gary McGillivray-D-Madison Hts. who is now a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as Commissioners Dave Woodward-D-Royal Oak, Helaine Zack-D- Huntington Woods, and others.

Most of the county parks, golf courses, and other recreation facilities are located in the more sparsely populated areas of northern Oakland County. There has been a lot of criticism from residents in the southern, more densely populated urban areas of Oakland who feel most county park and rec facilities are out of reach to many Oakland County families.

“We are very pleased to get this major sports and recreation facility now in an area that is very accessible for our kids and families down here, and we thank the Parks and Recreation Commission for their support,” said Commissioner McGillivray.

“This is an investment in our residents’ health and fitness as well,” added Janet Jackson, D-Southfield. “We need these kinds of facilities here for the urban families who don’t always have the resources or abilities to get to other types of recreation.”

Catalpa Oaks is located at the southwest corner of Greenfield and Catalpa in northwest Southfield, west of the city of Berkley. The park will see vastly improved soccer, baseball, and softball fields as well.


# # #